Board clears additions to historic North Maple house, citing lot shape hardship and environmental conditions

Andrew Stokes and architect Cindy Borner presented modest additions and interior reconfiguration to a circa‑1830 house at 107 North Maple Avenue, including a one‑story mudroom, a breakfast room, den extensions and a master suite above a rear addition. Because the lot is undersized and irregularly shaped, the applicants requested relief for front‑yard setbacks, side and rear setbacks and a block‑coverage variance.

Board professionals reviewed the plans and noted the additions largely build over existing porch, patio and driveway areas. The applicants proposed to remove some driveway area so net lot coverage would not increase; the board’s planner confirmed many of the existing features are grandfathered but that the applicants nonetheless needed variances for the new work.

The environmental commission asked for a soil-erosion plan for the area of disturbance, recommended stormwater best management practices during construction and suggested preserving and replacing trees with native species where practicable. The board also noted a portion of the northern lot lies within FEMA’s 1% annual flood zone but that the planned work itself appears not to be in the flood area.

Board members described the project as an improvement to the housing stock and, noting the lot’s unusual shape, treated the application as a C.1 hardship. The motion to approve included standard engineering and environmental conditions, a requirement to submit grading/topography and SCD submissions if the disturbance triggers thresholds, and a requirement to follow the tree-replacement rules.