We need a special what?

Well, we never expected to need a special permit for our modest project. We had very carefully planned all aspects of the renovation to conform with existing zoning and floor area ratio (FAR) regulations and to fit in with the other houses on our street. The last thing we wanted was to tangle with the City of Newton.

What we didn’t know was that the recent deletion of an all-important footnote in the city’s Zoning Ordinance meant that suddenly we would need a special permit where none had been necessary before, and that obtaining one was by no means a given, even though we were told by the city planners that a relatively modest project such as ours was not the kind of thing the city would be likely to oppose. Yikes!

This nerve-wracking process, which involved a public hearing and deliberations of the city’s Board of Aldermen and Land Use Subcommittee, unexpectedly delayed the start of our project by several months and caused all of us quite a bit of concern. Would this mean that This Old House would have to find a different house project to feature for its 30th-anniversary season?

Like many communities, Newton is grappling with the problem of how best to control urban density while still allowing families in smaller houses to add needed living space. The city first adopted FAR regulations in 1997 to help regulate the density of development by setting limits on gross floor area with respect to lot size. These limits are designed to prevent “monster homes” and other kinds of development that are out of keeping with the essential character of existing residential neighborhoods. The city is still working on fine-tuning the language of the regulation to close loopholes without creating an unncessarily cumbersome permit process.

So while we understand the need for FAR regulation, we were dismayed to be caught up in it ourselves. Luckily, we were able to count on the support of many friends and neighbors who signed a petition in favor of the project and attended the public hearing on our behalf. A long night in the Aldermanic Chambers of City Hall with our architect Paul Rovinelli, TOH producer Deborah Hood, and a handful of supporters from the neighborhood resulted in a 7-0 vote of the Land Use Subcommittee in favor of our project. Two weeks later, the full Board of Aldermen also voted to grant our special permit, so we were free to proceed with some limited demolition until the end of a 21-day appeal period.

I can’t tell you how happy ALL of us are to see that unmistakable orange permit hanging prominently in the window of our house!