0 Grafton Street (ZB-2026-035)

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions plus the posted agenda; names, figures and vote tallies may be misheard.

• What: Zoning Board of Appeals petition ZB-2026-035 for 0 Grafton Street, to build two multi-family low-rise dwellings.
• Where it stands: approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals 5-0 on 2026-07-20: a frontage variance of about 13.18 feet and the parking special permit, with staff conditions except H and L (per auto-captions).
• Next: Planning Board site plan review; staff said it expects the sidewalk reconstruction and street-facing design points to be pressed there.

The proposal

• Petitioner: Joseph Jreij.
• Present use: single-story industrial building. Zone: BL-1.0 (Business, Limited).
• Purpose: two multi-family low-rise dwellings with about 12 units each, about 23 parking spaces, and associated site improvements.

Relief sought

• Variance: minimum frontage for a multi-family low-rise dwelling use in BL-1.0 (Art. IV, Sec. 4, Table 4.2).
• Special Permit: to modify the parking dimensional, layout, and/or landscaping requirements, loading requirements, and/or the number of required parking spaces (Art. IV, Sec. 7.A.2).

Hearing on 2026-07-20

• Applicant side: a DJ & Associates principal (captioned David Sadowski) and the owner/builder; the 10% recreation requirement is now met (about 6,300 sq ft of amenities on a site of about 59,000 sq ft including wetlands): rooftop lounge, basement gym, dog park, barbecue area.
• Variance: about 13.18 feet of relief from the 200-foot minimum frontage (about 6.5%). The applicant read the new seven-part findings into the record (see State Zoning Act Variance Changes (2026)); about a third of the lot is hydric soil or restricted.
• Special permit: one fewer parking space (10%) and a drive aisle of about 20 feet instead of 24 at the narrowest point.
• Staff (Michelle M. Smith): by-right option is about 16 units (four three-families, each with an accessory unit); the site sits in a corridor the long-range plan envisions as industrial; the applicant had the lot rezoned from manufacturing to business through the City Council.
• Conditions debated: H (rebuild the sidewalk in concrete with granite curb along the whole frontage) was struck after the applicant said the street has no concrete sidewalk anywhere nearby, with staff saying the Planning Board and DPW will likely require it anyway. L (double windows or Juliet balconies on the blank street-facing wall) was struck after the chair said the special permit was too small to dictate design and Planning Board site plan review could take it up. J (white roof) and K (bench in place of a table) were kept.
• Two waivers granted as requested.
• Vote: 5-0 (with Erik Bartenhagen and Matthew Sacco voting).

Status and next steps

• Approved 5-0 on 2026-07-20 (per auto-captions).
• Conditions on pages 4 to 6 of the staff memo apply to the special permit, minus H and L. Variances carry no conditions.
• Site plan review before the Planning Board is still needed.

Discussion time

About 33 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Log

• 2026-07-20 - Zoning Board of Appeals - Continued hearing after the May session. Variance (about 13.18 ft frontage) and parking special permit approved 5-0, striking staff conditions H (concrete sidewalk with granite curb) and L (street-side windows or Juliet balconies), with waivers. Staff expect the Planning Board to take up the sidewalk. Constructive grant deadline was 8/5/2026.