Cambridge Committee Advances As-of-Right Dormer Zoning Petition to Full Council

CAMBRIDGE — October 29, 2024 — Cambridge Ordinance Committee advances dormer zoning petition 8-0, sending it to the full City Council for a second reading. The petition, filed by the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal and co-authored by BZA Chair Jim Monteverdi and former board member Bill Beam, would add a definition of "dormer" to the zoning ordinance and allow dormers on nonconforming one- and two-family dwellings to be built as of right, bypassing the variance process that currently applies in nearly every case. Monteverdi told the committee the BZA has processed 83 dormer applications in recent years and approved nearly all of them — a record he called a clear signal the process is imposing unnecessary costs on Cambridge families who simply want to add space for a growing household. Public commenter Parviz Parvizzi, a Webster Avenue resident, supported the petition's direction but warned it may inadvertently eliminate a 47-year-old provision allowing second-story additions as of right, and that its FAR exemption language may leave a gap for conforming properties. The committee directed staff to return with recommendations on three open questions — the second-story addition language, the half-roof dormer length cap, and whether the 50 percent window minimum should be reduced to align with energy code guidance — before the petition's January 13, 2025 expiration.