Williamstown ZBA OKs First Accessory Building Apartment
 Frank Jackson and Amy Podmore appear before the Williamstown Zoning Board of Appeals. |
Last week, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the conversion of an accessory building at 428 Water St.
Owners Frank Jackson and Amy Podmore faced a handful of questions from the board before receiving its unanimous approval with no debate.
It was less contentious than the 2013 town meeting at which the amendment allowing such a conversion was approved. At that meeting, members of the ZBA successfully amended the bylaw proposal to make it more restrictive than originally envisioned by the Planning Board, which drafted the original town meeting article.
"The bylaw clearly defines what is an acceptable structure to do that to," ZBA Chairman Andrew Hoar said.
Jackson and Podmore plan to convert two-thirds of their structure into an efficiency apartment measuring less than 500 square feet.
The initial plan is to have the space available in case a family member needs it, the pair told the ZBA.
The application ticked off all the boxes the ZBA was looking for. It satisfied the setback requirements, fell well short of the maximum square footage allowed, had plenty of parking at the site and was dealing with a building that had been in place for more than 10 years.
Members of the ZBA offered advice about details of the remodel, but no one raised any issues about the plan itself.
ZBA member Jack Nogueira suggested that the owners look into getting a separate address for the accessory building — like 428A — in case first responders ever have to respond to the structure.
No one from the neighborhood attended the hearing to speak for or against the project, and the town received no correspondence regarding the proposal.
Tags: ZBA,
