Frenchtown planning board approves variances for addition at 236 6th Street, imposes conditions on impervious coverage

The Frenchtown Planning Board on Monday approved variances that will let John and Elizabeth Dockerty add a first-floor bedroom, full bathroom and accessible circulation at their home at 236 6th Street, subject to conditions intended to limit stormwater impacts. The approval followed testimony from the applicants, their architect and a licensed planner.

Elizabeth A. Dockerty, sworn as a witness, told the board she and her husband want to ‘‘age in place’’ and need a ground‑floor bedroom and bath because the home’s narrow, original layout and steep interior stairs are no longer practical. ‘‘We’ve been part of the community for over 30 years,’’ she said, and the proposed work is intended to ‘‘be in keeping with the history of our town.’’

Architect Michael Margulies said the design aims to be historically sensitive and to offset added impervious area by removing some existing patios and steps. He said the added impervious surfaces are primarily walkways and a proposed 12‑by‑18 stone patio and that the design anticipates a future ramp for accessibility. Margulies told the board the applicants will install rain barrels to help manage runoff and said the ramp will be steel and not gravel.

Licensed planner John Taikina testified that the lot’s long, narrow shape supports a hardship (C1) variance. Taikina gave a rough calculation for the rear yard — about 4,000 square feet — and said the borough code limits rear-yard impervious coverage to 20 percent, or about 800 square feet in this case. He and the architect estimated the existing lot coverage and proposed additions could approach but likely remain under that threshold, while emphasizing the need for precise, professional measurements before finalizing variances.

Board members pressed for clarity on which surfaces count as impervious (including gravel parking), the decking and walkway square footage, and the final percent figures. One board member said an initial zoning table showed existing walkways and patios that, when removed, would be partly offset by the additions; Margulies and Taikina agreed to supply updated, dimensioned calculations.

After a lengthy discussion that weighed the applicants’ accessibility needs against the borough’s impervious‑surface rules, the board moved to approve the requested C1 variances with conditions: removal of two small dogwood trees in the rear, retention and trimming of a larger black walnut, compliance with the borough’s tree‑replacement ordinance, submission of final impervious‑coverage calculations to board professionals, and submission of the heat‑pump pad and sound‑enclosure details for professional sign‑off. The board attorney said she would prepare a memorializing resolution for the board’s next meeting.

Board members who questioned precedent and long‑term stormwater impacts said they were persuaded by the narrowness of the lot and the mitigation measures proposed. The applicants’ counsel told the board the design ‘‘blends in’’ and argued the relief would not cause substantial detriment to neighbors.

The decision allows the Dockertys to proceed once the conditions are satisfied and the board’s memorializing resolution is filed. If final measurements show the rear‑yard impervious coverage exceeds the 20 percent limit, the board directed that the application be amended to quantify and include any additional variances required.