[Music] f uh it being 7 o'clock I'll open the
hearing on uh 22 Thompson Lane um application for variances for front and side yard setbacks on the application is case number 2860 um the applicants are James and
Kristen Van djk um date of the application was January 6th 2025 they said they're seeking variances um for uh and a special permit to allow uh the construction of an addition to the side of the house um
that will in fact uh need to get variances for front and sidey yard set back and then special permit because it's construction on a non-conforming lot um with the application we received a denial letter from the Building Commissioner letter from their attorney
Marian mcettrick uh certified plot plan dated August 9 2024 um architectural plans done by Spalding toas um copy of their deed uh copy of the landc Court plan dated December 8th
1933 um copies of Maps copy of the property card and letters of support from uh 15 Thompson 23 Thompson 26 Thompson and 27 Thompson and I note that the applicants
are represented by Marian mcettrick and uh I guess I would start with um attorney mcettrick use me K before we start can I can I make a a comment yeah to congratulate you publicly on your
appointment as chair of the board of appeals thank you you know just to acknowledge the years of service of John Leonard your predecessor who's you know we all know to be a wonderful man and a great representative of the Town you've got big shoes to fill but you know I
know that you'll fill them ad admirably and ably so good luck to you and congrat my are only size seven so I don't think I'm really gonna be working on those big uh um and Chris welcome to the board of appeals I know we've talked several times but this is my first
hearing with you so welcome I appreciate that okay great I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt the flow of the meeting but that's fine that's fine that's fine good luck to you ah so M petric so um before we go
further I will say in the beginning that due to some last uh late breaking developments the applicants have notified me as of late this afternoon that they would like they were are going to ask to withdraw this application without prejudice um we've I've been
working with them since May 2024 um George toas the architect has been working with them for all that time and with neighbors but they do have one neighbor at six Lantern Lane who was very ill they weren't unble to talk to her directly and she did pass away at the end of December so the
communications we've had recently have been with the estate the trusts Trustees for the estate I think um Nancy Nukem Freights is here you know at least watching tonight and she's who contacted me on Friday and said that they would
not support the requested relief um and so I can talk about the application if you would like um knowing that we are going to ask to withdraw um I'd like to ask the board what they would like me to do um I can give you a little bit more
detail if you want but I me it's a wonderful board and congratulations um Kathleen O'Donnell on being the chair now and Chris Hart on being here and Jeff Mullen on continuing to be here so I'm sorry that you're not
um that that we've decided to do this um we certainly hope to make a persuasive argument um why this application would not hurt the neighbors and that sort of thing how would you like me to proceed do you want me to talk about the application or since we're going to withdraw do you want to just not say
anymore well um I mean I I noticed that um we do have the architect here and also the neighbor I'm Nancy Nukem um so I think since they've taken the time to appear here at this meeting I've think I'd like to sort of hear from them so
you might just want to do just a little introduction not a lot Marian about the relief that your clients are seeking and and I don't need a lot because I understand I I'm sure that you've looked at the application and all of the documents but so 22 Thompson Lane um a
lot was created in 1933 it's lanc Court land um and at the time that's when this lot was created there um um Lantern Lane was not there it was created however only a year later and Lantern Lane sort of branches off at an
angle from Thompson Lane so this lot is where that um where Lantern Lane comes in to the Thompson Lane and it's a very it it is a very odd shape it's basically sort of a triangle but it has more than three sides um and the shape means that
you know it's wider at the front than it is at the rear and that doesn't give you a lot of space along the edges to make any changes and the other thing that's unusual about this lot is that there's a quite a um change in elevation from the front of the house to the rear so the
driveway slopes down into the um so those those were sort of basic conditions that we thought might provide justification for the variance that we found would be required if anything really were to be added onto the right hand side of this structure so what the
applicants were looking for was just a little bit of extra room they came into the property in 2019 they purchased it and they had one child they now have three when I met them they had a new third baby um so they were really look at how to make their house more
functional they've updated it inside and and they've updated the Landscaping it's in perfect condition um what they lacked is an entryway where children could enter take their boots off hang up their coats um you know store outdoor things
they their laundry room is in the basement it is in many of these houses like mine these older houses which is very inconvenient when you have three small children um and upstairs they really would like to have a master bathroom next to their master bedroom so
they're not even adding another bedroom but their proposal and in this this shape of this addition which is is as narrow as possible goes along the side of the house um George toas can explain more about it if you'd like um but the
he went through several designs and this Edition was designed to look really as if it is part of the house it's it's the same architecture had the windows are the same as the windows in the house it's balanced around um the chimney which is currently what you look at when
you look at the side of the house um and it it's you know the colors and of course everything the roof angle is much lower than the the main roof but but it is a peaked roof so um it's a the design the addition was carefully designed to
be as small as possible it does intrude into the right front set back towards the rear because there's just not any space to do anything else if you wanted to add anything at all you'd be going into that setback the one you know one factor that I think makes it less
significant from the neighbor standpoint and they may not agree is that there's a driveway on that side of the neighbor's house so you're not looking you know directly into the living room window or something you're looking across a driveway from this addition um so you
know I wrote a pretty long letter tried to explain that you know since 2009 19 the van Dykes have become you know very integrated into the community they have small children James Van djk participates in some of the you know sports activities with the kids um I I
think that Kristen Van djk is a teacher um I recollect that from our first meeting James Van djk is an attorney um they are really a great family to have in Milton and they really love their neighborhood and I don't can't tell you
how many times I've said that when I've been presenting one of these applications they're always about the fact that a family makes a big investment in a house in a beautiful neighborhood in Milton then their family gets a little larger they are looking for ways to make a little bit of extra
space and make the house more modern inside without changing the traditional look of the outside this is the same story with this family in fact this addition is smaller than most that I've seen proposed however because of the shape of the lot you have to go significantly
into to the side setback and the back um it's much less of a um a variance in the front setback it's already shorter just because of the way you measure the mean depth of the lot I think it's only um about a twoot variance I'm not looking
at the drawing right now but it's not a very significant um change and it wouldn't really have any effect on the neighbor to the side however we never had a chance to confer with that neighbor um and now we've had some feedback it isn't you know that they
support the um proposal and so the U Van dyes felt it would be best to withdraw the application without prejudice and sort of await development see who buys the house they're going to be marketing it um perhaps with all the work they've done on design and everything maybe
they'll be able to bring it back at a future time I I don't know um George if you if you want to if if the board would allow you to make some other comments about why you came up with this design or maybe that's too much if the if the board so wishes I would like
to certainly um just to add what Maran said um we wouldn't have recommended this had the lot been the two lots Lantern and Thompson been orthagonal side by side we
probably wouldn't have recommended this but given the pie-shaped nature of the U lot I think it still makes uh sense and the impingement on the setback really is
minimized um the fact that the other that the buing house is also offset from 22 Thompson I think uh helps in that regard and then lastly I'll say that the U the addition which is again only
2117 square fet and in terms of its footprint it's significantly lower than the ridge of the existing house and given that North is roughly 45 degrees to the
left um there wouldn't be any shading additional shading uh issues with that or if there were uh it's very minimal um so I'll leave it at that thank you um Jeff Chris did you
have any questions no I think we should move the item yep um I think we just lastly just would hear from um Miss Nukem who's muted hi good evening
everyone my name is Nancy Nukem fredes can you hear me yes okay great um um I am the executive and Trustee of the abiding property on six lanton Lane I wanted to let you know that this has
nothing to do with James and Chris Kristen as people I think they're lovely I met them many times and it was really hard to say that you know this was going on but um Diane my cousin she had passed away in late December and she you know
didn't want anything changed they can recall it an incident with a fence being changed that she had a problem with and everything was fine we fixed it but I actually have accepted a very nice offer
and it will be taken off the table immediately should this variance go through and um I I completely understand the van dyes and and what they want to do to add on for the growing family although I
have to think of the impact on resale additionally Diana trusted me to honor her wishes and I can't betray them and I don't know what else should I say I I have the paperwork too that says that I am the trustee and I have sent
that to uh attorney mric so she knows that um this is something I can do but it's nothing personally at all it really isn't it's just that it's such a small lot their lot and this lot and they are in a a strange location and I just at
this point I really can't you know I am supposed to in my job as a trustee you know do the best for the property and the trust and so that's I have an offer like I told Kristen today
that is too good that the trust can't refuse but it pends on this and I'm sorry that we can't make it work but hopefully the new the new owners and the van diyes can have um you know
success thank you thank you very much for taking the time to attend I appreciate that we always appreciate the input and um and thank you um Mr jagas for explaining the process and Marian mcettrick for explaining the application
and I think at this point um we would just move to um you know make a motion to accept the um request to withdraw the application without pree so moved all in favor I I think because it's on Zoom you
probably have to sort of yes C o' Donal in favor Jeff yes Chris thank you so um the application um is withdrawn without prejudice and we
hope that sales go through neighbors work it all out that everything um can uh be put back together thank you very much thank you very much thank you and motion to adjourn so
moved second second all in favor do you need a letter for me uh an actual letter that you'll sign requesting the withdrawal without prejudice how do you want to do that sorry well you might as well I think you know just to have it in the file I think
that would be a good idea all right I'll send that back to you tonight tonight okay it's a form letter that you've used in the past so okay thank you anything else Jeff that I should no that's all I had thanks good job Kathleen short sweet you too Chris thank
you very much see you gentlemen I'll see one of you next week I think you'll see me um no I think was it Jeff I think on the next one but yeah we'll see okay great see you L good night now good night take care good night everybody
good night Mary thank you for your time bye thank you night everyone [Music]
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