Zoning board grants finding for second‑floor addition at 25 West Hodgees Street

The Town of Norton Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to find that a proposed second‑floor addition at 25 West Hodgees Street will not render the parcel substantially more detrimental to the area.

At the hearing the applicant (identified in the record as Miss Shaw) presented a certified plot plan from Sheret Land Surveying dated June 11, 2026 showing existing setbacks and the proposal to add a second floor within the existing footprint. Board members treated the house as a pre‑existing nonconforming single‑family residence and said the request was limited to the board making a finding under the town bylaw governing the 25% rule for alterations to nonconforming structures. The applicant said the addition would not create a separate unit: “we're not doing like the whole second kitchen and all that,” she said.

Board members discussed the recorded setbacks (front and side) and confirmed the plan shows an upward extension rather than a lateral expansion. After closing the public hearing, the board moved and voted (Mr. Tenori, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Noel) to make the statutory/bylaw finding that the Cherret plan for 25 West Hodgees Street dated June 11, 2026 will not make the property substantially more detrimental to the area. The chair noted the decision and the plan must be attached and filed in the land evidence records; a 20‑day appeal period will begin from filing with the clerk.

The board told the applicant the clerk would prepare the written decision in the coming days. No abutters appeared to oppose the application during the hearing.