Stoneham Board of Appeals Continues David Circle Garage Variance to June 26

STONEHAM -- May 29, 2025, Stoneham Board of Appeals continues contested garage variance, approves redesigned Spot Pond apartments and Victoria Lane home rebuild. The board voted 5-0 to continue a hearing on a proposed 40-by-28-foot accessory garage at 5 David Circle to June 26, scheduling a site visit on the morning of June 19 after neighbors of Wilbur Street, the private dead-end road that would serve as garage access, packed the hearing room to oppose the project, arguing the structure remains too large, would harm property values, and burden a road designed for two homes. Attorney Charles Houghton, representing owners Daniel and Carrie Smith, announced a 25 percent size reduction from the original 44-by-32-foot proposal and said the applicant would stipulate the structure not be used for residential purposes. Paul Maisano, who built Wilbur Street in 1984, told the board that "there is no hardship" under Chapter 40A, Section 10, because the 17,471-square-foot combined lot is flat and unencumbered. The board separately approved unanimously an insubstantial design change for Fairfield Residential's 378-unit Residences at Spot Pond, adding a rooftop amenity deck and reconfiguring Building B's courtyard, and granted all requested setback and lot-size variances for a demolition and rebuild at 7 Victoria Lane to accommodate an in-law suite for a recently widowed mother-in-law.