ZBA Approves Variance for Avis Lots on Charger Street

The Revere Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) granted a variance at its January 27 meeting to R&S Realty Trust, the owner of a single lot at 14 Charger Street, to reduce the minimum frontage requirement from 150 feet to 75 feet that will create two new lots.

The variance allows the owner to have one lot comprising six acres and a second lot comprising 2.6 acres. Both lots will be used by Avis car rentals to house more than 2,000 cars for car storage only, with no on-site repairs or maintenance to be allowed.

The hours of operation for the lots will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to transport cars to the Avis lot at Logan Airport. The storage of the cars in Revere will mean more than $750,000 in excise taxes for city coffers.

“This is a good project,” Ward 6 Councilor Richard Serino said.  “There will be minimal use on the lot, as well as an improvement to what is there.”

City Council President Anthony Zambuto added his support for the variance, which was approved unanimously by the ZBA.

In other matters, a request to re-subdivide a lot on Dedham Street was brought before the Board.

At present there are two lots at 25 Dedham St., consisting of 5,300 sq. feet, and a second lot at 29 Dedham Street, consisting of 2,687 square feet, according to a 1936 plot plan. The house that had been located at 25 Dedham Street was destroyed by a fire in 2017.

David and Margaret Mellon, the owners of the property, came before the board seeking variances for two lots, one for a new address of 27 Dedham St., for a two-family house, and the second at 29 Dedham St. for another two-family house. Both of the reconfigured lots would consist of 4,000 square feet and required variances pertaining to minimum lot size, lot frontage, minimum side yard setback, minimum height, and minimum landscaping in the front yard.

The owners, after meeting with neighbors prior to appearing before the ZBA, had changed the location of the two structures to increase the distance from the abutters from five feet to 11 feet.

“I spoke to the neighbors and they are excited about the project,” said Ward 4 Councilor Patrick Keefe. “Both the developer and property owners have worked it out with the neighbors.”

Board member Arthur Pelton spoke of a concern that had been expressed by one of the abutters, but her concerns were addressed.

The ZBA unanimously granted the variances.

Anthony Cacciola sought a variance to be able to park in the front yard and construct a single-family home at 191 Endicott St. The lot consists of approximately 5,000 square feet and would include two parking spaces in the front that would measure 18-by-18 feet for two cars.

Robert Salvo, an engineer for the project, noted that many houses on Endicott Ave. have front-yard parking because the homes are on a hill and are set back. He also noted that locating the parking spaces in front of the proposed new home would be less disruptive to the neighborhood because placing a driveway on the side of the proposed new home would require much more excavation.

Michael Tucker, the ZBA chairman, requested that the depth of the parking spaces be increased to 20 feet to allow a larger car to park without overhanging the sidewalk.

Ward 1 Councilor Joanne McKenna supported the projects and the variance was granted unanimously. It now heads to state plan reviews.

Two inches can make all the difference. That is what contractor Pasquale Guarracino found out when he applied for a variance to exceed the maximum grade requirement for outdoor parking at 279 and 287 Suffolk Ave.

Guarracino said that being built on a hill, the siting for the house on the lots was off and this resulted in the driveway not meeting code for maximum allowable grade.

Council President Zambuto spoke on the matter, saying, “I visited the site and would never have known that the driveways were off.  It would be more disruptive to the neighborhood to tear up the driveways and start over again.”

Ward 4 Councilor Keefe echoed Zambuto’s thoughts, adding, “There will be goodwill from the contractor with the neighborhood for his other projects on Suffolk Avenue.”

The variance was granted unanimously.

In the last matter before the board, Najeeb Badar and Sundus Najeeb Badar were seeking variances for minimum front and rear yard setbacks in order to build a 498 square-foot, one-level addition and back and front porches at 38 Grover Street.

The Badars, who have lived there for 13 years, were seeking the enlargement of their single-family home to accommodate their growing family as well as their parents. They had spoken to all of the neighbors who supported their request.

”I am excited to speak for this and I am truly most supportive of their request,” said Councilor Serino.

The variance was unanimously granted.

Three other matters were continued until the board’s February meeting: The variances for 951 Revere Beach Parkway, seeking to construct an addition over a city easement; variances for 33 Cambridge Street to change a single-family dwelling into a two-family; and a request to approve making one lot into two lots at 149 Breeders Lane.