Planning board recommends positive finding for variance at 150 Hurlburt Road

The Great Barrington Planning Board voted to forward a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals on a variance request for 150 Hurlburt Road, an application filed by Shelburne Farm LLC on behalf of property owner James Penrose.

Applicant representative Max Ritz described the proposal as an attached garage with a breezeway and said the property's asymmetric lot orientation, the location of the well and septic within setback areas, and a very narrow side yard leave limited options for placing the garage. "We thought we had a decent case to come before you guys and and approach the topic," Ritz told the board, arguing the design avoids relocating utilities at substantial cost.

Board members questioned whether the existing dwelling predates current bylaws and noted the lot is nonconforming because it is smaller than the half-acre minimum. The applicant said the current house covers under 10% of the lot and that adding the garage would not approach the 15% lot-coverage threshold. Members also discussed whether the addition would be an accessory structure depending on attachment and breezeway details.

Jeremy moved that the board send a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals; the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor with no recorded opposition. The board did not record a roll-call vote on the record for the recommendation.

The Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the variance; the Planning Board's recommendation will be included in the ZBA packet. The applicant and the ZBA may need to clarify whether the proposed connection (the breezeway) changes the accessory/attached status and whether any additional conditions should be applied to minimize impacts on neighbors.