Urban Affairs Committee advances portico zoning amendment 5-0

MARLBOROUGH -- November 14, 2022, Marlborough Urban Affairs panel sends portico zoning amendment to full Council on 5-0 vote. The committee on Monday recommended Council Order 22-108-679, an amendment to Chapter 650, Section 40 allowing a detached roof to extend up to five feet into a required setback, provided the roofed area stays under 40 square feet, remains unenclosed and sits at least five feet from the street. City Council President Michael Ossing, who co-sponsored the petition with Councilor Sean Navin, said the change grew out of a homeowner's failed Zoning Board of Appeals bid to add a four-by-five-foot portico that encroached two to three feet into the 30-foot front setback. "This was not a hardship. This was a nice thing to do to make your house look better," Ossing said. The Planning Board recommended approval 5-0 on Nov. 7. Chair Kathleen Robey said she will seek suspension at the next Council meeting.