Applicant seeks variance for second‑floor addition at O'Safe Drive

The Planning Board heard a request for a variance to add a second floor at a home on O'Safe Drive. The applicant's representative described interior changes — adding a staircase, moving a front bathroom to the middle of the plan and creating three bedrooms and two full bathrooms on the new second floor — and said the exterior would use a darker charcoal siding.

Board members focused on exterior massing and façade composition, asking the applicant to reduce the appearance of a flat two‑story wall by introducing elements such as dormers, awnings or an articulated entry. The chair asked the applicant to return with options to “break up that flat storage structure,” and requested window alignment changes to improve symmetry. The board moved to continue the public hearing and asked that revised elevations and material samples be submitted in time for the September 24 meeting.

“We submitted pictures, all sides, and…we're adding a 2nd story up into the existing building,” the applicant's presenter said during the presentation. The board suggested centered window adjustments or minor porch/awning details to complement neighboring houses. The applicant agreed to consider the board's design suggestions and to provide updated drawings before the next hearing.