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ZBA approves rebuild at 25 Horsefoot Path with limits on parking frontage and attic height
Summary
The board approved a special permit for a demolition and rebuild at 25 Horsefoot Path, imposing conditions that limit frontage used for vehicular access, require the second‑floor storage ceiling to remain at or below 6'7" (to keep it non‑habitable), and ensure floor area ratio (FAR) does not exceed 30%.
Joe Hannigan, representing the project owners, said the proposal would remove two existing structures and replace them with a single new single‑family dwelling, describing the final design as consistent in scale with the neighborhood and claiming the project reduced nonconformity in some respects.
Staff raised two principal concerns: an upper unfinished space that, if counted in FAR, would raise the floor area ratio above the 30% threshold (staff estimated inclusion would take FAR to roughly 33%), and a front layout that could result in multiple cars backing into a busy road. Neighbors and former ZBA chair Phil Aviani spoke in support of the applicant's track record and said the design fits the street. To address staff and board concerns the board conditioned approval to limit the width of frontage used for parking (no more than 20 feet across the 80‑ft frontage), to cap the second‑floor storage ceiling at 6'7" so it remains non‑habitable, and to confirm FAR calculations on updated stamped plans. With those conditions the ZBA voted to grant the special permit.
