Cambridge Zoning Board Unanimously Grants McGrath Street Vertical Addition Permit

CAMBRIDGE -- July 16, 2026, Cambridge zoning board grants special permit for single-family vertical addition, continues Stern Street case to October. The Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal voted 5-0 on July 16 to approve a special permit for a second-story master suite addition at 63 McGrath Street, filed by property owner Bernard Fingali and represented by David Piazzarolo. The board navigated an applicant who arrived unprepared to make a formal presentation, with member Brendan Sullivan arguing the written supporting statement was sufficient: the "language, their response, and their pleadings sort of addresses the issues." Sullivan also flagged that the submitted dimensional form listed zeros for all setback measurements, calling the omission a clerical error and insisting on correction before Chair Stephen Ng signs the final permit document, "these are all legal documents going forward, not just for this particular applicant, but for future homeowners." A separate application at 51 Stern Street was continued to October 15, 2026, on condition the petitioner sign a statutory waiver and update posting materials, with Ng warning that failure to comply would trigger an automatic adverse ruling.