Chester Street home gets approval from planners

By Nathan R. Huff

Nine months after two second-story additions in a predominantly one-story neighborhood became a battleground over town character, the second of the two projects was approved by the planning commission.

Chester Street resident Sandra Foster walked out of the Sept. 13 planning commission meeting with an approval to build a small second-story addition to her existing one-bedroom, one-bath home.

Foster's application was set to be approved June 28, but a last minute objection by neighbors forced one last continuance. An agreement between the Foster and the neighbors relating to height and privacy issues was reached in early September and, with evidence of that in hand, the commission wasted no time approving the application.

"I know the applicant has been through a series of meetings and each time the design was cleaned up, modified and made better," Commissioner Leonard Pacheco said.

The commission rejected Foster's proposal along with fellow Chester Street resident Daryl Monk's two-story addition in February. Both applicants appealed to the town council, setting the stage for what many considered a debate over "banning" two-story additions in older, predominantly one-story neighborhoods. Residents attempting to expand their small, cottage-style homes have clashed with the planning commission's assertion that neighborhood compatibility should be the key consideration in an application.

The council granted Monk's appeal on the grounds it was under the floor-to-area ratio (FAR) requirement and fit in with the neighborhood. Foster's appeal was narrowly rejected by council members, who said her plans appeared too massive and out of scale with the neighborhood. Her original submittal was also over FAR.

Foster, who said she had already made six revisions and spent more than $50,000 on the project, went back to the drawing board and came up with a smaller two-story plan that meets the FAR requirement.

Foster had no comment regarding her long-sought approval.

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