Newburyport Planning Board approves Highland Avenue addition with conditions

The Newburyport Planning Board unanimously approved a special permit for a modest upward extension and exterior revisions at 14 Highland Avenue, the board said after concluding that the work would not create a new nonconformity or be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood.

Architect Scott Brown, representing the applicant, walked members through revised elevations and said the project adds less than 500 square feet without changing the building footprint. "All in all, I think these changes ... add up to being a sort of major improvement," Scott Brown said, describing window-bay additions, a new dormer window and a rear deck with skirting meant to better match the house’s details.

The board’s discussion focused on the two-part test for changes to preexisting nonconforming structures: whether the project adds a new nonconformity and whether it is substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood. Planning staff reiterated the ordinance criteria and noted the proposal would remain under 2,000 square feet in total building area. Several members asked about street trees and sidewalk impacts; staff said any triggered street or sidewalk condition would be handled with the tree warden and by permit conditions.

Board members said the revised window alignments and the reduced visible massing addressed concerns raised at an earlier hearing. After a motion and second, the board approved the special permit with conditions requiring final window and siding details and any site work needed to meet seasonal or permitting constraints. The vote was unanimous among the four members present.

The approval requires the applicant to submit final, conditioned plans for staff review and to comply with any required tree‑warden coordination or sidewalk work prior to permit signoff.