I'd like to welcome you to the Lunenburg zoning board of appeals. I'll tell you how the hearing will proceed. Uh but first I have to give you notification that the hearing is being recorded in accord in accordance with the requirements of the open meeting law.
Please be advised that this meeting will be broadcast live through local access cable Facebook live on the public access Facebook page and will be able to be found on the Lunberg public access YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting. And when I have the
computer tonight, so don't have to read the rest of that. I'd like to introduce you to the board. To my left there's Lisa Norandan, the board secretary. I'm Alfred Grall. This is James Bezicowski, David Blat, Don Gurnie. The way the
hearing will proceed is the uh Lisa will read the application and any other submitted communications. The applicant will have the opportunity for comments on the application or submission of additional documents. You'll come forward to the
mic and give your name and address. Board members will have the opportunity to ask questions that they might have on the application. While you're at the mic, there will be a public comment period if anybody should show and you would come forward to the mic, give your
name and address, and I'll address uh address all comments and questions to the board. And with that, I would ask Lisa to please read the application. The project address is 102 Pratt Street in Lunberg. Assesses map 97, parcel 80.
The project description is to remove the front steps/landing and replace with larger landing steps. The applicable code of the Lunberg bylaw is section 250-7.4. The applicant was Patrick Burn, who I understand is a contractor of 1092
Main Street in Bolton, Mass. and the owners are Jeffrey and Danielle Hoey of 102 Pratt Street in Lunberg. The proposed use is a residential home front entrance. Describe how the proposed action will
prevent conditions that are injurious or dangerous to public health, unduly hazardous because of traffic congestions uh conditions, danger of fire or explosion. Uh the reply, the previous steps in landing are small and the new landing steps will give better footing
to enter home. Please describe any material adverse effects on the value of land and buildings in the neighborhood or on the amenities of the neighborhood. The reply is there will be no adverse effects. Uh please describe how the proposed use or activity will be
operated with reasonable regard for order and sightliness if an open use. In the reply, the area is currently occupying a stair landing. The new stair landing will be safer and should have a pleasant look when completed. It should improve the appearance of the front property. There shouldn't be any
negative noise or glare. Um, additional information. These new stairs landing is beneficial to a safer and more appealing front entrance of the home. Let's see. We got a couple blanks.
Um the current steps landings are too small and we will replace them with a larger safer landing and wide stair on both access sides of the new landing. The letter from the um building department. This was um the there was an
application submitted for the deck at 102 Pratt and the building official replied based on the provided certified plot plan the proposed deck addition will further intensify the existing non-conforming nature of the building along the front setback in accordance
with the town of Lunberg protective bylaw section 257.4A1 4 A1 the special permit from the zoning board of appeals will be needed and the section of the bylaw reads except as provided in subsection B a lawfully non-conforming building or structure shall not be
reconstructed extended or altered except pursuant to a special permit issued by the zoning board of appeals upon its finding that such reconstruction extension or alteration will not be substantially more detrimental than the ex existing non-conforming structure to the neighborhood any reconstruction
extension or alteration ation of a non-conforming structure that increases an increase existing non-conformity conformity or results in the creation of an additional nonconformity shall require a special permit to the zoning board of appeals in addition to the findings set forth in section A
subsection A above and then there is a proposed plot plan submitted with the application there are two uh there's a installers asbuilt certification showing the sewer line as it pertains to the house at 102 to Pratt and
the Wright Pierce engineering letter of a sanitary sewer service location. And there were also plans for the deck um a list of abutters all to which were notified before tonight and I have se received
emails. I did receive one note from the board of health uh January 27th. The board of health is all set. Certifi certificate of compliance has been issued for septic tank upgrade houses served by public water. Room count is acceptable and in accordance with title
5. Um this is from Deborah Deperry on Monday 47 2025. As owners of 94 Pratt Street and as an abutter to 102 Pratt Street, we vote in the affirmative to approve the construction of the proposed deck addition at that location.
On 4:15, I received a a memo. Good afternoon. As the owner of 106 Pratt Pratt Street and as an aboted to 102 Pratt Street, I we vote in the affirmative to approve the construction of the proposed deck edition at that location. And that was
Lindsay and Steve Legassi of 106 Pratt Street. um 77 Pratt Street, Stacy Luba also um voted in the affirmative to approve the construction of the proposed deck and addition. And I thought I had one more,
but that might be it, Mr. Chairman. Okay. Thank you, Lisa. You're welcome. Okay. And with that, I would invite the applicant if you would like to come up to the mic. Is there anything you would like to add to this? Uh um the only thing that I
would like to add is we have I believe two additional messages from neighbors um from Justin Ward. They should they should have gone to you as well, Lisa. I'm not sure um if you had seen them, but I do have them printed here if I can submit. From Justin Ward, Megan, Justin
Ward, 78 Pratt Street. Yes. Megan and Ben Hiles of 120 Pratt. Correct. I'm sorry they were slipped in there. Okay. Very good. Okay. So, um again, this is you you had existing stairs
there, correct? What you're doing is just expanding them. Taking them out and expanding them. Yeah. Um and that's if I'm looking at it from the road, that's on the left hand side of the building. Correct. And your driveway is on the other side of the building on the right. That's
correct. Are you going to have like a walkway? Is that like a main entrance or is there another It kind of is the It can be a main entrance if you're coming from the street side. Like for example, we use it for trick-or-treaters, but generally our main entrance is actually around the back. We have a path that goes from the driveway around to a back
door and that's our main entrance for the most part. That right. So that's for the deck in the back. What's that? The deck in the back. There's a deck in the back. There is a deck in the back. Yeah. And that's why we chose this design for the front with the wraparound stairs because there isn't like a direct walkway up to it. So this you can kind of it's more of like an open concept
kind of thing. Yeah, makes sense. Okay. Um I got a few more questions. I'm going to open it to the board. Jim, I know you were asking question. I I don't have any more questions. I I guess Mr. J, my biggest question was like why? Because you know it looked to
me like you'd never use this. You would never use this as a front door. We sure would like to use the door a bit more. Um, but yeah, as it stands right now, it's not exactly usable. So, this is, you know, in part to improve on that, right? Because there's there's no walkway. There's nothing that directs me to that. Sure. Yeah. Exactly. It's a
traditional New England front door that nobody will ever use. Except for the witnesses. Shoot to the back door. It's kind of it's an it's an eyesore uh how it is now. Um, our plan is to do the siding of the house as well. Um this we just
decided to do first. Um people knock on the door uh whether it's the UPS man or solicitors and we do use it to like head out to the bus stop. Yeah. Um and the stairs right now are not great. They're very shallow too. It's right. I I guess
my only other question is why you know you have the stairs on both sides. I would have looked at it as having more of a railing so I could have had a sitting area up there or something something else. That that's just my own personal opinion, but that's that's okay. Yeah, there there would be room for that with the with the plan that we
have, right? Because the plans I looked at is you had enough room to put a bench up there. Yeah, the kids might be able to take or somebody could take snow stuff off and things like that. Totally. Some pumpkins maybe. Yeah, exactly. There you go. The trick-or-treaters. Yeah. No, I really had no questions. I did
drive by, took a look at it. The uh existing stairs are Yeah. Not What? Go ahead. Well, they're not terribly attractive and they they look quite old and this to me this looks like a good idea, right? Yeah, I agree with that.
The only thing I'll add is is what's uh I think right now you're what 16 point 16 1/2 ft from the the road. Okay. And you want to the proposed um is I believe it comes out to
19.2. Is that that about right? Yeah, I believe so. That's what we have on this plan here as well. Yeah. Okay. So, it's it's really not that much of an extension towards the the I don't think the sidewalk yard if I remember was 17
ft. 17 1/2 ft. So, there's no issues on that. So, you're only looking for this front relief. Okay. So, I don't have any issues with it at all. agree with the board that it they need to be replaced. Yeah. So, with that, I will ask for a
motion. I'll make a motion to approve the uh um dimensional var the dimensional relief. Okay. Um to to allow them to build the uh front porch. Okay. I have a motion and a second. I'll
ask for a vote. I I and I thank you. And with that, it is approved. I do have to read you one thing. That's right. Okay. The special permit is granted with the cont and by the way just in case somebody else there's no audience here
tonight. There's no public. So I'm haven't asked for the public. Uh the special permit is granted with the contingency that the petitioner compliance with all licenses, regulations, statutes, ordinances of any and all applicable local, state, federal
boards or agencies with jurisdiction over the premises. The special permit is subject to a periodic review by the permit granting authority or enforcement officer to ensure ensure compliance with any conditions. No compli non-compliance
to such conditions may result in a revocation of the permit. A copy of the board's decision will be filed with the town clerk within 14 days. Any party agreved by the board's decision may appeal to superior court 20 days after the decision is filed with the town
clerk. After certification by the town clerk that 20 days have elapsed since the decision was filed, you should have it recorded in the registry of deeds. No special permit shall take effect until it has been recorded. And the permit shall lapse
within two years if there isn't substantial use or construction. And with that, good luck with your new stay. Great. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. You're welcome. you. I'm sure it'll enhance the looks of your house. That's the plan. Yeah, we working
on it. It's one of several steps to do. So, yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you. Have a great night. Good night. Yeah, you too. I move that. Second. All in favor? I I I
Yeah, we almost set a record, but we had one that was 2 minutes short of it. Really? I thought that was a good one. It was pretty close. All right, so thank you. Thank you. We're adjourned.