Carver ZBA Continues Brockton Avenue Permit Case, Penalty Discussion Deferred to June

CARVER -- May 27, 2026, Carver zoning board continues unpermitted rebuild case and signals financial penalty is coming. The Carver Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously May 27 to continue a special permit hearing for 18 Brockton Avenue to June 25, after Building Commissioner Rod Palmer testified that contractor Douglas of Boston Dream Group demolished and largely rebuilt a nonconforming single-family home without first obtaining a required special permit, saying the applicants "put the cart before the horse." Petitioner Raquel Ferreira, who pulled the original permit for renovation and a rooftop deck, acknowledged work went beyond the approved scope; Palmer confirmed he learned of the extent of demolition from a neighbor complaint, not from the contractor. All five board members who spoke indicated support for a financial penalty under Carver Zoning Bylaw section 290-5-1-3, which allows up to $300 per day for each day a violation continues, with each day a separate offense. Before the board will issue a decision on the merits, it is requiring the applicant to retain a civil engineer to design erosion controls and a retaining wall to address fill and drainage encroachment onto the abutting property at 20 Brockton Avenue, and has asked Palmer to coordinate a Department of Public Works inspection of the heavily damaged dead-end road.