New House on State Street

Last night, after a public hearing at which members were invited to ask questions of the applicant but no comments were solicited, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the area variances required to build a new house at 418 State Street. Since the house is not located in a historic district, its demolition requires only a demolition permit from the code enforcement office.

To illustrate the new placement of the structure on the lot, the applicant had created a model, which thoroughly impressed the ZBA. The model shows 418 State Street and the houses on each side. The house to be demolished can be slipped out, and the new house inserted in its place. From my seat in the audience, I snapped pictures of the model, only one of which is very clear. The first shows the street as it is now; the second shows the shape and placement of the new house in the streetscape. (The existing house appears off to the side.)

When asked by ZBA member Mary Ellen Pierro about the cantilevered second story on the model of the new house, the applicant explained that it was "an interpretation of a front porch."
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