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Lincoln zoning board grants four variances, continues Bellinger application to Sept. 2
Summary
On Aug. 5 the Town of Lincoln Zoning Board of Review approved map‑street relief for 172 Central Ave and three dimensional variances (900 Smithfield, 96 Hazel, and 15 Linden) with conditions; the board continued the 10 Spruce (Bellinger) application pending a stamped survey and retaining‑wall design. Neighbors flagged drainage and privacy concerns.
The Town of Lincoln Zoning Board of Review approved several zoning requests Aug. 5 and continued one high‑conflict application for further information.
The board approved a request from Global Home Sales Solutions to restore relief from the town’s mapped‑street ordinance at 172 Central Ave, a decision the applicant said was needed because a 2019 authorization had lapsed after a stop‑work order and foreclosure. The applicant, Corey Allard, provided updated letters from Manville Fire Department chief Robert Bradley and Lincoln Police chief Dennis Fleming saying emergency response would not be substantially impeded. A motion to grant relief was made and seconded on the record and carried by the board.
The board also granted a dimensional variance for 900 Smithfield Ave to allow a garage conversion and a raised roofline that would create a second dwelling unit above the garage. The applicant, Solomon Wynne, told the board the house is a preexisting nonconforming structure and the project would not increase the home’s footprint; the board found that standard supported relief and voted to approve the application.
Monica and Antonio Tavares received approval for a 22.4‑foot rear setback variance to add a larger kitchen and seasonal porch at 96 Hazel St. The planning board and technical review committee recommended approval of the kitchen portion; the board attached a condition requiring the applicant to file stamped site‑plan documentation that matches testimony about the 22.4‑foot relief.
A separate application to replace and modernize an existing rear deck at 15 Linden St. was approved. The homeowner told the board the existing deck (in place for roughly 25 years) is rotted and the replacement will largely follow the same footprint; the planning board recommended approval and the zoning board granted the relief.
The board did not decide the application for 10 Spruce St. (the Bellinger request for multiple side/rear/setback and coverage variances). Neighbors raised repeated objections about loss of mature trees, potential stormwater and erosion impacts from moving a retaining wall closer to properties behind the site and uncertain property boundaries. The board asked the applicants to submit a stamped, surveyed site plan showing the property corners and to provide a retaining‑wall design that clarifies how much excavation and how far the wall would be set back from adjacent yards; the hearing was continued to Sept. 2, 2025.
The board set several procedural conditions into the record, including that approvals tied to plans must be followed by stamped, final documentation (surveyor’s plan and final building drawings) before building permits are issued. The meeting adjourned at about 10:00 p.m.
