Planning Board Approves Two Permits, Advances Zoning Changes
The Belmont Planning Board approved special permits for a historic-house renovation at 33 Chandler Street and an amended addition at 45 Chestnut Street. Board members, chaired by Thayer Donham, voted unanimously on both matters.
Planning Board · Meeting of October 6, 2026
BELMONT — The Belmont Planning Board approved special permits for a historic-house renovation at 33 Chandler Street and an amended addition at 45 Chestnut Street. Board members, chaired by Thayer Donham, voted unanimously on both matters. Owners Claire Welch and Edward Cornelia defended the Chandler Street project's rear addition, which they said preserves about 65 percent open space, after board members flagged a discrepancy with an earlier 63 percent figure.
At Chestnut Street, Ridge Road resident Joanna Dunn disputed the builder's claimed 11-inch wall expansion, calculating it at 13.92 inches and saying the lot coverage left "a buffer of only 1.5 square feet." Inspector of Buildings Adai Gurtyan said window wells remain exempt from coverage limits under the town bylaw. The board also recommended Town Meeting approval of an inclusionary housing bylaw amendment while pulling four other zoning articles, including the Hill's Crossing Overlay District, pending a traffic and parking study.
In the full story:
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Source: the Planning Board meeting of October 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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