Watertown board grants one-year extension for multifamily setback variance at 1031 1st Ave SE

The City of Watertown Board of Adjustment voted Feb. 19 to extend a previously granted variance for a planned multifamily project at 1031 1st Avenue Southeast.

Staff told the board the original variance, granted Feb. 20, 2025, reduced the front-yard setback to 20 feet and the side-yard setback to 5 feet from the R-3 district standard. Brandy, the planner presenting the item, said the property’s two former structures have been demolished and the applicant is close to securing a building permit.

Board members asked whether the developer’s building permit had been issued; staff said the permit had not yet been approved but was nearly finalized and that, if construction is active, a building-permit extension would effectively preserve the variance while work proceeds. The board also discussed whether the city should consider changing ordinance language to allow variable term lengths for variances on a case-by-case basis.

Chair Liam Culhane called for a motion to approve the extension. Board member Julia Tate moved to approve the variance extension as presented by staff; the motion was seconded by Douglas Johnson and passed by voice vote. The planner said the board has authority to grant a one-year extension and that the applicant’s building-permit activity will determine whether the variance remains in effect beyond that period.

What happens next: staff will process the extension and the applicant is expected to proceed with permitting and construction this spring. If the project does not begin and no permit is active by the end of the extension period, the variance would expire.