Good evening. The city of Boston Zoning Board of Appeal hearing for May 18, 2026 is now in session. This hearing is being conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of the the updated provision acted by the legislature this year.
The new law allows the board to continue to 2027. This hearing of the board is being held remotely via the Zoom webinar event platform. This hearing is also being recorded. In order to ensure this hearing of the board is open to the public, members of
the public may access this hearing through telephone and video conferencing. The information for connecting to this hearing is listed on today's hearing agenda, which is posted on the public notices page of the city's website, boston.gov. Members of the public will enter the
virtual hearing attendees, which means and you will be mute throughout unless administratively when asked to comment. Board members, applicants, and their attorneys or representatives will participate in the hearing as panelists, and they will appear alongside the presentation materials when speaking.
Panelists are strongly encouraged to keep video on while presenting to the board. >> [clears throat] >> As with our followed by comments in opposition, the order of comments is as follows: elected officials, representatives of elected officials, and members of the public. The chair [clears throat] may limit the number of
people called upon to offer comment and the time for commenting as time constraints require. For that reason, the board prefers to hear from members of the public who are most impacted by a project, that is those individual individuals who live closest to the project.
>> [clears throat] >> As with our in-person meetings, oops, if you wish to comment on an appeal, please click that raise his hand button up one. Click it again and your hand should go down. When the host sees your hand, you'll receive a request to unmute
yourself. Select yes and you should be able to talk. If you are connected to the hearing by telephone, please press star nine to raise and lower your hand. You must press star six to unmute yourself after you receive the request from the host. Those called upon to
comment will be asked to comment. In the interest of time and to ensure that you have enough time to do so, please raise your hand as soon as Ms. Weevil reads the address into the record. Do not raise your hand before the relevant address is called or the meeting host
will not know to call on you at the appropriate time. We ask that you keep your comments brief and all public testimony will be limited to one 90 seconds per speaker. I'm doing attendance. Ms. Weevil. Oh, sorry, Madam Chair. You
cut You kind of come in and out a little bit, but eventually it catches up. I don't know if it's just me, but present. Okay. Ms. Bedraza. Present. Same same with Katie. You're coming in and out.
Okay, might be my internet connection, so not sure what to do about that. [laughter] Uh I could try going off video, but um with that, I'll turn it over to Ms. Weevil. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll do my best to do it as well as Norm does.
Um So, the first case we have is BOA 1797694 with the address of 43 Wachusett Street. Is the applicant here to present. Okay. [sighs]
Francis? Yes, I'm Good evening everyone. Good evening. Yeah. My name is Francis Ugo. Are you presenting on this project? Yes. Okay, please proceed. Okay. So, request
for construction of the front porch as my topic. The home address is 43 as you mentioned before. And the home owner is Mr. Francis Ugo and my co- and my co- owner is um
Casey Fernandez. So, good evening once again. Respected members of the homeowners association, I thank you all for giving me this opportunity to speak today. I want to begin by expressing my
appreciation for the work the the homeowners association does to maintain the beauty, the safety, and the values of our neighborhood. The standards set by the this by the association help ensure that our
community remain a pleasant and well-maintained place for everyone. The purpose of my presentation today is to respectfully request approval for the construction of new front porch
at our home. The intent of this project is to im- to improve both functional and appearance. And the demand goal for this project is to prevent rain from damaging our items
in the front entrance of my property while ensuring that the design as a line with the character and natural style of the neighbor. Project overview. The proposed project involved building a
modern a modern front porch attached to the front entrance of the home. The porch will serve as a shelter entryway and a small outdoor outdoor sitting area in the area of the
for the family. It is designed to complement the existing structure of the house and enhance the overall cost appeal of the property. The size and design. The proposed porch will be approximately
10 to 15 wide and about 4 to 6 ft deep. Positioned directly at the at the main entrance of the home. The design will include supports,
current support current steps, and the rail rail where necessary consistent with residential safety standard and the actual actual style of the whole house.
Materials. The porch will be constructed using a a durable and a weather-resistant material which may include treated structures, lumber, or com- com- composite material for the for the
framing with wood or composite deck- decking decking for the front surface. The color and the the rail will be designed to match and the complement the existing exterior color
and the material of the home. Contractor The project will be completed by a licensed and insured contractor with experience in residential porch construction. The contractor will ensure that the work is completed
professionally and the safety. Timeline If approved, the construction is expected to take approximately 1 to 2 weeks depending on weather condition and inspections. Work will be done during the normal
daytime hours to to minimize any inconvenience to neighborhood. Commitment to the community My goal is to make sure an improvement that add value and the visual appeal appeal to my home while maintaining the
standard of our community. I am committed to ensuring that the porch design blend well with its neighboring homes and enhance the overall look at the street. I respect I respect the rule of the
homeowners association in protecting the quality of our neighborhood and I appreciate your time in reviewing this request. I welcome any question, feedback, or recommended the book. >> Thank you.
Any questions from the board? No, it's pretty straightforward. Okay, may I have public testimony? Um I don't think that we have somebody from no neighbors, but Yep. I see that Oh, yeah, Connor. Madam Chair, members of the board, Connor Newman with the
mayor's office of neighborhood services. At this time, the mayor's office will defer to the judgment of this board. Some background information on the community process. We hosted a neighbors meeting on March 19th. Uh there were no attendees. Uh no one reached out with any concerns related to this project and there's no active civic association in
this area that I understand for this part of Hyde Park. Also, I conclude the community process. As stated before, we're unaware of any issues or concerns. We don't imagine this will be a detriment to the community. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have Acurtis Fernandez.
Hi everyone. I just want to say thanks to Francis. He's um So, we own a condo. He owns unit two. I I own unit one. And I'm also like I'm on board um that we have this it's for our safety
because when it snows and rain it's very slippery like when we enter to our main property. Thank you. Madam Chair Do that may have a motion? Madam Chair, I'd like to put forward a motion of approval.
Second. Ms. Weal. Yes. Ms. Pedroza. Yes. Chair votes yes. The motion carries. Good luck. So, next we have BOA 181
3812 for 59 Bellevue Hill Road. Is the applicant here to present their plans? Uh good evening. This is Bond Worthington. I'm the architect for the project. And I believe the homeowners are also in attendance.
Yeah. Okay, can everyone hear me? Yes, sir. Great, thank you. Uh the scope of work for this project it's a single family owner occupied house. Uh the scope of work is primarily two vertical additions, one
above the existing volume of the house. Uh right now it's currently a low sloped hip roof. Uh and we're proposing to increase the slope of the roof and raise the ridge and add uh new dormers to the ridge. Uh
in addition to that, there's a a volume you can see on the screen here on the right uh on the east side of the house, which is uh about 8 and 1/2 by 13 ft, and we're proposing a uh second-story addition there. That's currently a single-story um
uh bump-out on the house, and we're proposing going up another story there. And we're proposing a hipped roof to match uh on that to match both the main volume of the house as well as the four new dormers. Uh the uh uh we're also proposing a hipped roof
on the front above the front entry. Currently, it's a pitched kind of gable pediment. Uh here you can see the third floor plan on the left with the four new dormers, a larger dormer to the rear, uh three smaller dormers on the sides and
the front. Uh you can see the second-story plan on the right where uh we're adding a a bedroom. That's that 8 and 1/2 by about 13-ft volume. Uh the other area of scope we haven't discussed is a roof deck in the back. Um
on the right image, the right floor plan, the rear volume of the house is a single-story, and that we're proposing a roof deck there. Um the project meets uh um zoning requirements. It conforms to
zoning uh in all ways except for side yard setback. Uh on the first page, there's a zoning chart uh which walks you through uh what the relief we're seeking.
Um it's a deep lot. There's a a diagram of the site here. It's about It's over 200 ft deep lot. Um so, we have plenty of uh FAR. Uh we have um uh we're increasing the height only by about 3 ft.
And as you can see the existing side yard to the east on the right and to the west on the left is is pretty tight. And because we're proposing vertical additions in within those setbacks, that's what we're seeking relief for. Um the shape of the lot and the
pre-existing shape of the lot is uh a bit of a hardship. Um we're trying to design the house in a thoughtful way that fits the character of the neighborhood. Um we're maintaining the existing brick facade. Uh we're proposing um architectural asphalt shingle roof, new
freeze details just below the roof with uh some corbels or brackets. And on the right side, the second story volume, which you can see in the center top image, uh we're proposing um both composite and composite painted product
uh wood product that um will match the existing trim colors. So, it's um it's a We feel it's a pretty modest increase. Um and we just need relief on the left and right uh east and west setbacks.
Uh we do have either four or five letters of support. Uh we did go through a community process, which I think the liaison can speak to. And uh we >> Yes, they will speak to that. Thank you. Uh So, if there any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Um but that's the
overview. Thanks. >> Any questions from the board? Hearing none, may I have a motion? Madam Chair and board members, Ziggy Johnson with the Office of Neighborhood Services. This applicant completed the community process. Our office hosted an abutters meeting on February 19th, at
which no concerns were raised. The West Roxbury Neighborhood Council has voted to support this application. With that background, ONS defers judgment to the board. Thank you. Madam Chair, no additional comments. With that, may I have a motion? Madam Chair, I think the project
addition complements the contacts. With that, I like to put forward a motion of approval. Is there a second? Second. Ms. Weill? Yes. Ms. Better Brazo? Yes. Chair votes yes, the motion carries.
Good luck. Thank you. Okay. Next, we have BOA 182 3043 at The address is 15 Ricker Hill Road. Is the applicant here to present their
plans? We're the homeowners. Yes, so Name and address for the record first. Thank you. Jesse Littlewood, 15 Ricker Hill Road, West Roxbury. Your name? Um Alana Littlewood.
And Johanna Littlewood. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Should we start? >> Please proceed. Yes. We are um seeking relief for um adding a uh chicken coop in the back corner of
our lot, which is now on the screen um at 15 Ricker Hill Road. Uh we have letters of support from a Butters and neighbors that have been added to the application process. Um and uh we are dedicated to being good stewards
of uh these backyard chickens. We completed both community application processes and and found overwhelming support in our community for this project. And many people tell us that their chickens brighten their day when they come every day. Their kids come every
day to wave at the chickens and say hello. And we also had a um survey done. We paid to have a survey done by one of the people that helped write the laws for chicken ownership and she um gave us some suggestions and um
helped us to get completely in compliance. Do you want to say anything about it? >> questions from the board? Oh, sorry. Go ahead. Um we love our chickens. They make us like really happy and they make other people really happy, so.
Thank you. Are there any questions from the board? Yeah, I'm I'm just curious. Um so you currently have chickens. Where are you Where are you keeping them? Because what you're putting in front of us is to house them.
That's where we're keeping them. And they have a large yard with a fence around it, so we You're in front of us to propose a uh for the little shed to be converted into a chicken coop, correct? Yes, it's to
correct a violation. They have current They have been housed in that and this and this appeal is to >> correct a violation. Thank you. Thank you. And that's That's very important. >> That was very important that you're you're in front of us to correct a
violation. Okay. Um because it's not permissible under the current zoning. Um So okay, I don't have any further questions. Okay. May I have public testimony? Madam Chair and board members, Ziggy Johnson
with the Office of Neighborhood Services. This applicant completed the community process. Our office hosted an abutters meeting on May 7th, 2025 where three abutters spoke in support of this proposal. Our office has received two letters of support that have been forwarded to the board. The West Roxbury Neighborhood Council also voted to
support this application. With that background, ONS defers judgment to the board. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Chair, we have additional comments. Madam Chair, can I ask one more question? Yeah, can I ask one more question? The three
abutters that provided the letter of support, are they your direct abutters that are impacted by the proximity of the potential coop? Yes. We have more than three letters, but those ones are, I believe.
Okay, so you have the support of all the residents that abut your property. That's correct. Great, thank you. Thank you. With a motion? Madam Chair, I'd [clears throat] like to put forward a motion of approval with a proviso that the project um
goes under site planning review by the BPD to to work with their recommendations in regards to the location, and overall size, materials, and screening.
There second. Second. Ms. Wewers? Yes. Ms. Abril? Yes. Chair votes yes, the motion carries. Good luck. Thank you. So next we have a rediscussion case BOA
1721164 with an address of 2-20 Fairmont Avenue. Is the applicant here to present? Yes, I think he's on by the iPhone in the attendee session. Sorry. Thank you, Stephanie. Yes, the
person with the iPhone, you are allowed to unmute yourself now. Yes, we are here. Hello, I'm here. Yes, can you state your name and address for the record and please proceed? That's my name is Pedro Pinales and the
address is 18th Avenue, Femo Avenue, High Palms. The name of the restaurant is El Rincon Caribeno. The DBA is Santa Food Corporation. I have an interpreter for me here, please. >> Yes. We are here requesting the the approval of the
catering license for our restaurant. Hello. Yes. We are we are asking for the approval of our catering license for our restaurant in order to do better service to our community.
Yeah, I think it's a pretty straightforward project. Okay, let's take public testimony. Madam Chair, members of the board, Conor Newman with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services. This time the Mayor's Office deferred to the judgment of this board.
Just with the takeout proviso being sought here, we did not do a full community process as is what we typically do. We don't envision any significant impact on the neighborhood for this. With that, I'll defer to the board. Thank you. Madam Chair, there are no additional comments.
May I have a motion? Madam Chair, I like to um support the conditional use request. Therefore, I'm putting forward a motion of approval. May I have a second? >> Second. Ms. Weewool?
Yes. Ms. Better Braza? Yeah. Chair votes yes. The motion All right. Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Ms. Weewool. That cut off when it says motion
carries, but I'm letting people know. >> [laughter] >> All right. Thank you. Bye. Have a good night. >> Thank you. Have a good night.