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Board approves lot split and new home at 14 Gendoc (John Docks) Street with privacy and drainage conditions
Summary
The Planning Board approved a special permit to reduce frontage and split the lot at 14 Gendoc (John Docks) Street so Three Bridge Development may construct a new single‑family home; approval includes a required as‑built drainage certification, stormwater permitting and limited privacy screening (6‑ft fence and two shade trees).
The Lowell Planning Board granted a frontage‑reduction special permit on May 18 to Three Bridge Development Inc. to subdivide the parcel at 14 John Docks (Gendoc) Street and build a new single‑family home on a newly created lot.
Attorney John Geary described the proposal: the applicant seeks relief under section 5.1.17 of the zoning ordinance to reduce frontage for each resulting lot to about 61.2 ft (where 70 ft is required), while each lot would meet the TSF district’s 7,000 sq ft lot area requirement (proposed lot sizes about 7,414 sq ft and 10,421 sq ft). Geary said the parcel had been connected to municipal sewer, eliminating a previously tied septic system, and that the plan includes roof drainage and infiltration recharge systems.
Neighbors raised privacy and drainage questions in written correspondence and on Zoom. A letter from Corrine Bala (134 Columbia Road) was read into the record asking about street character, natural light, tree removal and drainage; a Zoom commenter (Kiran) asked about setback distances, construction timing and whether a fence could be installed. The applicant responded that the new building would be approximately 15.4 ft from the lot line and that construction of a single‑family home could take up to six months.
Board members discussed steep topography, retaining walls, the deck elevation at the rear (noted to be approximately 8 ft above the rear grade), and an existing barn/garage encroachment that will need resolving. To address neighbor privacy concerns after removal of a preexisting shed, the applicant agreed to install a roughly 20–30 ft run of a 6‑ft white vinyl privacy fence adjacent to the driveway and to plant two shade trees on Lot 2. The board made the following conditions part of the approval: submission of an as‑built drainage certification stamped by a professional engineer after construction, obtaining a stormwater permit from the regional water/wastewater utility, installation of the short privacy fence near the driveway, and planting two shade trees on Lot 2.
The motion to approve the special permit with these conditions carried with members voting in favor and no recorded opposition. Geary said variances for front yard setback (a separate matter) will be addressed with the Zoning Board of Appeals as needed.
