* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. YOU [00:00:01] CAN HEAR ME. WELCOME TO THE APRIL 30TH, 2026 MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE BOARD OF ZONING APPEAL. MY NAME IS, MY NAME IS STEVEN ING, AND I AM IN THE CHAIR PURSUANT TO CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2023, ADOPTED BY MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR. THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE BOARD OF ZONING APPEAL. THIS MEETING IS BEING VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDED AND IS BROADCAST ON CABLE TELEVISION CHANNEL 22 WITHIN CAMBRIDGE. THERE WILL ALSO BE A TRANSCRIPT OF THE PROCEEDINGS. ALL BOARD MEMBERS, APPLICANTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WILL STATE THEIR NAME BEFORE SPEAKING. ALL VOTES WILL BE TAKEN BY ROLL CALL. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WILL BE KEPT ON MUTE UNTIL IT IS TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. I WILL GIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AT THAT TIME. AND YOU CAN ALSO FIND INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CITY'S WEBPAGE FOR REMOTE BZA MEETINGS. GENERALLY, YOU WILL HAVE UP TO THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. I'LL START BY ASKING STAFF TO TAKE BOARD MEMBERS' ATTENDANCE AND VERIFY THAT ALL MEMBERS ARE AUDIBLE. MIRANDA, CECIL, CECIL, MIRANDA, CECIL PRESENT. BRENDA SULLIVAN. BRENDA SULLIVAN, PRESENT, VIRGINIA KEESLER, VIRGINIA KEESLER. PRESENT. WENDY ERON. WENDY ERON. PRESENT. STEVEN ENG. STEVEN ENG, PRESENT FOR THIS EVENING. WE'VE, UH, THIS EVENING'S AGENDA. WE HAVE THREE CASES BEFORE THE BOARD THIS, UH, THIS TONIGHT. SO FIRST UP IS OUR 6:00 PM CASE NUMBER 1 2 0 3 8 6 0 41 SHERMAN STREET. UH, SARAH, UH, BEING RE, UH, REPRESENTED, UH, BY SARAH YFI, UH, SEEKING. HELLO, GOOD EVENING. UH, SEEKING A SPECIAL PERMIT FOR AN ADDITION TO BACK THE BACK OF AN EXISTING HOME. SIDING SECTIONS 5.31, A TABLE OF DIMENSION REQUIREMENTS SECTIONS 8.2 2.2, A NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE AND SECTION 10.40 FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT. MS. YAFFE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE PRESENTATION? YES, PLEASE. UM, GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, YOUR TIME TONIGHT. UM, I AM REPRESENTING THE HOMEOWNERS OF 41 SHERMAN STREET IN MY CAPACITY AS A GENERAL CONTRACTOR. AND THEY HAVE PLANS TO BUILD A, AN ADDITION TO THE BACK OF THEIR HOME. THE ADDITION WILL BE SEVEN FEET DEEP AND 20 FEET WIDE. SO IT'S THE WIDTH OF THE HOME, UM, GOING BACK SEVEN FEET. NOW, THE ISSUE WITH THEIR HOME IS THAT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HOME IS DIRECTLY ON THE PROPERTY LINE. SO THEY'RE IN THEIR SETBACK NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO. UM, AND SO TO BRING IT BACK ON THE LEFT SIDE IN A PROPER SQUARE, UM, WE'RE OPERATING IN THEIR SETBACK AND IT REQUIRES THE SPECIAL PERMIT. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UM, THE SURVEY, UM, ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S ACTUALLY AN EX, THE HOME IS AN EXISTING NONCONFORMING SINGLE FAMILY, AND THERE IS AN, UM, AN EXISTING NON-CONFORMING STRUCTURE ATTACHED TO IT. IT'S, IT'S A SHED. AND SO WE'RE REALLY ONLY ASKING FOR FIVE ADDITIONAL FEET, UM, TO BUILD IN THE SETBACK BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT TWO FEET WITH THE EXISTING SHED. UM, IN ORDER TO, IN ORDER TO MAKE THE, MY CLIENTS HAVE HAD, HAVE LIVED IN THIS HOME FOR, UM, MANY YEARS. THEY HAVE THREE CHILDREN. UM, AND THEY'VE BEEN SAVING A LOT OF MONEY. THEY'VE BEEN SAVING MONEY TO TRY TO DO THIS RENOVATION. UM, AND IN ORDER TO DO IT PROPERLY, IT REALLY DOES MAKE SENSE TO JUST BRING IT BACK AS A FULL SQUARE RATHER THAN TRYING TO NOTCH, UM, TO GET AROUND ANY SORT OF, UM, ZONING PROHIBITIONS. SO THE PLAN IS TO BRING IT BACK SEVEN FEET. SO WE'LL BE OPERATING FIVE FEET WITHIN THAT SETBACK ON THE RIGHT SIDE. UM, AND TO DO THIS, TO IMPROVE THE HOME, IMPROVES THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, AND SHOULD NOT CAUSE ANY DETRIMENT TO THE NEIGHBORS. IT'S A DRIVEWAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE, SO THEY'RE NOT UP AGAINST ANOTHER HOME. UM, IT'S A DRIVEWAY WHERE PEOPLE PARK CARS AND THE HOME AS IT IS, UM, NEEDS EXTERIOR WORK. AND [00:05:01] IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, AND THE SPECIAL PERMIT IS GRANTED, IT WILL BE, IT WILL IT IMPROVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. MS. JAFFE. UH, ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? UH, THIS IS BRENDAN SULLIVAN. I'M JUST WONDERING, MS. JAFFE, HAVE THE PETITIONER, UH, TALK TO THEIR NEIGHBORS ON EITHER SIDE, UH, REGARDING THIS PROJECT? UM, SO THE NEIGHBORS ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WHICH IT IMPACTS, UM, IT IS A RENTAL. UM, AND THE, THE, THE OWNER OF THE RENTAL, UM, I BELIEVE IS, UM, NOT IN THE COUNTRY, BUT DOES HAVE A SON WHO MANAGES THE RENTAL. UM, SO THEY'RE NOT, THEY DON'T LIVE THERE. UM, AND THEY'RE NOT PRESENT. UM, AND THEN THE NEIGHBORS ON THE LEFT SIDE, IT'S A CONDO BUILDING. UM, I DON'T, THE, THE HOMEOWNER IS HERE ON, ON THE ZOOM CALL. I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY HAVE SPECIFICALLY SHOWED THEM THE PLANS, ET CETERA, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY ARE FRIENDLY WITH, UM, THE NEIGHBORS ON THE OTHER SIDE. UM, I, I JUST HAPPEN TO PERSONALLY KNOW THEM AND I'VE SPOKEN TO THEM ABOUT THIS AND, UM, THEY SEEM HAPPY ABOUT THE, UM, IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL BE MADE TO THE EXTERIOR OF 41 SHERMAN. OKAY. BUT THERE'S BEEN NO OUTREACH TO, UM, MS. FRY ON THE OTHER SIDE, ON THE RIGHT SIDE? NO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S THE QUESTION I HAD. OKAY. UH, THIS IS . COULD YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD WILL COME FROM THIS SPECIAL PERMIT BEING GRANTED? SURE. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, IF YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE, UM, EXISTING HOME, BUT, UM, IT NEEDS WORK. THE PAINT IS PEELING. UM, IT'S ROTTED. THEY KNOW THAT IT NEEDS WORK. THE INTERIOR ALSO NEEDS WORK. THE KITCHEN IS NOT FUNCTIONAL, AND THEY'RE JUST KIND OF GETTING BY AS IS. UM, BUT THEY'VE HAD TO SAVE MONEY IN ORDER TO DO THIS RENOVATION. SO THEY KNOW THAT THE HOME IS SOMEWHAT OF AN EYESORE, UM, NEXT TO A BRAND, NEWLY RENOVATED, YOU KNOW, CONDO BUILDING ON THEIR LEFT. UM, SO WHEN THEY IMPROVE THE EXTERIOR OF THEIR HOME, IT IMPROVES THE, THE VALUE OF ALL THE HOMES AROUND THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS? NO. WENDY. OKAY. . UH, SO WE'LL, UH, WE'LL MOVE INTO, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS. UH, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S, UH, ANY CORRESPONDENCE IN THE FILE, CORRECT? STEVE? I TOOK A LOOK IN THERE. NOTHING. YEAH, NOTHING IN THERE. OKAY. SO, UH, ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK SHOULD NOW CLICK THE ICON AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR ZOOM SCREEN THAT SAYS, RAISE HAND. IF YOU'RE CALLING IN BY PHONE, YOU CAN RAISE YOUR HAND BY PRESSING STAR NINE AND UNMUTE OR MUTE BY PRESSING STAR. SIX. I'LL NOW ASK STAFF TO UNMUTE THE SPEAKERS ONE AT A TIME. YOU SHOULD BEGIN BY SAYING YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND STAFF WILL CONFIRM THAT WE CAN HEAR YOU. AFTER THAT, YOU WILL HAVE UP TO TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK BEFORE I ASK YOU TO WRAP UP. NO ATTENDEE IS RAISING THEIR HAND. OKAY. THAT DOESN'T SEEM ANYONE, UM, RAISING THEIR HAND TO SPEAK. UM, SO WE, I'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, AND BEGIN BOARD DELIBERATION. UH, ANY DISCUSSION AMONGST MEMBERS OF THE BOARD? I THINK, WELL, AGAIN, THIS IS BRENDAN SULLIVAN. UM, I HAPPEN TO LIVE THREE BLOCKS AWAY FROM THIS, AND SHERMAN STREET IS UNDERGOING A REVITALIZATION. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF HOMES THAT HAVE BEEN UPGRADED LATELY, AND I THINK THAT THE PRESENTATION BY MS. RE IS EXACTLY CORRECT, THAT THERE IS, UM, NEED TO HAVE THIS HOUSE UPGRADED AND THEN FULLY UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THE, UH, DELAY AND DELIBERATION TO, UH, NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY FUNDS TO DO THIS. AND, UM, I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE AN ASSET TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, NUMBER ONE, TO HAVE IT IMPROVED. IT WOULD BE A, UM, AN ASSET TO THE HOMEOWNER, AS IT WOULD BE TO ANY HOMEOWNER TO LIVE IN THIS, TO UPGRADE IT TO A MORE MODERN, [00:10:01] UH, LIVING STYLE. AND, UM, SO I WOULD, UH, SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL THAT IS BEFORE US. THANK YOU, BRENDAN. UH, I ALSO LIVE, UH, IN THE SAME, SIMILAR, UH, CLOSE BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND AGREE WITH, UH, BRENDAN'S COMMENTS. UM, AND IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, UH, I'LL MOVE TO A MOTION. UH, SO THE CHAIR MAKES A MOTION TO GRANT RELIEF FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE UNDER SECTIONS 5.31 AND SECTIONS 8.2 2.2 POINT D, UH, AND REVIEWING THE CONDITIONS, UH, FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT. UH, A, IT APPEARS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS ORDINANCE CANNOT OR WILL NOT BE MET. UH, AND THAT IS CORRECT. EXISTING NON-CONFORMING STRUCTURE AND PROPOSED ADDITION WILL BE LOCATED WITHIN THE SIDE SETBACK. UH, B, TRAFFIC GENERATED OR PATTERNS OF ACCESS OR EGRESS COULD CAUSE CONGESTION, HAZARD, OR SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE. UH, AND WE FIND THAT THERE'S NO IMPACTS, UH, TO THOSE, UH, ITEMS. C THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF, OR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADJACENT USES AS PERMITTED IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE WOULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED. UH, WE SEE NO IMPACT, NO IMPACTS TO ADJACENT USES, AND, UH, D NUISANCE OR HAZARD WOULD BE CREATED TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE HEALTH, SAFETY OR WELFARE OF THE OCCUPANT. AND, UH, WE FIND NO NUISANCE OR HAZARD WOULD BE CREATED BY THIS PROJECT. AND FINALLY, E AND FOR OTHER REASONS, THE PROPOSED USE WOULD IMPAIR THE INTEGRITY OF THE DISTRICTS OR ADJOINING DISTRICT, AND WE FIND THAT NO IMPACT TO INTEGRITY OR OF DISTRICT OR ADJOINING DISTRICTS. SO BY THAT FINDING, UH, WE, THEY MEET THE CRITERIA UNDER SECTIONS 10.434 SPECIAL PERMIT, AND ON THE CONDITION THAT THE WORK PROPOSED CONFORMED TO THE DRAWING SET, INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION PACKAGE ENTITLED ADDITION INTERIOR RENOVATION, 41 SHERMAN STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASS 0 2 1, UH, UH, 2 0 1 3 8. IT'S A TYPO, BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE DRAWINGS SHOW DATED 2 29 26, AND FURTHER, THAT WE INCORPORATE THE SUPPORTING STATEMENTS AND DIMENSIONAL FORM SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE APPLICATION. AND WE ALSO INCLUDE JUST BY REFERENCE, UH, NO, I'M SORRY. WE'LL STRIKE THAT, UH, ON A VOICE VOTE, PLEASE. UH, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, WENDY ERON. WENDY ERON IN FAVOR. THANK YOU. UH, VIRGINIA KEESLER. VIRGINIA KEESLER IN FAVOR. THANK YOU. BRENDAN SULLIVAN. BRENDA SULLIVAN IN FAVOR, MIRANDA CECIL. MIRANDA. CECIL, IN FAVOR, THANK YOU. AND STEVEN ING IN FAVOR FOR, FOR A FIVE ZERO VOTE. UH, THE CASE IS APPROVED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO NEXT UP IS, UH, OUR SIX 15, UM, CASE. AND THAT'S IN ABOUT TWO MINUTES. SO LET'S, UH, WE'LL SIT TIGHT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO AND, UH, WE'LL COME RIGHT BACK. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. UH, NEXT UP, UH, FOR THE SIX 15 IS CASE NUMBER 1 2 0 5 1 1 1, [00:15:01] BUCKINGHAM BROWN AND NICHOL SCHOOL, UH, REPRESENTED BY SISIA DIAN ARCHITECT, UH, SEEKING A SPECIAL PERMIT TO BUILD AN ADDITION TO EXISTING BB AND N BUILDING FOR CONTINUED EDUCATIONAL USE, CITING SECTIONS 4.50 AND SECTIONS 4.56 POINT C EDUCATIONAL USE, AS WELL AS SECTIONS 10.40 FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT. MS. DLAN, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO OUR CASE. THIS EVENING WITH ME IS DEREK BRASS, WHO IS DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES AT BB AND N. UM, DEREK, WOULD YOU, UM, LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE GOALS OF THE SCHOOL WITH THIS, UH, ADDITION? OF COURSE. UM, THANKS EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. UM, SO AT BB AND M, WE HAVE OUR WOOD SHOP BEHIND THE UPPER SCHOOL, UM, ON THE UPPER SCHOOL CAMPUS. UH, THE, IT'S A SMALL, SMALL STRUCTURAL ALL THE PLAN UP IN A SECOND, I'M SURE. BUT, UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS BUILD A SMALL ROBOTICS LAB, SO A SMALL ADDITION ONTO THE WOOD SHOP, UH, TO SUPPORT OUR ROBOTICS PROGRAM, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER, UH, ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING IN THE SPACE. SO THE GOAL IS FOR IT TO BE A FLEXIBLE SPACE TO SUPPORT ROBOTICS IN STEM FOR OUR BB N UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER ENGINEERING AND MAKERSPACE PROGRAMS THAT WE RUN. UM, CURRENTLY THERE REALLY ISN'T A HOME FOR ROBOTICS AT BB NN. IT KIND OF LIVES IN A FEW DIFFERENT SPACES, HARD FOR THE STUDENTS TO WORK ON. SO OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE THIS FLEXIBLE SPACE TO SUPPORT INNOVATION AND CREATE A HOME FOR OUR ROBOTICS PROGRAM, AS WELL AS A PROGRAM THAT IS INCLUSIVE TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS THAT MIGHT WANNA DO THIS INSTEAD OF OTHER PROGRAMS LIKE ATHLETICS IN THE AFTERNOONS. SO IF WE COULD HAVE THE PLANS, PLEASE. UM, YES. UH, SO WE'RE SEEKING TO ADD, UM, A, A VERY MINOR ADDITION TO THE CAMPUS. UM, IT'S A LARGE CAMPUS OUTLINED IN RED, UH, YOU, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE MAP, YOU CAN SEE JERRY'S LANDING ROAD AND THE CHARLES RIVER ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, UH, TO THE LEFT, UH, BOUNDARY IS, UH, LARGELY SHADY HILL SCHOOL. AND THEN THE OTHER IMMEDIATE BUTS ARE REALLY THE SCHOOL'S OWN ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS. THERE IS A, UH, RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, NEXT TO THE SCHOOL, BUT'S SORT OF OVER, IT'S SORT OF UPHILL FROM WHERE THE SCHOOL IS. AND THE, UH, EXISTING WOOD SHOP IS KIND OF TUCKED ALONG THE EDGE OF, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, THE MAIN CLUSTER OF ACADEMIC BUILDINGS ON THE CAMPUS. UH, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE AT, WE'RE ASKING TO ADD 0.01, UH, YOU KNOW, RATIO OF FAR, WHICH IS ABOUT 1800 SQUARE FEET FOR THIS CAMPUS. TO THE WOOD SHOP EDITION. NEXT PAGE, PLEASE. UM, SOME IMAGES, UH, OF THE, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE EXISTING WOOD SHOP. THIS IS A BUILDING THAT I THINK WAS BUILT IN 1930S. UM, CHARLIE SULLIVAN, UH, MENTIONS IT IN HIS BOOK. WE HAVE MET WITH CHARLIE AND GONE OVER OUR PLANS, AND HE IS IN SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT. I THINK THERE'S A LETTER IN THE FILE FROM HIM. UM, AND THEN ON THE UPPER LEFT, YOU CAN SEE, UH, FROM JERRY'S LANDING ROAD, THE BUILDING IS VISIBLE. IT'S A LITTLE BIT OBSCURE BY THE BALL FIELD AND THE NETTING. AND ON THE BOTTOM LEFT I INCLUDED A, UM, AN IMAGE OF THE SORT OF ROBOTICS, PARTLY HOW ROBOTICS FUNCTIONS. RIGHT NOW, THIS IS SORT OF A TESTING FIELD. THE SCHOOL RUNS, UH, PARTICIPATES IN NATIONAL TEAMS. THIS IS SORT OF A NEWER PROGRAM THAT MANY SCHOOLS ARE RUNNING NOW TO HAVE ROBOTICS PROGRAMS. AND THEY COMPETE NATIONALLY. UM, AND THEY HAVE TO TEST THE ROBOTS THAT THEY COME UP WITH IN CERTAIN SIZE FIELDS. AND A SCHOOL, LIKE IN THIS EXAMPLE, THEY USE A HALLWAY SPACE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE DEDICATED SPACE FOR THE PROGRAM. UM, AND THEN THEY USE, YOU KNOW, SPACES OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL CAMPUS. UM, BUT THIS WOULD BE A WAY OF CONSOLIDATING OUR ALL THEIR NEEDS IN ONE, ONE PLACE. NEXT PAGE, PLEASE. UM, SO FLOOR PLANTS. UH, THE BLUE BIT IS THE ADDITION. UM, THE WHITE PART, THE EXISTING WOOD SHOP IS ABOUT 1,920 SQUARE FEET, AND WE'RE ADDING APPROXIMATELY 1800 SQUARE FEET, SO JUST UNDER HALF, UH, UH, JUST BELOW THE SIZE OF THE EXISTING WOOD SHOP. UM, [00:20:03] THE, UM, THERE WILL NOT BE ANY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TWO BUILDINGS BECAUSE OF ELEVATION. UH, DIFFERENCE IN ELEVATION. THE EXISTING WOOD SHOP'S ABOUT TWO FEET ABOVE GRADE, AND OUR STRUCTURE WILL BE, UM, MAYBE ABOUT EIGHT INCHES ABOVE GRADE. WE'RE USING SORT OF THE DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHT TO HAVE A HIGHER VOLUME SPACE, UM, AND ARCHITECTURALLY NOT DOMINATE THE, UM, WOOD SHOP STRUCTURE. NEXT PAGE, UM, THIS IS A VIEW OF THE ROOF PLAN. YOU CAN SEE HOW, UM, WE'RE USING THE SAME KIND OF HIP ROOF LANGUAGE AS THE EXISTING BUILDING. ACTUALLY, IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THE PLANS, THE PREVIOUS PAGE PART OF THE PROGRAM. SO, UH, LEMME JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL ABOUT THE, THE FLOOR PLAN. THERE ARE SORT OF THREE AREAS OF THE SPACE THAT THE KIDS WILL USE. THERE IS SORT OF A CLASSROOM AREA WITH WHITEBOARD WHERE THEY'D BE WORKING, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THEIR MAKING THINGS, THERE'S A TOOL AREA TO THE RIGHT THAT WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, A CNC TABLE, A SMALL TABLE SAW, BAND SAW, YOU KNOW, ET CETERA. AND THEN THAT'S WHERE THEIR MATERIALS WILL BE STORED. UM, THERE'LL BE A DUST COLLECTION, AND IT HAS THE ABILITY TO BE CLOSED OFF THAT DASHED WALL THAT'S SHOWN. AND THEN THERE'S AN AREA CALLED THE TESTING AREA, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE PHOTO THAT YOU JUST SAW, WHERE, UM, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A HIGH BASE BASE WHERE THEY CAN POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, HANG A HOOK AND HAVE THE ROBOTS CLIMB UP. IT, UM, WOULD DEPEND ON, UM, THE TASKS THAT THE ROBOTS ARE REQUIRED TO PERFORM. UM, SO THAT'S WHY THIS, UH, BUILDING SORT OF LAID OUT IN, UM, SLIGHTLY AN ODD SHAPE. AND WE'RE ALSO TRYING NOT TO ENCROACH ON THE BALL FIELD TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS ADDITION. SO WE WERE A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS AREA BETWEEN THE WOOD SHOP AND THE BALL FIELD WHERE WE HAVE TO FIT THIS, UM, THIS PROGRAM IN. ANOTHER COMPONENT OF IT IS THIS WHOLE BATHROOM, UH, SUITE THAT YOU SEE. THE CURRENT WOOD SHOP DOES NOT HAVE ANY PLUMBING IN IT. UH, SO KIDS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU NEED TO USE THE BATHROOM, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE ONE IN THE MAIN BUILDINGS. SO WITH THIS PROJECT, WE'RE BRINGING THIS BUILDING UP TO CODE SO THAT THERE CAN BE, UM, BATHROOMS WITHIN THE STRUCTURE. NEXT PAGE, PLEASE. UM, I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THE ROOFS NEXT PAGE. UM, AND SO IN ELEVATION, UM, SO THOSE UPPER RIGHT HAND SIDE PROPOSED SOUTH ELEVATION, THAT'S THE EXISTING FRONT OF THE WOOD SHOP THAT YOU SEE FROM THE ACADEMIC BUILDINGS ON CAMPUS. UM, SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THE EXISTING PEAK IS HIGHER THAN THE NEW, THE NEW STRUCTURES THAT WE'RE CREATING BEHIND IT. UM, WE'VE BORROWED THE SAME HIP ROOF FORM. UM, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY THE SAME SIDING, UH, COLOR AND LANGUAGE. UM, NOT, UH, NOT TOO MANY APERTURES IN THE BUILDING. UM, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE THERE, YOU SEE, UM, THE ELEVATION FACING THE BALL HERE. FIELD WILL LIKELY HAVE SOME WOOD SCREENING TO PREVENT BREAKAGE. NEXT PAGE, PLEASE. UM, AND THEN THESE ARE THE LONG ELEVATIONS. THE, UM, THIS PARTICULAR ELEVATION FACES THE DRIVEWAY. UM, THE AREA BEHIND THE WOOD SHOP IS CURRENTLY KIND OF, UM, KIND OF A LEFTOVER, IT, IT'S, IT'S SORT OF PART OF THE UTILITY DRIVE OF THE SCHOOL. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A TRANSFORMER, THE FACILITIES TRUCKS OFTEN PARK THERE. THERE'S SOME SPRINKLER, SPRINKLER SYSTEM ING, ET CETERA. IT'S SORT OF THIS FENCED OFF AREA. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY AN IMPROVEMENT TO, UH, THE CAMPUS IN THAT SENSE. THE DOORS THAT YOU SEE HERE ARE, UH, HOW MATERIALS GET INTO THE WOOD SHOP. UM, AND SO WE'RE SORT OF CONTINUING, YOU KNOW, THIS SORT OF SAME LANGUAGE ON THIS ELEVATION NEXT PAGE. AND THEN THIS IS THE ELEVATION THAT FACES THE FIELD. UH, IT SORT OF FACES, UM, SHADY HILL SCHOOL, ALTHOUGH IT'S, THAT'S QUITE A DISTANCE AWAY. AND HERE WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY SOME SLIDING DOORS THAT OPEN. SO IN GOOD WEATHER, THE KIDS CAN COME OUT, POTENTIALLY USE THE FIELD, UM, IF THEY HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, A PROGRAM THAT WOULD INVOLVE ANY, YOU KNOW, SOME OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. UM, THE CURRENT MECHANICALS ARE IN THAT LITTLE FENCED AREA. UM, SO WE'LL BE ADDING TO THAT, TO THAT IN THE SAME AREA. [00:25:01] UM, NEXT PAGE, UH, JUST SOME SECTIONS SHOWING, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW WE ENVISION USING THIS SPACE. WE'RE LIKELY LEAVE SOME, UM, HIGH CEILING AREA, AS I MENTIONED, IN BOTH THE TESTING AREA AND THE CLASSROOM TO HAVE FLEXIBILITY, UM, AND HEIGHT NEXT PAGE. UM, AND THEN FINALLY HERE ARE RENDERINGS, UM, OF HOW WE'RE ENVISIONING THE ADDITION. UH, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THE SAME KIND OF WOOD COLLABORATE SIDING, UM, SAME COLOR, BUT WE'RE NOT QUITE, WE'RE NOT REPLICATING THE HISTORIC DETAILS. WE'RE DOING A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A CONTEMPORARY, UM, TAKE ON THEM. AND WE'VE ALSO RUN THIS BY CHARLIE SULLIVAN, AND HE'S IN SUPPORT OF THIS APPROACH. WE'RE LARGELY KEEPING THE SAME EVELINE, UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THE SAME ROOF FORMS SO THAT IT LOOKS HARMONIOUS WITH THE EXISTING WOOD SHOP. AND THAT IS THE EXTENT OF OUR PRESENTATION. UM, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. OH, THANK YOU, MS. DIAN. UH, ANY, UH, QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? NO. BRENDA SULLIVAN? NO, I'M ON. GOOD, THANK YOU. UM, I THINK IT'S VERY, PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. UH, SO I THINK WE'LL JUST, UH, OPEN IT TO, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, WE DO HAVE ONE LETTER IN THE FILE AS MENTIONED, UH, FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, UH, CHARLES SULLIVAN, UH, IN SUPPORT OF, OF THE PROJECT. UH, HE DOES SUMMARIZE THE HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STRUCTURE. IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TWO BUILDINGS BUILT ON THE JERRY'S LANDING CAMPUS, UH, BY ARCHITECT HD CHANDLER. UM, AND, UH, BELIEVES THAT THE ADDITION IS MODEST IN SCALE AND ADOPTS THE LOW HIP ROOFS THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WOOD SHOP. THE STYLE IS COMPLIMENTARY AND NOT COMPETITIVE WITH THE ORIGINAL BUILDING. THE REQUESTED RELIEF WILL NOT CONFLICT WITH THE PURPOSES OF THE ORDINANCE AND WILL SUPPORT THE CONTINUED UTILITY OF THIS SIGNIFICANT BUILDING. I URGED A BOARD TO GRANT THE PETITION. SO THANK YOU, MR. SULLIVAN, FOR YOUR CORRESPONDENCE. UH, NOW WE'LL, UH, OPEN IT TO, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. UH, ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK. SHOULD NOW CLICK THE ICON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE, YOUR SCREEN ZOOM SCREEN THAT SAYS, RAISE HAND. IF YOU'RE CALLING IN BY PHONE, YOU CAN USE, YOU CAN RAISE YOUR HAND BY PRESSING STAR NINE AND UNMUTE OR MUTE BY PRESSING STAR SIX. I'LL ASK STAFF NOW TO UNMUTE THE SPEAKERS ONE AT A TIME. YOU SHOULD BEGIN BY SAYING YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND STAFF WILL CONFIRM THAT WE CAN HEAR YOU. AFTER THAT, YOU WILL HAVE UP TO TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK BEFORE I ASK YOU TO WRAP UP. NO ONES, UH, THERE'S NO ONE, UH, WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS APPLICATION. SO, UH, WE'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, AND BEGIN BOARD DELIBERATIONS. UH, ANY DISCUSSION AMONGST THE BOARD, OR, UH, IF NONE, I'LL, I'D BE HAPPY TO MOVE TO A MOTION TIME WITH A MOTION. WONDERFUL. UM, SO THE CHAIR MAKES A MOTION TO GRANT A SPECIAL PERMIT. UH, LEMME SEE. YEAH, TO HOLD ON, JUST A LITTLE DISORGANIZED THERE. TO GRANT RELIEF, UH, OR APPROVAL OF THE REQUIREMENTS, UM, FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT. UM, AND CONDITIONS FOR SPECIAL PERMIT, UH, SHALL BE PER THE FOLLOWING. UH, IT APPEARS AS ITEM A, IT APPEARS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS ORDINANCE CAN OR WILL BE MET FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. UH, SECTION 4.56 ALLOWS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL INSTITUTIONAL USE UPON THE ISSUANCE OF A SPECIAL PERMIT, WHEREAS IN THIS CASE, THE PROPOSED ADDITION IS WITHIN THE INSTITUTIONAL USE OVERLAY DISTRICT OF SHADY HILL SCHOOL AND BB AND N SCHOOL. THE USE WILL NOT SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE [00:30:01] NON-CONFORMITY OR CREATE A NEW NON-CONFORMITY, UH, ITEM B, TRAFFIC GENERATED OR PATTERNS OF ACCESS OR EGRESS WOULD CAUSE CONGESTION, HAZARD, OR SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE. UH, THE ADDITION SERVES, UH, TO PROVIDE DEDICATED SPACE FOR SCIENCE LAB PROGRAM, WHICH REPRESENTS LESS THAN 1% INCREASE OF FLOOR AREA FOR THE SCHOOL, NO INCREASE IN INTENSITY OR ACTIVITY PATTERNS AT THE CAMPUS, OR AS WELL AS NO ALTERATIONS TO ACCESS OR EGRESS TO THE CAMPUS. UH, ITEM C, THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF, OR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADJACENT USES AS PERMITTED IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE WOULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED. UH, WE FIND THAT THERE IS, UH, NO, UH, IMPACT TO, UH, ADJACENT USES, UH, BY THE DEVELOPMENT. UH, ITEM D, NUISANCE OR HAZARD WOULD BE CREATED TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE HEALTH, SAFETY, OR WELFARE OF THE OCCUPANT. UH, PROPOSED ADDITION WILL NOT CAUSE NUISANCE OR HAZARDS AND WILL IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ITS OCCUPANTS. AND LASTLY, ITEM E. UH, FOR OTHER REASONS, THE PROPOSED USE WOULD IMPAIR THE INTEGRITY OF THE DISTRICT OF ADJOINING DISTRICTS. UH, PROPOSED WORK WILL IMPROVE AND MODERNIZE EDUCATIONAL MISSION OF THE SCHOOL WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY DEGRADATING FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE. UH, SO BY THAT FINDING, UH, THEY MEET THE CRITERIA UNDER SECTIONS 10.43 FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT, AND ON THE CONDITION THAT THE WORK PROPOSED CONFORMED TO THE DRAWING SET, INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION PACKAGE ENTITLED WOOD SHOP EDITION ZONING SUBMISSION DATED FOR 6 20 26 BY EVERGREEN ARCHITECTURE. AND FURTHER, THAT WE INCORPORATE THE SUPPORTING STATEMENTS IN DIMENSIONAL FORMS SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE APPLICATION. UH, ON A VOICE VOTE, PLEASE. UH, WENDY ERON. WENDY ERON IN FAVOR, UH, VIRGINIA KEESLER. VIRGINIA KEESLER IN FAVOR. BRENDAN SULLIVAN. BRENDA SULLIVAN IN FAVOR. AND MIRANDA CECIL. MIRANDA. CECIL IN FAVOR, AND STEVEN ING ALSO IN FAVOR. IT'S A FIVE ZERO VOTE, AND, UH, THE CASE IS APPROVED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, GO. THANK YOU. UH, AND OUR FINAL APPLICATION, THIS MEETING FOR SIX 30 IS FOR, UH, 7 23 THROUGH 7 31 CAMBRIDGE STREET CASE, UH, BZA CASE NUMBER 1 2 0 4 6 0 9. UH, REQUESTING A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT THREE ADDITIONAL STORIES ON TOP OF A PREEXISTING THREE STORY MIXED USE STRUCTURE CONTAINING GROUND FLOOR RETAIL WITH RESIDENTIAL UNITS ABOVE. A PORTION OF THE ADDITION WILL BE LOCATED WITHIN THE REQUIRED SETBACK FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY STREETS. PETITIONER ALSO SEEKS RELIEF FROM THE FACADE TRANSPARENCY REGULATIONS OF THE PROPOSED FACADE ON MARION STREET, CITING SECTIONS 8.2, 2.3 FOR NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE, SECTIONS 10.30 FOR VARIANCE. UH, SECTION 17.70 5.3, TABLE OF SITE PLAN STANDARDS, AND SECTION 17 7 0 5 0.4 FOR TRANSPARENCY. UM, MR. RAFFERTY, ARE YOU ONLINE? THANK YOU. UH, GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS JAMES RAF. I'M AN ATTORNEY WITH LAW OFFICES LOCATED AT 9 0 7 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE IN CAMBRIDGE. APPEARING THIS EVENING ON BEHALF OF THE PETITIONER, 7 23 7 31 CAMBRIDGE STREET, LLC. PRESENT WITH ME IS THE PRINCIPAL OF THE LLC. UH, MANY BARROWS AND THE PROJECT ARCHITECTS ARE ALSO PRESENT. KATHERINE LAUFENBERG AND ANDREW GAK. UH, HAS MR. BARROWS BEEN, UH, ADMITTED? UH, I'M NOT SEEING HIS IMAGE. YES, I BELIEVE HE IS. THANK YOU. AS WELL AS THE ARCHITECTS, I HOPE. WHO'S THE ARCHITECT? UH, MR. RAFFERY. WHAT WERE THE NAMES OF THE ARCHITECTS AGAIN? I'M SORRY. IT'S CATHERINE BERG, L-A-U-F-E-N-B-E-R-G. AND ANDREW GODA, G-O-D-A-K. BOTH OF THEM RECEIVED INVITATIONS AND SIGNED [00:35:01] UP. OH, I SEE CATHERINE NOW. YEAH. YEAH, I AM HERE. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANDREW WAS ADMITTED. YOU GOT HIM. ALL RIGHT. I THINK WE'VE GOT, UH, ANDREW ON THERE. WONDERFUL. WELL, THANK YOU. UM, AS BOARD MEMBERS PROBABLY KNOW THESE, UH, THIS IS AN APPLICATION, UH, INVOLVING AN EXPANSION OF AN EXISTING BUILDING, UH, AT THIS LOCATION ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, RIGHT NEAR THE RAILROAD TRACKS, UH, THAT SEPARATE EAST CAMBRIDGE, UH, FROM, UH, HARRINGTON, WELLINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD. THE CURRENT BUILDING IS A, UM, IS A THREE STORY BUILDING CONTAINING EIGHT DWELLING UNITS. IT'S EIGHT APARTMENTS WITH A RESTAURANT ON THE GROUND FLOOR. THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY IS MR. BARROWS. HIS FAMILY, UH, HAS BEEN ON THIS BLOCK ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, UH, SINCE THE 1960S. HIS FATHER IMMIGRATED FROM PORTUGAL, OPERATED THE CENTRAL BAKERY RESTAURANT ACROSS THE STREET WHERE MR. BARROWS AND HIS SIBLINGS GREW UP WORKING IN THE RESTAURANT. HE'S A GRADUATE OF THE HARRINGTON SCHOOL. HE TELLS ME THE FIRST GRADUATING CLASS FROM 1960 AND ALSO FROM CAMBRIDGE HIGH AND LATIN. HE BUILT THIS BUILDING. UH, THE EXISTING BUILDING WAS BUILT BY MR. BARRIS IN 1987, UH, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO WHEN THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING CAME INTO, UH, EFFECT. UH, HE LOOKED AT DEVELOPING A PLAN TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING, AND HE DEVELOPED A PLAN THAT'S BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, UH, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF, UH, MS. LOFBERG AND HER ASSOCIATE. UH, AND THE PROJECT WAS HEADED ON ITS WAY FOR AN AS OF RIGHT DEVELOPMENT THAT WAS GONNA MEET THE GOALS, UH, OF THE ZONING, WHICH WAS TO CREATE HOUSING WITH AN ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE IN THIS LOCATION. AND IT WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY. UH, BUT WHAT HAPPENED IS, PRIOR TO, UH, OBTAINING A BUILDING PERMIT, UH, THERE WAS SOME ZONING CHANGES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. UH, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE FOCUS OF THE ZONING DISCUSSIONS INVOLVED HEIGHTS. BUT THIS BUILDING IS AT THE HEIGHT THAT WAS PERMITTED UNDER THE EXISTING ZONING, BUT THERE WERE TWO NEW ELEMENTS INTRODUCED INTO THE ZONING THAT DIDN'T EXIST WHEN THE BUILDING WAS DESIGNED AND BEING PREPARED FOR A, A BUILDING PERMIT. AND THAT IS THE INTRODU INTRODUCTION OF SETBACKS ON, UH, PUBLIC STREETS, FOUR FEET ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, THE PRINCIPAL STREET, AND TWO FEET ON MARION, THE SIDE STREET, THE CORNER. UH, THE APPLICATION STATES THAT RELIEF IS NEEDED FOR BOTH SETBACKS. UH, THAT IS INCORRECT. THAT IS A, THAT WAS A MISTAKE, UH, BECAUSE THE MARION STREET ALREADY HAS A TWO FOOT SETBACK. MAYBE IF WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THE IMAGE ON THE ELEVATION, UH, SD THREE ONE. I THINK IT WILL KIND OF TELL THE STORY OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. THANK YOU. SO SD SD THREE ONE REALLY, UH, UH, TELLS THE STORY. YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, THE BRICK BUILDING, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE FIRST THREE STORIES, AND THEN THE, THE ADDITIONAL, THE ADDITIONAL THREE STORIES ABOVE IT. UH, THIS BUILDING, UH, HAS A ZERO SETBACK LIKE MOST BUILDINGS ALONG CAMBRIDGE STREET. UM, AND UNTIL THE RECENT AMENDMENT, UH, A FOUR FOOT SETBACK WAS INTRODUCED, SO TO BE COMPLIANT WITH THE CURRENT ZONING, THE FOURTH STORY OF THE BUILDING WOULD NEED TO STEP BACK FOUR FEET. UH, THAT PRE, THAT REPRESENTS A HARDSHIP IN A NUMBER OF LEVELS, INCLUDING A STRUCTURAL ONE. SINCE THE BUILDING IS DESIGNED TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE PERIMETER WALL AND THE, UH, UPPER FLOOR WALLS WOULD, WOULD SIT ON THE EXISTING EXTERIOR WALL. IF THE BUILDING WOULD'VE SET TO SIT BACK FOUR FEET, THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE. UH, THE BUILDING COMPLIES, AND THIS WAS DESIGNED LONG BEFORE THE, THIS RECENT AMENDMENT THAT THERE'S NEW GLAZING AND OPENINGS AT THE GROUND LEVEL. THE, UH, EXISTING, UH, RESTAURANT, UH, IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS. AND THE, THE FENESTRATION THERE IS KIND OF HIGH AND DOESN'T HAVE THE OPEN GLAZING TO THE STREET, WHICH THIS ONE WILL. SO THIS BUILDING ACTUALLY MEETS MANY OF THE DESIGN OBJECTIVES THAT WERE TALKED ABOUT IN ALL OF THE WORK ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. IF WE COULD LOOK AT, UM, IF WE COULD LOOK AT THE NEXT, UH, PAGE SD THREE, TWO, YOU'LL SEE THE SECOND ISSUE THAT, THAT WE'RE HERE. UH, THE OTHER ELEMENT THAT WAS INTRODUCED, UH, IN THE ZONING WAS A GLAZING REQUIREMENT, A PERCENTAGE OF GLAZING ON FACADES ON MAJOR STREETS, UH, AND PUBLIC STREETS. SO IN THIS CASE, THE REQUIREMENT IS [00:40:01] WOULD BE FOR 20% GLAZING. AND THE, THE ACTUAL GLAZING HERE, UH, IS, UH, SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 20%. UM, HE, IT'S 20% WOULD REQUIRE 415 SQUARE FEET OF GLAZING, AND THE DESIGN CONTAINS 309 SQUARE FEET. THE HARDSHIP RELATED TO THE GLAZING, AND MS. LADENBURG CAN EXPLAIN IS THAT THE BUILDING NEEDS TWO STAIRWAYS, UH, TO BE AS FAR APART AS POSSIBLE. SO, THE AREA WHERE YOU SEE IN THE FACADE HERE, WHERE THERE ARE NO OPENINGS IS BECAUSE THIS IS, YOU'LL SEE IN THE FLOOR PLANS, THAT'S WHERE A STAIRWAY EXISTS. AND THE STAIRWAY IS A REQUIREMENT FOR EGRESS, UH, WHAT THE BUILDING, UH, IS GONNA, WHEN COMPLETED, IS GONNA CONTAIN 30 DWELLING UNITS, SIX OF WHICH WILL BE AFFORDABLE. UM, AND, UH, THERE'S A LETTER IN THE FILE FROM COUNCILOR SIMMONS THAT I THINK IS A VERY ELOQUENT EXPRESSION OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE HERE. AND I, I KNOW IT'S THE HABIT OF THE CHAIR TO READ SUCH CORRESPONDENCE TO THE BOARD PRIOR DELIBERATION, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS SO, UH, WELL DONE. UM, I, I THINK, UH, IT'S WORTH POINTING OUT NOW THAT IT'S BEING DESCRIBED AS A THOUGHTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT TO CONTRIBUTE TO CAMBRIDGE'S ONGOING HOUSING NEEDS. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S READY FOR A BUILDING PERMIT, AND, UH, WAS READY AND WAS HEADING IN THAT DIRECTION. THESE CHANGES, UM, ARE, UH, I MIGHT SUGGEST, ARE, UH, MODEST IN NATURE. UH, THE PERCENTAGE OF GLAZING HERE, UH, AS I SAID, IS ONLY OFF BY A HUNDRED FEET. THERE IS, UH, MS. LAUFENBERG POINTED OUT TO ME, SHE'S GONE TO THE EFFORT OF PUTTING NINE DOUBLE WINDOWS IN THIS FACADE. SO, UH, I THINK PERHAPS IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, THE DESIGN AND THE SIZE OF THE OPENING, SHE COULD EASILY SPEAK TO THEM. AND WITH REGARD, UH, TO THE, TO THE SECOND ISSUE PRESENTED BY THE FRONT SETBACK, THE FOUR FOOT SETBACK, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY SUGGEST THAT PER PERHAPS THE FOUR FOOT SETBACK, WHICH IS INTRODUCED IN THE NEW ZONING AT THE GROUND FLOOR, OBVIOUSLY WOULD HAVE BENEFITS TO A WIDENED SIDEWALK AND BETTER PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE. I THINK IT'S HARD TO MAKE THE CASE WHAT THE BENEFIT OF HAVING THAT FOUR FOOT SETBACK, UH, 40 FEET IN THE EAR WOULD BE. BUT AT ANY RATE, UH, THE, THE REQUIREMENT EXISTS NOW. WE BELIEVE THAT THE ELEMENTS OF HARDSHIP EXISTS, BOTH IN TERMS OF THE PERIMETER WALL AND THE STAIRWAY, THAT THE BOARD OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO REACH, UH, A FINDING HERE THAT, UH, RELIEF, UH, IS WARRANTED. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, UH, FROM THE ARCHITECTS OR, UH, MR. BARROWS IN HIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU, MR. RAFFERTY. UH, SO IS THAT, UH, YOUR, IS YOUR PRESENTATION COMPLETED? YES. OKAY. THE, I THO THOSE, THOSE ARE THE TWO ISSUES PRESENTED IN THE APPLICATION. YEAH. THE, THE AMOUNT OF GLAZING ON THE MARION STREET WALL AND THE ABSENCE OF A SETBACK ON THE UPPER FLOORS AS A RESULT OF THE NEW, UH, REQUIREMENT. THANK YOU. UM, YEAH, AND THAT, THAT, THAT'S PRETTY CLEAR, UH, IN YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, ANY QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS? UH, THIS IS BRENDA SULLIVAN. I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A QUESTION AS MUCH AS I DO A COMMENTARY. AND I GUESS WHEN I FIRST REVIEWED THIS, MY FIRST THOUGHT IS, OH MY LORD, HOW ARE THEY GONNA SUPPORT THREE STORIES ABOVE THE EXISTING THREE STORIES STRUCTURALLY AND WITHOUT? UH, BECAUSE IT'S A ZERO LOT LINE. UM, I'M BASICALLY GOING BACK TO THE BEGINNING WAY DOWN BELOW IN THE FOOTINGS AND THE SIZE OF THE FOOTINGS TO SUPPORT THAT. AND THEN THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE WHERE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO STEP IN, IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE SETBACK. UH, HENCE THAT'S THE NATURE OF THE REQUEST BEFORE US AND WHAT BENEFIT THAT HAS. AND I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF CHALLENGES HERE REGARDING THE STATE BUILDING CODE AND MAKING THIS ALL HAPPEN. BUT THAT'S ANOTHER, UH, DEPARTMENT, BUT THAT THE SETBACK REALLY, UM, REGARDING THIS PARTICULAR CASE HAS REALLY NO BENEFIT AT ALL. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT'S A DETRIMENT BECAUSE IT ELIMINATES OBVIOUSLY, A LIVING SPACE. IT CREATES A STRUCTURAL NIGHTMARE. UH, IT'S PROBABLY DOABLE, BUT IT HAS REALLY NO, UH, BENEFIT AT ALL. THEN GOING THROUGH THE PROPOSAL, AND AS MR. LEY MENTIONED, THERE ARE 30 UNITS, SIX OF THEM AFFORDABLE, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY THE POLICY OF THE CITY TO PROVIDE HOUSING SIX AFFORDABLE. BUT I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE SIZE OF THE UNITS, THE, UM, ONE BEDROOM, UM, THERE WAS ALSO A, I KNOW IF THERE'S MAYBE ONE IF NOT MORE HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE UNITS, WHICH ARE, UM, VERY LAUDABLE AND VERY NECESSARY. [00:45:01] ONE THING THAT THE CITY IS INUNDATED WITH IS AN AWFUL LOT OF SORT OF HIGH-END, UM, HOUSING THAT'S BEING BUILT, BUT VERY LITTLE ATTENTION IS MADE AND PAID TO REALLY, THE NEED IS TO HAVE ONE BEDROOM APARTMENTS, UM, STUDIO APARTMENTS FOR SINGLE PEOPLE WHO JUST WANNA LIVE BY THEMSELVES. AND I THINK THE PAST PANDEMIC HAS BROUGHT THIS TO THE, WHERE SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, TWO OR THREE PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT, NOT NECESSARILY, AND HAVING THE WORKING AT HOME SCENARIO INTO THE MIX ALSO, UM, CREATES SOME ISSUES, BUT ALSO IT CREATES A NEED FOR THESE SIZE APARTMENTS. SO ALL IN ALL, AFTER REVIEW, THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES AND GOOD LUCK WITH THOSE, HOWEVER, BUT I THINK THAT THE PROPOSAL THAT IS BEFORE US IS VERY MUCH IN KEEPING WITH THE INTENT TO, UM, ALIGN ITSELF WITH THE CURRENT CITY POLICY. AND ALSO, UM, A VERY GREAT NEED THAT'S IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ESPECIALLY BEING NEXT TO KENDALL SQUARE AND THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE, UM, ONE BEDROOM APARTMENTS, STUDIO APARTMENTS, AND IN THE BASEMENT, UH, TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BICYCLE PARKING. THERE IS A, I GUESS IT'S THE PUBLIC PARKING AREA BEHIND, BUT I THINK THAT THE PEOPLE THAT IT WILL SERVICE WILL, UM, MAKE USE OF THE BICYCLE STORAGE AND ALSO THE ONE BEDROOM APARTMENTS, UH, THAT ARE AVAILABLE. SO, UM, I THINK IT'S A VERY GOOD PROJECT AND, UM, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT IT. THANK YOU, BRENDAN. AND THAT'S MY COMMENT, . THANK YOU. UM, ONE, MR. RAFFERTY, THERE IS ONE QUESTION, UH, I'D LIKE TO, UH, ASK YOU ABOUT IS REGARDING THIS, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ORDINANCE. UM, AND THE FACT THAT IN THAT PROCESS, IN THAT PARTICULAR ORDINANCE, UH, IT'S ESSENTIALLY A SPECIAL PERMIT PROCESS, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. UH, I, OR I GUESS SECTION 17.70 5.13, UM, GIVES YOU THAT PATH, UH, FOR APPROVALS, UH, THROUGH THE PLANNING BOARD. AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD, UH, JUST, UH, TALK ABOUT, UM, WHY THE NEED FOR THE VARIANCE, UM, WHEN THERE IS ALREADY KIND OF A PATH IN THAT PARTICULAR, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THAT CAMBRIDGE STREET ORDINANCE. UH, BECAUSE I, I BELIEVE IT'S, YOU KNOW, WITH ASKING THE VARIANCE AND THEN THIS FOLLOW UP QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHERE IS THE HARDSHIP? UM, UH, 'CAUSE I BELIEVE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT IS PART THE, PROBABLY A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE DELIBERATIONS, RIGHT? WELL, UH, YOU ARE CORRECT, MR. CHAIR. UH, THE, UH, RECENTLY ENACTED ZONING DOES CONTAIN A SPECIAL PERMIT MECHANISM THAT IT WILL ALLOW FROM DIVERGENCE FROM THESE STANDARDS. MM-HMM . CANDIDLY, UH, THE, UH, WHEN WE EVALUATED THE APPLICATION, I THOUGHT THE HARDSHIP WAS, UH, SUFFICIENTLY APPARENT THAT THE CASE COULD BENEFIT FROM A MORE EFFICIENT HEARING PROCESS THROUGH THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS, AS NOTED BY MR. SULLIVAN, THE PRINCIPAL HARDSHIP ON THE FRONT SETBACK IS STRUCTURAL. THE EXI WE'RE DEALING WITH AN EXISTING BUILDING IN THE WAY THE BUILDING IS DESIGNED IN ORDER TO PUT THESE THREE ADDITIONAL STORIES. IF A FULL FOOT SETBACK WERE ACQUIRED, IT WOULD, IT WOULD TAKE A LOT OF, UH, ADDITIONAL COST AND ENGINEERING AND REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE UNITS. UM, FRANKLY, THE, THE VARIANCE PROCESS, UM, IN CASES WHERE HARDSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE, REPRESENTS, UH, A A LITTLE MORE EFFICIENT PROCESS THAN GOING THROUGH THE, UM, EXTENSIVE, UH, PROCESS AT THE PLANNING BOARD. SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE PURPOSE, UM, THAT THIS, THIS PATH WAS CHOSEN. SIMILARLY, THE HARDSHIP ON THE, ON THE, UM, GLAZING, IT'S VERY CLOSE, WE'RE A HUNDRED FEET SHY, AND IN CASES WHERE IT WAS CLOSE, UM, AND THE HARDSHIP IS RELATED TO EGRESS FOR THE BUILDING, IT'S NECESSARY TO HAVE THAT STAIRWAY THERE. MM-HMM . UH, I THOUGHT THE SIMILAR CONDITIONS EXISTED THAT THERE WOULD BE A CERTAIN EFFICIENCY TO HAVING A SINGLE HEARING AT THE BZA THAT WOULD ALLOW MR. BARROWS TO MOVE TO GET HIS BUILDING PERMIT, WHICH HE WAS ON THE CUSP OF OBTAINING WHEN THE ZONING CHANGED ON HIM. SO IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ECONOMY OF TIME AND THE RECOGNITION THAT A TRUE HARDSHIP IS PRESENT IN THE CASE. THANK YOU, MR. MR. RAFFERTY, UH, ANY [00:50:01] OTHER COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS OR QUESTIONS? YES. UH, THIS IS WENDY. I HAVE A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION TO THAT. UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY GLAZING IN A STAIRWELL IS NOT POSSIBLE? UH, I'LL LET MS. LOFBERG ADDRESS THAT, PLEASE. SO WE DO HAVE SOME GLAZING IN THE STAIRWELLS. THAT'S THAT SMALL WINDOW, BUT THERE IS, UM, A CODE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO STAY WITHIN FOR THE AMOUNT OF FIRE RATED GLAZING THAT WE NEED. UM, THE MORE FIRE RATED GLAZING, IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF GLAZING, WHICH DOES INCUR A LARGE EXPENSE. UM, SO WE DID PROVIDE SOME FIRE RATED GLAZING IN THE STAIRWELL, BUT THEN WE DID NEED TO KEEP IT SEPARATED FROM, UM, THE ADJACENCY TO THE APARTMENT NEXT TO IT. SO I'M NOT CLEAR, IS IT THE EXPENSE OF THE FIRE RATED GLAZING THAT IS THE PROBLEM, OR SOMETHING ELSE ELSE? IT'S MAINLY THE ADJACENCY TO THE APARTMENT DIRECTLY NEXT TO IT AND HOW CLOSE, UM, THE WINDOWS WOULD NEED TO BE. SO WE PRIORITIZE PUTTING LARGER GLAZING IN THE APARTMENTS. UM, SO IF WE DID ADD MORE GLAZING TO THE STAIRWELL, WE WOULD NEED TO ELIMINATE THE APARTMENT GLAZING BECAUSE OF HOW CLOSE THEY WOULD GET. AND YOU CAN'T EXPAND THE GLAZING IN THE APARTMENT MORE TO MEET YOUR 20% THRESHOLD. WE DID INCLUDE DOUBLE WINDOWS AND TRYING TO KEEP THE FACADE, UM, HAVE LIKE A UNIFIED LOOK THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BUILDING. I DO BELIEVE WE PUT AS MUCH GLAZING AS POSSIBLE AS WE COULD ON THAT FACADE, UM, AND DID OUR BEST TO TRY TO MEET, UM, THE GLAZING REQUIREMENT ON THAT PARTICULAR FACADE. AND REPEAT AGAIN FOR ME, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 20% TARGET AND WHAT YOU HAVE NOW IN YOUR PLAN? 20% WOULD BE 400, ROUGHLY 400 SQUARE FEET, AND WE ARE PROVIDING 309 SQUARE FEET OF GLAZINGS. WE ARE ROUGHLY A HUNDRED SQUARE FEET SHORT OF MEETING THE 20% GLAZING, OR 75% OF WHAT'S REQUIRED. CORRECT? CORRECT. THANK YOU. MY, UH, MY MAIN QUESTIONS ARE RELATED TO STEVE'S. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROJECT ITSELF. UM, IT'S MORE, UM, THE FACT THAT THE CITY ENACTED THIS, UM, PARTICULAR SECTION, UM, TO, UM, FOR THE CAMBRIDGE STREET AREA. AND THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY SPECIFIED THAT THE WAY TO GET RELIEF FROM THIS IS TO GO TO THE PLANNING BOARD. I AM SYMPATHETIC TO, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, DIFFERENCES IN THE PROCESS BETWEEN PLANNING BOARD AND ZONING, BUT I DON'T FEEL THAT, UM, IF THE CITY WANTED THE PLANNING BOARD TO REVIEW THIS, AND THEY HAVE ADDED CRITERIA THAT THE PLANNING BOARD IS SUPPOSED TO BE REVIEWING IN ASSOCIATION WITH ANY SPECIAL PERMITS UNDER THESE SECTIONS THAT YOU'VE CITED. UM, TWO, GRANT YOU A VARIANCE. ONE WHEN THERE IS NO HARDSHIP, IF YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT THERE IS ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE FOR YOU THAT IS SPELLED OUT IN THIS ORDINANCE AS TO HOW TO GET RELIEF. AND TWO, THAT WAS CLEARLY THE POINT, POINT OF THE CITY PASSING THIS ORDINANCE AT CHAPTER 17 TO GOVERN THE CAMBRIDGE STREET AREA. AND THREE, UNDER THE ZONING BOARD'S CRITERIA, WE WOULD NOT BE, WE'RE NOT AUTHORIZED TO REVIEW THE CRITERIA THAT THE CITY SPECIFICALLY PUT INTO SECTION 17.707, UH, WHATEVER THE NUMBERS ARE FOR THE PLANNING BOARD TO REVIEW, SO TO BYPASS THE CRITERIA THAT THE CITY WANTED REVIEWED. WHEN YOU HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE PROJECT OR PROCESS SEEMS TO MEET, TO GO AGAINST THE ARGUMENT THAT THERE'S A HARDSHIP HERE, EVEN THOUGH I DO UNDERSTAND, UM, BRENDAN'S POINT OF VIEW ABOUT THE, THE BUILDING ISSUES. AND, UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A QUESTION OF INTERPRETING THE ORDINANCE HERE AND THE INTENT, BUT I WELCOME OTHER COMMENTS FROM MY COLLEAGUES ON THE BOARD. [00:55:01] UH, WENDY, THIS IS BRENDAN. UM, ONE OF THE THOUGHTS THAT I HAVE IS THAT WHEN THESE ORDINANCES ARE CREATED AND TRYING TO CREATE MORE HOUSING, IS THAT A LOT OF THEM MAKE PERFECTLY GOOD SENSE, THE DESIGN FACTOR AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS, UM, WHEN YOU'RE STARTING OFF WITH A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER, WHEN YOU'RE STARTING OFF WITH A EMPTY LOT. BUT TO ADAPT THOSE NEW ORDINANCES TO AN EXISTING BUILDING, AND THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT. IT CREATES, THERE ARE INHERENT HARDSHIPS, UM, AND VERY HIGH DIFFICULTIES TO COMPLY WITH THE INTENT, THE PURPOSE OF THE NEW ORDINANCE. THE NEW ORDINANCE OBVIOUSLY IS TO CREATE HOUSING, BUT IT'S ALSO TO MAKE THE STREET SCAPE AND A LITTLE BIT MORE PLEASANT. PUT IN SOME RETAIL ON THE FIRST FLOOR, WHICH THERE WAS A DEARTH OF RETAIL SPACE THAT CANNOT BE RENTED. SO IT'S, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ON THE BOARD WHO HAVE TO KEEP GRANTING THESE SPECIAL PREMISES FOR THESE PLACES TO OPEN, AND THEN TWO YEARS LATER, THEY'RE, UH, CLOSING AND THEN THEY'RE COMING IN AGAIN. IT'S JUST, UH, THE NATURE OF THE MARKETPLACE, WHICH IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN THE VIABILITY OF A LOT OF THESE RETAIL SPACES. BUT THAT'S OKAY. IT GIVES IT SOME LIFE ON THE GROUND FLOOR. BUT TO ADAPT, UM, THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW ORDINANCES IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. AND THERE ARE INHERENT HARDSHIPS DIFFICULTIES AND, UM, TO TRY TO DO THAT. AND I THINK THAT THE ARCHITECT HAS, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, ADDRESSED THOSE TO THE BEST OF THE ABILITY. I THINK MR. RASHI'S EXPLANATION IS PROBABLY HAS SOME GREAT VALIDITY AS TO WHY THIS ROUTE AND, UM, NOT TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, USURP THE PLANNING BOARD, BUT I THINK IT'S ALMOST THAT THE PLANNING BOARD PROBABLY WOULD HAVE A PURPOSE IF THIS WERE, UM, A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER AND THAT YOU WERE BUILDING NEW AND YOU COULD ADAPT THE NEW TO THE ORDINANCE RATHER THAN HAVING TO TRY TO ADAPT THE OLD TO THE NEW ORDINANCE. SO WITH RESPECT, WITH RESPECT, BRENDAN, I, I UNDERSTAND YOUR REASONING, HOWEVER, I POINT TO THE LANGUAGE OF 17.7 APPLICABILITY, AND IT, THE, THAT SECTION TALKS ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION IN THE FIRST SENTENCE, AND THEN IT GOES ON TO SAY, BUILDINGS IN EXISTENCE BEFORE THE ADOPTION OF THIS SECTION DO NOT NEED TO BE MODIFIED TO MEET THE STANDARDS OF THIS SECTION, BUT SHALL NOT BE MODIFIED IN A WAY THAT FURTHER VIOLATES THE STANDARDS OF THIS SECTION UNLESS APPROVED BY SPECIAL PERMIT FROM THE PLANNING BOARD. THAT'S THE CLEAR LANGUAGE OF THAT SECTION. AND IT'S, I, AGAIN, IT'S, I'M JUST READING THE WORDS. I'M NOT WRITING THOSE WORDS, SO, RIGHT. YEAH. MI MR. CHAIR, IF IT'S AT ALL RELEVANT. UM, AS BOARD MEMBERS KNOW, THE PLANNING BOARD OFTEN REVIEWS BZA CASES. SO MINDFUL OF THIS, UH, THE STRUCTURE OF THE LANGUAGE, I CONTACTED, UH, MS. JOSEPH AND CDD TO INQUIRE WHETHER THIS IS A CASE THAT THE PLANNING BOARD MAY WISH TO REVIEW AT THEIR MEETING LAST EVENING. I HEARD BACK THAT, NO, THE PLANNING BOARD WAS NOT INTERESTED IN COMMENTING ON THE CASE. UM, SO IT, IT'S NOT THE CASE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING FURTIVELY MM-HMM . THAT IT'S NOT KNOWN, IT'S CDD. MR. BARROWS HAS BEEN DEALING WITH CDD ON THIS BUILDING FOR NEARLY A YEAR. MM-HMM . UM, AS I SAID, UH, IT WOULD BE, UH, IT, IT WOULD NOT BE, UM, A COMPLETE STORY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE TIMING AND THE MONTHS IT WOULD TAKE TO GET THROUGH A PLANNING WOOD PROCESS, INCLUDING HOSTING AN EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETING, UH, ON SOMETHING AS MODEST AS THIS. MR. BARROWS, UH, LIVES AND BREATHES IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, IS THERE ALL THE TIME. HIS ABUTTERS AND HIS NEIGHBORS ARE, UH, VERY MINDFUL OF WHAT'S GOING ON. HIS, UH, REAR ABUTTER IS A MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT. UH, SO THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET MUCH BENEFIT FROM THE GLAZING. UH, THE EXTRA A HUNDRED FEET OF GLAZING ON A WALL, A SIX STORY WALL. IT REALLY, I THINK, HAS SOME, UM, SOME THING TO DO WITH THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE APPLICATION DOES NOT COMPLY. IF IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT DEVIATION, UH, FROM THE GLAZING, I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY ONE MIGHT THINK THAT IT, IT WAS NOT CONSISTENT [01:00:01] WITH THE SPIRIT OR THE MECHANISM CREATED, UH, IN THE ORDINANCE. BUT I ONLY OFFER FOR THE RECORD THAT I, I, UH, CONTACTED CDD TO SEE IF THE PLANNING BOARD WISHED TO REVIEW THE CASE. I WAS INFORMED THAT, UH, THERE WAS NOT AN INTEREST IN DOING SO. OH, THANK YOU FOR THAT, MR. RAFFERTY. IT'S GOOD TO KNOW. IT WOULD BE NICE IF THE PLANNING BOARD WOULD SEND A LETTER TO OUR BOARD, THOUGH, TO INDICATE THAT SO THAT THEY DON'T FEEL THAT WE ARE OVERSTEPPING THEIR JURISDICTION. YEAH, I, UH, I, I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH ABILITY TO, UH, DICTATE, UH, HOW THEY, UH, DEAL WITH CASES, BUT, UM, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. UM, UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I'LL SIT BACK. ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS? UH, THIS IS VIRGINIA. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, WHERE WERE YOU IN THE, UM, DESIGN PROCESS AT THE TIME THAT THE, UH, NEW ZONING CAME INTO EXISTENCE? MANNY. MANNY. CAN YOU ADDRESS THAT? WHEN WAS THE OLD APPLICATION WITHDRAWN? ? THE OLD APPLICATION? WHAT'S THAT? YOU HAD FILED PREVIOUSLY AND THEN WITHDREW AN APPLICATION? I THINK THAT HAD TO DO WITH A HOTEL PROPOSAL. YEAH, THAT IS MANY, IS MANY ON THE CALL. CATHERINE, IT WAS A HOSPITALITY USE, SO THAT WAS A DIFFERENT, YEAH. OKAY. YES. MANNY IS ON THE CALL. HE IS MUTED. WENDY, MANNY, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO UNMUTE? BUT IT WAS NOT THIS, OKAY. IT IS IN THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. MANNY, I THINK MR. BARROWS WANTS TO SPEAK. WELL, I THOUGHT HE WOULD BE THE BEST SOURCE OF WHEN THE CHANGE OCCURRED. UH, BUT, UH, I WOULD SAY, UH, IT WAS, UH, I RECALL WHEN IT HAPPENED BECAUSE, UH, WE, WE ENDED UP HAVING TO ALERT HIM. UH, HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF APPLYING FOR A BUILDING PERMIT AND, AND LEARNED ABOUT IT. AND HIS PRIOR, HIS PRIOR WORK WITH CDD AND AROUND THIS, HE TOLD ME ALL ABOUT IT HAS INVOLVED MONTHS OF ENGAGEMENT, AND I'M, I'M JUST TROUBLE THAT HE'S NOT ABLE TO SPEAK. UH, I THINK IT'S, HE HAS TO UNMUTE ON HIS SIDE. YEAH, NO, NO. IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S THE CASE. I DON'T KNOW IF HE, YOU KNOW WHAT? I COULD, UH, PERHAPS, DO YOU MIND IF I TRY CALLING HIM? PLEASE TELL ME. HE HAS TO UNMUTE. TELL IN THE MEANTIME, MANNY, YOU GOTTA UNMUTE. WE CAN SEE YOU THOUGH. MANNY, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. MAYBE HE COULD CALL JIM AND JIM COULD PUT HIM ON SPEAKER. I, I, I'M, I'M TRYING TO CALL HIM NOW. HE IS NOT PICKING UP. HMM. VIRGINIA, I THINK YOU WERE ASKING JUST ABOUT THE TIMING OF THE CURRENT APPLICATION, LIKE WHERE THE DRAWING DESIGNS WERE PRIOR TO THE, THE, UH, CAMBRIDGE STREET, UH, ZONING ORDINANCE CAME INTO EFFECT, CORRECT? YES, EXACTLY. WELL, UH, MS. LOFBERG MAY HAVE SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THAT IN THE ABSENCE OF, UH, WELL, I CAN, MR. BARROW'S NOT ANSWERING. HOLD ON. I CAN SEE FROM, IT'S OKAY. SORRY. I SEE THE TAPE. HI, YOU PLEASE, MS. LAUFENBERG, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UH, KA, CATHERINE C I'M SORRY. UH, DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER FOR MANNY? UM, YES, I DO HAVE A PHONE NUMBER FOR MANNY. CAN YOU CALL HER? UM, YES, I CAN TRY THE ANSWER, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YOU MAYBE COULD ADDRESS, UH, THE QUESTIONS THAT SHE HAD, IF YOU COULD DO BOTH. HI, MANNY, YOU'RE ON SPEAKERPHONE. ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR HIM? NO. CAN YOU, [01:05:01] CAN YOU ASK HIM IF HE KNOWS HOW TO UNMUTE HIS? DO YOU KNOW HOW TO UNMUTE YOUR, UM, SPEAKERPHONE ON THE, ON THE LAPTOP? NO, THE COMPUTER, CATHERINE, HE'S GOT TO CHANGE HIS COMPUTER. I HAVE, I'M TRYING TO UNMUTE. I'M SORRY. THAT'S OKAY. HERE, LET ME PUT YOU ON SPEAKER. OKAY. OKAY. CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN WHERE YOU WERE IN THE DESIGN PROCESS? MINNIE, WOULD YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE? CATHERINE, WOULD YOU ASK HIM TO IDENTIFY HIMSELF? CAN YOU JUST IDENTIFY YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD? WELL, UM, MANNY BARROWS, THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, MY FAMILY HAS OWNED THIS PROPERTY SINCE 1962 AND, UH, GREW UP IN THE, IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, ABOUT A YEAR OR SO AGO, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW, ONE OF THE PRO ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS WAS ASKING WHY I WITHDREW THE CASE. WAS, WAS THAT THE QUESTION? WELL, THERE'S TWO QUESTIONS. THERE WAS THAT QUESTION, AND THEN ONE OF THE MEMBERS IS ASKING, UH, HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU IN THE DESIGN PROCESS WHEN YOU LEARNED OF THESE TWO ZONING CHANGES AROUND THE SETBACK AND THE GLAZING? THE DESIGN PROCESS? WE HAD COMPLETED THE DESIGN, AND WE WERE READY TO GO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE APPLICATION, BUT THEN THIS ZONING CHANGE HAPPENED AND WE HAD TO CHANGE OUR WHOLE APPLICATION. YEAH. WELL, I, I THINK, I THINK YOU JUST ANSWERED THE QUESTION THAT WAS BEING ASKED. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT'S, I, I, I, I THINK WE GET THAT. I THINK YOU, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TIMELINE WAS THAT YOUR, YOUR PROJECT WAS READY TO GO AND, UH, UH, THE, THE ZONING ORDINANCE KIND OF HIT. UM, UH, HAD YOU FILED YOUR BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION AT THAT POINT WHEN THE ZONING ORDINANCE CHANGED? UH, WE HAD NOT, BECAUSE WE HAD NOT COMPLETED THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COVENANT, UH, THAT'S NEEDED TO ACCOMPANY, UH, THE BUILDING PERMIT. THAT WAS THE NEXT STEP THAT WAS TO BE UNDERTAKEN. AND MR. RAFTER, RAFFERTY JUST, UH, AGAIN, IT'S 30 MARKET RATE UNITS PLUS SIX AFFORDABLE N NO, MS CHAIR, IT'S 30 UNITS IN TOTAL. TOTAL SIX OF WHICH AFFORDABLE. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO I, JIM, THIS IS BRENDAN SULLIVAN. ARE THESE, UH, RENTALS, OR ARE THEY, UM, UH, CONDOS? NO, THESE ARE RENTALS. RENTALS. ALL RENTALS, YES. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THEY, THEY'RE THE CURRENT BUILDING, UH, UH, OPERATES AS AN EIGHT, UH, APARTMENT RENTAL, BUT THE ENTIRE, UM, THE ENTIRE BUILDING IS BEING GUTTED AND IT'LL NOW BE 30 RENTAL UNITS. OKAY. UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS? UH, SO I THINK, UM, WHAT WE'LL DO IS MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND, UM, WE DO HAVE ONE LETTER, UH, IN THE FILE, AND IT IS FROM, UH, CITY COUNSELOR, UH, MS. DENISE SIMMONS. UH, I'M GONNA READ THAT IN ITS ENTIRETY. UH, SO IT'S, IT'S ON THE RECORD. I'M WRITING IN SUPPORT OF MR. MANNY BARROWS AND HIS APPLICATION FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT RELATED TO THE PROPOSED EDITION OF THREE STORIES TO THE EXISTING BUILDING LOCATED AT 7 23 TO 7 31 CAMBRIDGE STREET. MR. BAR'S PROPOSAL REPRESENTS A THOUGHTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT TO CONTRIBUTE TO CAMBRIDGE'S ONGOING HOUSING NEEDS. AS OUTLINED, THE PROJECT WOULD RESULT IN THE CREATION OF 30 RESIDENTIAL UNITS, INCLUDING SIX UNITS DESIGNATED AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THIS LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY INTEGRATED WITH A BROADER DEVELOPMENT REFLECTS THE KIND OF BALANCE GROWTH THAT THE CITY CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE. WHILE THE RECENT ZONING CHANGES ALONG CAMBRIDGE STREET INTRODUCED NEW DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING FOUR FOOT SETBACKS, THIS APPLICATION PERTAINS TO A PRE-EXISTING STRUCTURE AND SEEKS RELIEF IN A MANNER THAT REMAINS CONSISTENT WITH THE BROADER INTENT OF THE CITY'S UPZONING EFFORTS IN THIS CORRIDOR. THE PROPOSAL ADVANCES INCREASED HOUSING PRODUCTION IN AN AREA WHERE SUCH GROWTH HAS BEEN EXPLICITLY ENCOURAGED, AND IT DOES SO WHILE INCORPORATING MEANINGFUL AFFORDABILITY. I UNDERSTAND THAT MR. BARROWS HAS BEEN WORKING IN COORDINATION WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND HAS TAKEN STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THE PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE CITY GOALS AND PLANNING PRIORITIES. BASED ON THIS, AND GIVEN THE OVERALL MERITS OF THE PROPOSAL, I BELIEVE THIS APPLICATION PRESENTS A REASONABLE AND WELL CONSIDERED RE REQUEST FOR RELIEF. [01:10:01] FOR THESE REASONS, I RESPECTFULLY URGE THE BOARD TO GIVE THIS APPLICATION FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION TO THIS MANNER. UH, THAT WAS WHAT WE HAD FOR, UH, LETTERS. UM, AND, UH, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO PUBLIC, UH, COMMENTS. UH, THOSE WHO WISH TO SPEAK SHOULD NOW CLICK THE ICON AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR ZOOM SCREEN THAT SAYS, RAISE HAND. IF YOU'RE CALLING IN BY PHONE, YOU CAN RAISE YOUR HAND BY PRESSING STAR NINE AND UNMUTE BY, OR MUTE BY PRESSING STAR SIX. I'LL NOW ASK STAFF TO UNMUTE THE SPEAKERS ONE AT A TIME. YOU SHOULD BEGIN BY SAYING YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND STAFF WILL CONFIRM THAT WE CAN HEAR YOU. AFTER THAT, YOU WILL HAVE UP TO TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK BEFORE I ASK YOU TO WRAP UP. THERE'S PLENTY OF ATTENDEES, BUT NONE OF THEM REASON TO ASK. SO IF ANYONE'S, UH, ON ONLINE FOR THIS MEETING, IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK, YOU HAVE TO CLICK ON THE RAISED HAND, UH, AND WE'LL RECOGNIZE YOU AND ALLOW YOU THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. NOPE. NOPE. SEEING NONE. UM, WE'LL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND, UH, DISCUSSION AMONGST BOARD MEMBERS. I WONDER IF IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE GIVEN THE CONCERN ABOUT, UM, THE PLANNING BOARD'S POTENTIAL ROLE HERE. IF WE COULD JUST CONTINUE THIS TO THE NEXT HEARING, WHICH I BELIEVE IS IN TWO WEEKS, AND REQUEST THE PLANNING BOARD TO GIVE US A LETTER EXPLAINING THEIR OPINION ON THIS FIVE 14. I, I DON'T BELIEVE THE PLANNING BOARD WILL BE MEETING WITHIN THAT TWO WEEK TIME PERIOD. IS THE ONLY PROBLEM I SEE SCHEDULE. THEY, THEY MET THIS TUESDAY, THIS WEEK. UH, I, I THINK THEY WON'T BE MEETING AGAIN UNTIL LATER IN THE MONTH OF MAY. I'M NOT CERTAIN, BUT, BUT THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. IF IT'S LATER IN THE MONTH OF MAY, OKAY. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING READILY. UM, SO WHAT I WOULD SAY, IF THEY WANT, I'D SAY JUNE, BECAUSE WHO KNOWS WHEN, UH, THINK JUNE 11TH. I MEAN, THEY CAN DO IT. YEAH. SO I THINK WITH THE PLANNING BOARD'S SCHEDULE, I THINK WE'RE SAFER TRYING TO CONTINUE TO JUNE 11TH, RIGHT. TO GET, UH, A LETTER FROM THEM ABOUT THAT. UM, BUT, UH, I LET, LET'S, UH, I, I GUESS THAT'S ONE THING WE CAN DO IS SEE IF THAT'S, THERE'S ANY INTEREST THERE. BUT, UH, PERSONALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, INITIALLY IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE HARDSHIP FOR ME. UM, BUT, UH, I TELL YOU, I LISTENING, UH, TO FELLOW BOARD MEMBER BRENDAN, UM, AND JUST THE DESIGN AND PRACTICALITY OF WHAT'S BEING OFFERED BY THE APPLICANT, THAT YOU'RE GETTING 20% AFFORDABLE UNITS, 30 RENTAL UNITS ADDED TO THE CITY'S, UH, HOUSING STOCK. UM, AND I AM, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY NEED TO HAVE TO ASK. I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE HARDSHIPS THERE FOR, UH, THE APPLICANT, UH, REGARDING THE SETBACK [01:15:01] AND, UH, THERE, HE'S, HE'S CHECKING ALL THE BOXES FOR, FOR WHAT THE CITY INTENT IS ON, UH, INCREASING HOUSING STOCK. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THE FACADE THAT HAS A HUNDRED SQUARE FEET LESS GLASS, YOU KNOW, GLASSES AND EVERYTHING EITHER. I MEAN, IT'S APPROPRIATELY SIZED WINDOWS FOR A BEDROOM SOMETIMES. I THINK A LOT OF DESIGNS ARE OFFERING TOO MUCH GLASS THESE DAYS, SO I THINK IT'S AN APPROPRIATE, UH, ELEVATION. UM, I DON'T SEE THE, UH, PRACTICALITY OF HAVING GLASS IN THE STAIRWELL, AN EGRESS STAIR. UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IT'S, UH, SOMETHING WE SHOULD KEEP, GET MOVING FORWARD. I DON'T KNOW HOW MY OTHER FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS ARE, EXCUSE ME, FEEL THIS IS BRENDAN SULLIVAN. I THINK I'VE PROBABLY SAID ENOUGH, BUT LET ME JUST ADD ONE MORE THING. I, IT BRINGS UP THAT, AND JIM MENTIONED IT AND, UM, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE ISSUES, UM, AND WENDY, YOU ALSO RAISED IT, UH, AN EXCELLENT POINT. IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THE PLANNING BOARD DIDN'T CHIME IN ON THIS, AND I'VE BEEN ON A LITTLE BIT OF A SABBATICAL FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND USUALLY IN ANOTHER ERA THEY WOULD COMMENT TO THE BOARD THAT THEY HAVE REVIEWED THE, OUR AGENDA AND THEY EITHER COMMENT ON A PARTICULAR CASE OR NOT, OR THEY LEAVE IT TO THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD AND WE WOULD ALWAYS GET SOME COMMUNICATE FROM THEM. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT HAS FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE LATELY, UH, BUT THIS WOULD'VE BEEN, UM, YEAH, VERY, VERY HELPFUL FOR THEM TO HAVE JUST, UM, SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE LINE. UM, AND SO I GUESS IT BEHOOVES US NOW, UM, GOING FORWARD AND I SORT OF KICKED MYSELF THAT I SHOULD HAVE PICKED UP ON THAT AND THEN ASK MARIA, HEY, GET SOMETHING FROM THE PLANNING BOARD, UM, THAT WE CAN INSERT INTO THE RECORD AND, AND GET THEIR VIEWPOINT. BUT ANYHOW, UM, I THINK THAT TOO, THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW OUR AGENDA. THEY DID NOT COMMENT ON IT. IF IT WAS IMPORTANT TO THEM, I THINK THEY WOULD HAVE. AND SO TO DELAY IT ANYMORE, I THINK IS ADDING ANOTHER BURDEN, HARDSHIP TO THE PETITIONER AND, UM, UM, ADDING TO THE FINANCIAL BURDEN, UM, TO THE PETITIONER. AND I, UH, WOULD SAY THAT, UH, I WOULD, UH, I'M FINE MOVING FORWARD WITH A VOTE. UH, THIS IS VIRGINIA. I AGREE. I DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO WAIT ON A, A LETTER FROM THE PLANNING BOARD TO BE CLEAR. THIS IS MIRANDA. I AM IN FAVOR OF THE PROJECT AND I THINK WE SHOULD GET IT MOVING FORWARD. I JUST THOUGHT THAT MIGHT BE A SOLUTION IN THE EVENT THAT WE WANT TO PURSUE A LETTER FROM THE PLANNING BOARD. BUT I'M COMFORTABLE VOTING TODAY, BUT YOU RAISE A GOOD POINT, MARITA. SO, STRAW, STRAW POLL VOTE, UM, HAS US, UH, FOUR OUT OF FIVE, I BELIEVE THAT'S . ASK WENDY, HAVE YOU HEARD THAT? WHAT'S THAT? THE AFFORDABLE, THE INCLUSIONARY OF AFFORD SINCE AFFORDABLE UNITS ARE INCLUDED. DOES IT LOWER THE THRESHOLD FOR VARIANCE? I DUNNO. YEAH, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOMETHING BACK IN 2021, BUT I DUNNO IF IT APPLIES FOR VARIANCE OR IF IT'S JUST ME TO BE HONEST. I I SEE THE BUDGET. IT'S JUST, I WAS JUST, YEAH, NO, I, IT'S JUST THE JURISDICTION ISSUE, SO I'M PREPARED TO VOTE. ANY, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, WENDY? I MEAN, I DOES, I'LL, DOES THE BOARD ENTERTAIN A MOTION? I WE'RE READY FOR A MOTION. UH, BRENDA SULLIVAN? YES. ON THE MOTION. OKAY. UM, UH, THE CHAIR MAKES A MOTION TO GRANT RELIEF FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE UNDER SECTIONS. UH, 8.2, 2.3, UH, SEVEN TWO. HOLD ON. 17, UH, 0.70 5.3 17.7054. OR DO I DO TWO SEPARATE MOTIONS FOR IT'S ONE VARIANCE? OKAY. ONE VARIANCE, UH, FOR THE FACADE TRANSPARENCY AND, UM, SECTION T 10.30 FOR VARIANCE. UM, AND, UH, THE CONDITIONS, UH, TO [01:20:01] BE MET FOR VARIANCE AT THE LITERAL ENFORCEMENT OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE ORDINANCE WOULD INVOLVE A SUBSTANTIAL HARDSHIP, FINANCIAL, OR OTHERWISE TO THE PETITIONER OR APPELLANT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. UM, LITERAL ENFORCEMENT OF THE VARIANCE WOULD REQUIRE PETITIONER TO STEP BACK TO PROPOSE ADDITION BY FOUR FEET ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AND TWO FEET ON MARION. UH, NO, NOT MARION, JUST ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. UM, CREATING A STRUCTURAL, UH, UH, ISSUE. UH, ITEM B, THE HARDSHIP IS OWING TO THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO SOIL CONDITIONS, SHAPE, OR TOPOGRAPHY OF SUCH LAND OR STRUCTURES, AND ESPECIALLY AFFECTING SUCH LAND OR STRUCTURES, BUT NOT AFFECTING THE ZONING DISTRICT IN WHICH IT IS LOCATED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. THE HARDSHIP IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE LOT, AND THE AGE AND LAYOUT OF THE BUILDING AND THE STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO RELY UPON THE EXISTING PERIMETER WALLS. UH, C DESIRABLE RELIEF MAY BE GRANTED WITHOUT EITHER A DESIRABLE RELIEF MAY BE GRANTED WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL DETRIMENT TO THE PUBLIC GOOD, UH, FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. UH, PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS CONFORM TO THE HEIGHT AND DENSITY OR REQUIREMENTS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE. AND B, DESIRABLE RELIEF MAY BE GRANTED WITHOUT NULLIFYING OR SUBSTANTIALLY DEGRADATING FROM THE INTENT OR PURPOSE FOR THIS ORDINANCE, FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. UH, PROPOSED STRUCTURE IS A, IS CONSISTENT WITH THE SIZE AND USE OF SURROUNDING STRUCTURES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO BY THAT FINDING, THEY MEET THE CRITERIA AND THE SECTION 10.31 FOR VARIANCE AND ON THE CONDITION THAT THE WORK PROPOSED CONFORM TO THE SET, INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION ENTITLED, UH, CAMBRIDGE STREET APARTMENTS, UH, TIMESTAMPED, UH, 4 27 26. UM, AND FURTHER THAT WE INCORPORATE THE SUPPORTING STATEMENTS AND DIMENSIONAL FORMS SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE APPLICATION BY A VI A VOICE VOTE PLEASE. UH, WENDY ERON. WENDY ERON IN FAVOR. VIRGINIA KEESLER. VIRGINIA KEESLER IN FAVOR. UH, BRENDAN SULLIVAN. BRENDAN SULLIVAN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO GRANT MIRANDA CECIL. MIRANDA. CECIL IN FAVOR, AND STEVEN ING IN FAVOR, UH, THE VOTE IS FIVE TO ZERO IN FAVOR AND THE VARIANCE PASSES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD HAVE A GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU. UH, THIS CONCLUDES OUR BUSINESS THIS EVENING. THANK YOU TO ISD STAFF FOR THEIR PREPARATION AND SUPPORT, AND HAVE A GREAT EVENING. GREAT. STAY WELL EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.