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Zoning board grants special permit to rebuild Visconti house at 61 Gannett Road
Summary
The Scituate Zoning Board of Appeals granted Anthony and Diane Visconti a special permit to raze and rebuild a nonconforming house at 61 Gannett Road; the new two‑story home will be elevated on piles and made FEMA‑compliant. The board found the reconstruction would not be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood.
The Scituate Zoning Board of Appeals on June 18 granted a special permit allowing Anthony and Diane Visconti to raze and rebuild the single‑family dwelling at 61 Gannett Road.
Gregory Morse, a registered engineer with Morse Engineering, told the board the lot and existing house are nonconforming — the lot measures 17,594 square feet (20,000 required) and has frontage and width shortfalls — but the proposed house would correct a side‑yard setback and be brought into FEMA compliance. "The new home is fully FEMA compliant. It is two stories. It will be elevated on a timber pile foundation," Morse said, noting the replacement would be about 2,967 square feet, a roughly 57% increase in floor area.
The board moved to find the property nonconforming in the listed dimensions and that the reconstruction, as shown on plans by Morse Engineering (dated March 18, 2026), would reduce or eliminate the nonconforming side‑yard setback and would not be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Why it matters: the decision permits a larger, elevated dwelling designed to meet floodplain standards while keeping the lot's nonconforming area and frontage unchanged. The project must still obtain Conservation Commission approval and satisfy building‑code requirements before permits are issued.
Procedural next steps: the applicant remains subject to Conservation Commission review and building‑permit review; no additional variances were imposed by the board at the June 18 hearing.
