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Somerset council approves 4905 Cumberland amendment after months‑long dispute over removed trees; firming condition added
Summary
After extensive neighbor testimony that four trees were removed without permits, the Somerset Town Council approved an amended site plan for 4905 Cumberland Avenue (detached garage, retaining wall, driveway and stormwater changes) but added a condition: the central portion of the new driveway must use permeable pavers to the maximum extent allowed by Montgomery County. The vote was 3–2.
The Somerset Town Council narrowly approved an amended site plan for 4905 Cumberland Avenue on Feb. 24 after a lengthy public hearing that revisited months of prior debate over tree removals and stormwater controls.
The applicants (recorded in the application materials as Guido and Charmaine Recciale) sought to add a detached garage, retaining wall and amend an earlier stormwater plan. Town staff and the town’s consulting engineers concluded the revised designs conform to Somerset code for accessory‑building setbacks and that the stormwater plan (a landscape infiltration facility plus a structural dry well) meets the town and Montgomery County requirements for a one‑year storm event.
Neighbors, through counsel Michelle Rosenfeld, told the council that four trees on the property had been removed in April without town authorization, including a 10‑inch oak near the front of the lot. "Because of those…
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