Quincy board approves smaller deck, screening and landscaping conditions for Gladstone Street house

The Quincy zoning board on April 28 approved conditions for a variance that will allow construction of a single‑family house at 61 Gladstone Street, after neighbors raised privacy and noise concerns about a proposed second‑floor deck.

Attorney Patrick Foley, representing the applicant, told the board the design team lowered the roof pitch, shifted the structure on the lot and proposed privacy screening to address neighbor concerns. “We could do screening on both sides of the deck,” Foley said, adding the applicant would provide landscaping and egress required by code.

Neighbors at the hearing described the potential for the 12‑by‑22‑foot deck to overlook adjacent backyards. Mark Linkwick, who said he lives directly across the street, said he appreciated the revised drawings but echoed other residents’ privacy worries: “The main concern now is the big deck, everyone overlooking everybody,” he said. Patricia Power, an abutter, said the proposed deck felt “a little extreme” and worried about late‑night noise from a large deck.

To address those concerns, the board moved to permit the home on condition that the deck be reduced to 8 by 20 feet, that side‑view privacy screens be installed, and that mature arborvitae plantings be placed along the sides and rear; the motion also required an approved landscape plan by the building department prior to issuance of a permit. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The conditions are written into the board’s decision and will be enforced through the building‑permit process. The applicant may return to the board if revised plans alter the conditions.

What happens next: The applicant must submit a landscape plan for approval by the building department and reflect the reduced deck size and screening on permit drawings before construction can proceed.