ADU Bylaw Could Save the Day

Above, screen capture of applicant Sean Pisani and his spouse requesting relief at the ZBA August meeting.

At the last ZBA meeting of August, (8/17) conducted virtually, the sole matter before the Board was an application by Sean Pisani seeking to construct a single family home at 865 Upper Union Street that has 153.56’ of lot frontage where 200’ is required and has 153.9’ of lot width where 180’ is required, in other words, unbuildable without a variance from the ZBA.

Pisani, who was joined on the call by his wife and his father, the actual current owner of the lot, explained that he had grown up in Franklin and hoped to stay but that affordable lots were hard to get. His father’s lot was affordable and would also allow him to stay close to his family.

While sympathetic to those aims, Chair Bruce Hunchard and his colleagues were skeptical, especially with the additional complexity that an access right-of-way to a tower site behind the propert, will likely need to be maintained across both of the lots.

Hunchard and the Board ultimately suggested that they would be unable to approve as proposed since similar variances have not been granted in the past. However, Hunchard suggested that Pisani talk to the town building inspector to see whether the new Accessory Dwelling Unit bylaw, which aims to reduce the cost of building in Franklin, and presumably the price of dwellings in town, might be a serviceable tool if the elder Pisani retains ownership of both lots and seeks to create an accessory dwelling unit on the land, in which case matters of frontage, would be irrelevant.

The applicants agreed to explore this approach and the Board voted to continue the matter until September, adjourning moments late