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.