Jonathan Tancan, chair of the Town of Needham Zoning Board of Appeals, presided over the meeting that granted a special permit for renovation work at 76 Fair Oaks Park and continued two separate applications to April 17, 2025.

The board voted to grant a special permit under Section 1.4.6 of the Needham zoning bylaw to allow the Urquhart family to extend the left-side second-floor wall of the house at 76 Fair Oaks Park so the upper floor matches the first-floor footprint. George Giunta, attorney for applicants Jeff and Kate Urquhart, told the board the lot is Parcel 79 on assessor’s map 49 in Single Residence B, with 13,350 square feet of area and 89 feet of frontage. He said the existing second-floor left wall measures about 43 feet 1 inch and the proposed extension would make that wall 55 feet and “3 quarter” as stated in the application materials.

Board member Howard (name provided in the transcript only as Howard) moved to grant the special permit, and the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The board did not record individual roll-call tallies in the transcript; the outcome was recorded as approved on a voice vote.

Giunta said the house was originally built circa 1920 and substantially expanded in 1992; the current work would enclose an existing first-floor bump-out on the second floor. He noted a 2023 change at annual town meeting (Article 20) to the zoning bylaw that limits the length of a side wall to 32 feet, which is why the applicants sought relief. Giunta also said the left side of the house is set back 13 feet at the bump-out (the bylaw requires 14 feet) but that the bylaw’s demolition threshold would allow the existing setback to remain in place for this renovation.

Several town departments submitted comments: the Planning Board had no comment; the Fire Department, Board of Health (Public Health Division) and Police Department registered no issues; and the town engineer provided a March 11 memo outlining required details. Frances Russell submitted a letter in support of the application, and the board noted a neighbor on the affected side had provided a written statement backing the proposal.

Separately, the board approved continuances for two other applications. The matter at 0 Colgate Road — which has been before the board multiple times and involves a private driveway dispute raised by abutters’ counsel in earlier hearings — was continued to April 17, 2025, with the chair instructing staff to tell the applicant this likely would be the final extension and that a withdrawal and refile were acceptable if the applicant remained unready. The board also continued the application for a variance at 282 Warren Street to April 17, 2025; the board said it would schedule both continued items together at 7:30 p.m. to avoid an earlier gap.

At the start of the session the board approved meeting minutes dated Feb. 27, 2025, and near adjournment staff relayed legislative news: the state legislature has extended authorization for remote (Zoom-only) participation through 2027, pending the governor’s signature, according to the discussion in the meeting.

The board adjourned after completing the items on the agenda.