Bedford Zoning Board approves multiple variances, accepts impervious-surface reductions

The Bedford Zoning Board of Appeals on April 9 approved a string of variances and related conditions for property owners across Bedford after applicants either reduced impervious surfaces or agreed to standard permit and as‑built requirements.

Board Chair Peter Mccalis opened the meeting and led consideration of the first application: a proposed swimming pool at 20 Stone Paddic Place. Applicant representatives said they replaced continuous pavers with large-format pavers set in gravel and removed about 395 square feet of patio to reduce impervious coverage below the 8 percent threshold. The board concluded the pool no longer required an impervious-surface variance and approved the project subject to the usual condition that a certified as‑built survey and coverage calculations be submitted to the building department before a certificate of occupancy.

Paul Van Lint, representing James and Donna Deetto, presented a modest kitchen addition at 452 Pound Ridge Road and asked the board to normalize pre-existing nonconforming features including propane tanks and a generator. Citing two neighbor letters of support, the board found the benefit could not be achieved by other feasible means and granted the variance with conditions: a building permit to be sought within one year and a certified as‑built survey submitted before occupancy.

The Bedford Historical Society’s request to install a 26 kW standby generator at 608 Old Post Road was approved after the society’s representative, Glenn Tyers, explained the unit would be located in a screened utility zone and noted a sound rating the applicant said is comparable to domestic air‑conditioning. Board members asked about buffering and wiring routes; the variance was granted with the standard as‑built and permitting conditions.

Commercial signage at 606 Bedford Road also won approval. A sign contractor said the application was effectively a name change to read “Bedford Hills” while leaving two building signs and one roadside sign in place; the board found no net change to sign count or scale and approved the request under the submitted plans.

Other residential approvals included legalization of a 1976 accessory garage at 451 Lakeside Drive and permission for a 14-by-36 garden shed at 28 West Patton Road. In both cases the board imposed conditions that the applicants obtain required permits within one year and submit certified as‑built surveys and coverage calculations to the building department before certificates of occupancy are issued.

All final approvals at the meeting carried standard conditions: applicants must seek building permits within one year, pursue construction diligently, and provide certified as‑built surveys with building and impervious coverage calculations prior to issuance of certificates of occupancy. Votes on the approved items were unanimous among the board members present.

The board scheduled its next meeting for May 6.

Votes at a glance

- 20 Stone Paddic Place (pool): Approved; no impervious‑surface variance required after applicant’s revision. (Roll call: Howard Stern — yes; Rosemary Lee — yes; Roger Van Lever — yes; Peter Mccalis — yes.) - 452 Pound Ridge Road (kitchen addition, Deetto): Variance approved with conditions; as‑built survey required. (Same roll-call outcome.) - 608 Old Post Road (Bedford Historical Society — generator): Approved with conditions; buffering and wiring discussed. (Same roll-call outcome.) - 606 Bedford Road (sign/name change): Approved; treated as a name swap with no net change in sign count. (Same roll-call outcome.) - 451 Lakeside Drive (pre-existing accessory garage): Variance approved to legalize structure; as‑built survey and conditions apply. (Same roll-call outcome.) - 28 West Patton Road (garden shed): Approved with condition that final impervious percentage be reflected in the as‑built survey and CO process. (Same roll-call outcome.)

What happens next

Applicants must obtain building permits and supply certified as‑built surveys showing building and impervious coverage before a certificate of occupancy can be issued. The board indicated it will reflect any final reductions in impervious coverage in its resolutions where applicants commit to specific removals.