Questions Remain on Conversion of 8-Bedroom High Street House

Report on the Meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals, September 11, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Everald Henry (chair), David Ahlfeld, Craig Meadows, David Sloviter, and Philip White. Staff: Jacinta Williams (Planner)

Alec Rovitz returned to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) with his attorney David Berson and potential property manager Chaim Adelman for a third time to request a Special Permit for the 1870 Victorian Mansard house at 65 High Street, which had been converted to a two-family dwelling in the 1960s. The ZBA continued to have questions about how the property will be used and delayed approval of the permit until October 23 so the owner could provide clarity. The earlier application for a non-owner-occupied duplex was withdrawn without prejudice because there were so many unresolved issues. Because of a changed composition of the board as of July 1, a continuation of the original hearing wasn’t feasible. 

This time Rovitz was asking for a permit under the Converted Dwelling section 3.324 of the Zoning Bylaw, rather than as a non-owner-occupied duplex. He was again seeking permission to convert a first-floor porch into a bedroom and to wall in a porch above it on the second floor for protection of the first floor from the weather. He also requested that three of the four required parking spaces be for compact cars (8×16 feet instead of the 9×18 feet required) to accommodate the required 12-foot wide driveway on the north side of the structure.

Having listened to the board recommendations at the June hearing, the owner installed new downcast lights at the front door, the back stairs to the four-bedroom second floor unit, and above the garage to illuminate the parking lot. He will also add a wall and a locked door in the front hallway to provide secure separation between the two units. 

The two other doors to the hallway from the downstairs unit are bolted from the inside of the unit so they can be used as fire exits from that unit.

Board members had questions regarding parking on the gravel driveway. They asked if the existing garage, a historical carriage house, could be used for parking, but Rovitz said he was unsure of its structural integrity, although a newer portion might be able to accommodate one car. He said that he will not use that space until its safety is assured. ZBA chair Everald Henry asked if it would be possible to demolish the garage to make a larger parking area, Rovitz’s attorney David Berson answered that that would require approval from the Historical Commission.

Berson stated that there will be only two parking spaces for each of the two units and one additional space for guests. This limitation, as well as the limitation that four of the spaces will be for compact cars, will be stated on the lease. Board members asked if there might be a better way to accommodate the required parking. They were also concerned about whether a fire truck could navigate the narrow driveway. 

When asked about snow removal, Rovitz said that he shoveled the driveway by hand last winter and intends to do so in the future or have the resident manager do it. He said that a snow plow would damage the gravel surface, so it is not an option.

The board also had several questions about who would be living at the residence. Rovitz said he plans to lease by the unit, not by the bedroom. He is currently living there and plans to occupy the bedroom created by enclosing the first-floor porch, but he travels a lot and plans to have a resident manager in addition to Adelman, who lives in Hadley. The resident manager will see to trash removal, mowing, and other maintenance tasks. However, when questioned about where the resident manager would stay, Rovitz indicated that it would be in the room that he now occupies. ZBA member David Sloviter noted that this means that someone unknown to the other first-floor residents will be sharing the kitchen and bathroom, but presumably will have a separate lease as a resident manager. Rovitz said he hoped to find responsible graduate students to occupy the first floor, one of whom could serve as resident manager. 

Board members asked for more clarity on the management plan, the parking plan, and how many leases would be issued. Sloviter was concerned about how the resident manager will be selected because “. . .all the owner’s intentions are not the same as insurance.” Further, he said, having a resident manager live in a unit with people he doesn’t know will only lead to problems.

Planner Jacinta Williams noted that Rovitz will also need approval from the fire department and to submit formal parking and management plans. 

In public comment, abutter Fred Hartwell asked about clearing up errors in the property description, which is a title issue. He was told by Berson that the title company is working on it.

The hearing was continued to October 23 at 6 p.m.