Robert Ferreira of ILC Development LLC came before the Rochester Planning Board on February 9 to begin an informal discussion on his plans for a potential expansion of his business.
According to Ferreira, new regulations in place due to COVID-19 have resulted in a need for increased office space at his place of business. In order to safely distance his employees from one another, Ferreira is hoping to convert some of his vehicle bays into new office space. He is also hoping to expand the bays that will not be allocated for new office space.
Ferreira came before the Planning Board in order to determine what steps he needs to take to gain the town’s approval for his project. Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson informed Ferreira that the scope of his proposal requires approval from both the Rochester Planning Board and the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals.
Ferreira informed board members that he would work with the ZBA and provide a detailed engineering plan to the board members. Johnson agreed that a detailed engineering plan would be necessary to determine what proposed work falls under board jurisdiction.
ZBA Chairman David Arancio joined the Planning Board meeting to discuss the granting of a variance for a lot located on Pine Street. The owner of the lot is hoping to construct a home there but is lacking the required frontage to receive approval for construction.
Johnson explained that the lot only has 16 feet of frontage, which is drastically below the town’s regulations. Board member Ben Bailey explained that the limited frontage could be hazardous, as fire trucks and ambulances would have limited access to the site.
In addition to safety hazards, Johnson noted that granting a variance for the site would set a precedent. If the ZBA were to grant a variance for the frontage figure so far off of Rochester’s established regulations, it would essentially undermine those regulations. Johnson’s ultimate concern was that the granting of such a variance would make it difficult to enforce zoning regulations in the future.
Planning Board members agreed and voted to draft a letter to the ZBA recommending that its members reject the request for a variance.
The next Rochester Planning Board meeting is set to be held remotely via Zoom on Tuesday, February 23, at 7:00 pm.
Rochester Planning Board
By Matthew Donato