Cambridge Ordinance Committee Recesses Dormer Zoning Hearing, Orders Language Review

CAMBRIDGE — October 15, 2024 — Cambridge Ordinance Committee recesses BZA dormer zoning hearing after petitioners fail to appear. The committee, chaired by Vice Mayor Marc McGovern, voted 7-0 to recess a public hearing on a Board of Zoning Appeals petition to allow certain residential dormer additions as of right on nonconforming one- and two-family homes, after the BZA commissioners who filed the petition did not attend due to a scheduling mix-up. The committee separately voted 5-0 to direct the Law Department and Community Development Department to work with the BZA on language cleanup before the next session, a step recommended by City Solicitor Megan Bayer. Jeff Roberts of CDD reported that the Planning Board unanimously recommended the petition on October 8 with refinements on window placement, dormer length, and eave continuity. Public commenter Parviz Parvizzi warned the draft may "inadvertently" eliminate an existing as-of-right path for second-story additions, while Patrick Barrett of 907 Main Street questioned numerical thresholds including a 50 percent window coverage requirement and a three-foot-six-inch roofline projection limit. The petition expires January 13, 2025.