HomeMy WebLinkAboutAbutter J Desmond Letter in Opposition11.9.21-34 Wentworth - Correspondence - 34 Wentworth Avenue 11/9/2021 1`
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11/9/2021
Dear Zoning Board of Appeal committee,
We are writing as an abutter to property 34 Wentworth Ave.We want to note that we are officially
objecting to the granting of the special variances needed to build a single family home in this lot.
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To my understanding the zoning regulations have been adopted with the goal of serving the best
Einterest of the town residents. To protect our town from over development and keep our community a
lovely place to live. Therefore variances should be granted sparingly .The scope of this project is asking
to have 5 variances (63%variance) in order to build a single family home this does not seem to meet our
community planning goals. Our current zoning laws say 12,500 square feet are needed to build and this
lot is 4,547 square feet. That is 7,953 square feet too small for building a home.
do not believe that it is not in the best interest of our neighborhood and is harmful to the neighboring
abutting properties. It will impact our privacy, the look and feel of our neighborhood and also most likely
have an impact our existing home/property values. It is important to look at the condition of the lot
itself and not the wishes and goals of the landowner/developer since the lot is simply too small for a
single family home.
The landowner and/or the developer are not planning on living on this property so they do not have a
vested interest in our neighborhood. Once the property is built and the profit has been taken they will
no longer care about this neighborhood, leaving us with the harmful impacts.
The property was purchased in the 1900s and inherited by family members. A landowner has the right
to ask for the town to reassess the property for taxation purposes. After each attempt to build (that
were denied by zoning) or anytime during owning this land they could have requested the lot to be
evaluated for tax purposes.They chose not to act which is a self-created situation and not a financial
hardship.
It should also be noted that every abutter has at one point asked to purchase this land from the
landowner. Each of our offers have been denied since the landowner felt the offer was too low. My
husband and I last reached out to them in 2020 about purchasing this property. Our intentions were not
to develop it but to keep it as green space for the neighborhood.
Also most homes on Wentworth and Highland View Ave are made up of two lots in order to meet the
building standards of today. Either side by side or front to back lots.The rear lot was available for
purchase until 2012 when our home was built so again this is a self-created situation since the
landowner could have purchased our lot prior to it being developed.
Our understanding is when the building laws changed in 197#a buildable lot was only grandfathered in
if it was 5000 square feet. This property does not meet the guideline for a grandfathered situation and
therefore should be classified as non-buildable (as many of the other lots that are in the neighborhood
are). Even back in 1956 based on the zoning laws, the lot would have had to have variances since it was
too small for those standards also.
We are asking that you consider all of the above when making your decision. Please see it from the
abutters/neighbors prospective, review the town's density plans and interpret the zoning laws as they
were meant to be "to protect our current residence" from over development.
Thank you
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