Carver ZBA Continues Oversized Garage Case, Cites Loft Square Footage Dispute

CARVER — December 16, 2025 — Carver Zoning Board continues oversized garage case after discovering loft doubles square footage needed. The Carver Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously December 16 to continue Case 29-9-B1-R to January 29, 2026, after a hearing revealed that petitioner Ronald Menard's proposed 1,020-square-foot detached garage at 2 Wenham Shores Drive will require roughly triple the 700-square-foot bylaw allowance once the loft floor is counted. The board, sitting as a four-member quorum and requiring a unanimous vote to grant relief, told Menard he had not been fully informed by the building department of the board's policy — confirmed by a town counsel opinion — of calculating accessory structure square footage on a floor-by-floor basis, not by building footprint. The structure also sits 31 feet from the rear lot line in a district requiring a 50-foot setback, a 19-foot variance that the board said may be supportable under Chapter 40A given the lot's triangular shape and a septic system occupying most of the backyard. Menard was asked to return with a detailed dimensioned plan and a usable square footage calculation for the loft, with the next hearing set for January 29 at a location to be confirmed on the town website.