Board approves variance for new house at 7 Circle Road despite neighborhood objections over size

The Lowell Zoning Board of Appeals on May 11 approved a variance (ZBA-2026-17) allowing a new single-family house to be built on a subdivided lot at 7 Circle Road, granting relief from the maximum floor-area-ratio requirement under Section 5.1 of the city zoning ordinance.

Applicant David Dailyaly told the board his company purchased the original property, subdivided the lot and designed a house similar to other larger homes nearby; he said the project would match local patterns of extended ranches and provide a first-floor master favored by buyers. Neighbors who live on Stafford and Circle voiced repeated objections, saying the proposed 4,100-square-foot home is out of scale on lots where typical houses range from roughly 1,500 to 2,300 square feet and that the proposed FAR approaches what they calculated as near 50 percent.

James Glickus, a neighbor, said the house is "way too big" and questioned whether the developer visited the site. Sharon Hardy said the proposal "is just too big for that lot" and cited the zoning FAR limit of 35 percent versus the proposal’s higher ratio. Patty Shepard and other neighbors presented calculations comparing lot sizes and house sizes in the block and urged the board to deny the variance.

Dailyaly and board members responded that the FAR calculation counts basements, porches and attics and that a full basement was the primary reason the project exceeded the .35 FAR threshold; several board members noted that if the house were built slab-on-grade rather than with a full basement the same footprint could be permitted by right. Member McCarthy and others said similar homes in the area include counted basement area, and Vice Chair Callahan and other members concluded the variance request met the statutory criteria, including hardship tied to lot topography and the basement calculation.

By roll call the board approved the variance: Chairman Pek, Vice Chair Callahan, Member McCarthy, Member Brier, Member Prote, Member Hubby and Member Shanahan voted to grant the relief. The board’s action is limited to zoning relief; required building, engineering and permitting approvals remain outstanding and must be secured before construction.