Board of Appeal Discusses Zoning Issues in Town

The Winchester Board of Appeals met tonight at 7:45 p.m. to discuss several items dealing with zoning and other construction issues concerning Winchester.

First up was Thomas Mahoney who was proposing to construct an addition on his 7 Euclid Avenue home. The house conforms to all zoning requirements for the residential district- B, however, there is a non-conforming block garage existing within 2.5 feet from the property line. In order to construct the kitchen addition at the rear of the house, the addition will be located 9.3 x 12.3 feet from the garage, where the zoning requirement is 15 feet. The requirement of 15 feet between buildings appeared to be a fire safety requirement. The Winchester Fire Department approved the smaller distance and submitted a letter stating that they have no issue with the 9.3 x 12.3 feet discrimination proposed by the applicants. The board voted in favor on this item.

Applicants Silvana Toneatti and General Contractor Milan Kovacev proposed to construct a "great room" addition on the back of Ms. Toneatti's home located at 5 Penn Road. The house conforms to all zoning requirements for the RDB. Problematically, there is a non-conforming, two-car, brick-garage existing within 1.2 feet of the property line. In order to build the addition, it will have to be located eight feet from the existing garage where the zoning requirement is 15 feet. This appears to be a fire safety requirement. The Winchester Fire Department approved the smaller distance and submitted a letter stating that they have no issue with the eight feet proposed. The board voted in favor on this item.

Joseph and Lisa Cronin proposed an addition to their home on 10 Winslow Road located at the front/side of the house that is permitted as of right in an RDB zone. The lot contains 6,155 square feet, where 10,000 square feet is required. The house, which dates back to 1905, previously had a front porch that was removed that ran the length of the property. The new addition and front porch, that would again run the length of the property, is 4.2 feet off the front lot line, where 25 feet is required. Additionally, the applicants are proposing to construct a back deck. This addition will be located 9.5 feet to the side property line where 15 feet are required. It was noted that the stairs could be located in another location that could comply with the setback requirement. The board voted in favor of this measure.

Ladan Fatemi is proposing a similar request at 10 Winslow Road. Ms. Fatemi wants to construct a 4-foot wide x 24-foot long "farmer's porch" on the front of her existing two-family home. This is an entryway, however, as the porch is proposed to facilitate exiting and entering. This will go against the non-conformity of side and rear yard setbacks. The property is located in an RG zone, which requires 11,000 square feet for a two-family home. The lot has 7,411 square feet and is also non-conforming for lot width and setbacks. The porch will not significantly increase the already non-conformed setbacks from the structure. The board voted favorably on this request.

Lastly, like "several other petitioners this month," applicants Mark and Gael Robinson would like to build an addition that will be too close to an existing structure on their property. The property is based in an RDB district and contains 10,030 square feet. The 150 square foot addition is for a first floor "powder room" which will be located at the rear of the house. The home and adjacent garage was built in 1920 and the proposed addition will be 12 feet, 6 inches from the garage where 15 feet is required. As with many other similar projects, Captain Tustin of the Winchester Fire Department has noted that this isn't an issue for fire safety and grants his approval. The board voted favorably on this action as well.