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Board of Zoning Appeals approves variance for accessory barn at 85 Boston
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance allowing an accessory barn at 85 Boston to exceed the ordinance75% limit after hearing from town staff and the petitioner; the motion passed on a recorded roll call.
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to allow an accessory barn at 85 Boston to exceed the ordinance limit on accessory-structure size after a brief public hearing and staff presentation.
Town staff member Lisa summarized the request, saying the petitioner applied after discovering a building permit would exceed the ordinance cap that limits accessory structures to 75% of the primary structure's ground-floor area. Lisa said she had not received written objections and that the town has considered but not adopted any amendment to the metric because such requests have been uncommon.
Petitioner David Coleman told the board he had "inherited four 1940s cars" and wanted to keep them indoors for preservation. Coleman described the proposed building as "a full barn" to match the house's color and said local builders would handle trusses and grading. Onboard measurements discussed in the hearing included a stated primary-structure ground-floor area of 1,567 square feet and a requested accessory-structure area of 2,880 square feet, which exceeds the 75% allowance staff cited. Staff advised the petitioner to call 811 for utility marking and noted an 18-inch steel storm pipe that crosses the lot would be examined during permitting.
A board member moved to approve the variance (BCA petition 2026-2290), citing the three statutory variance findings: the approval would not be injurious to public health, safety, morals or general welfare; adjacent property values would not be substantially adversely affected; and a strict application of the ordinance would cause practical difficulties. The motion was seconded and passed on roll call; the recorded affirmative votes were Randy, Tracy and Kevin. The motion language and findings were read into the record by the presiding officer.
The board closed the public comment period after no members of the public came forward. The board's approval conditions and permitting requirements will be enforced through the town's permitting review process.
The meeting then moved on to routine old-business items.
