Well, the bubble of optimism from my last post is burst! My rough calculations show that we are exceeding the maximum floor area ratio. Its not by much, our estimated ratio is .37 where the maximum for our property type (single residence-3 constructed before 1957) is .35. This translates into about a 106 square feet difference.
Its a bit confusing exactly how floor area ratio is calculated. At city hall, Nicole and I did some rough calculations based the dimensions the city had on file. However, those dimensions aren’t consistent with measurements Laura made a couple weeks ago. City hall’s dimensions are less than the dimensions I calculated using Laura’s measurements, leading us to believe the city either didn’t measure outside wall to outside wall (e.g. like I did), or used some formula based on the style of the house (e.g. Counting only 85% of the 2nd floor space because it is Gambrel Colonial) , or they just measured wrong (My Dad's theory but I give them the benefit of the doubt).
After a bit of research, I think the difference may be due to a special calculation related to the stairwell. I did confirm the Floor Area in Newton is calculated from outside wall to outside wall. Here’s the definition from Newton’s Online Zoning definitions:
Our calculations are conservative, but it looks like we may be a bit “off”!
Floor area ratio:
(a) For residential structures in residential districts, gross floor area of a building on the lot divided by total lot area.
Floor area, gross:
(a) For residential structures in residential districts, the sum of the floor area within the perimeter of the outside walls of the building without deduction for garage space, hallways, stairs, closets, thick ness of walls, columns, atria, open wells and other vertical open spaces, or other features exclusive of any portion of a basement as defined in this section. For atria, open wells and other vertical open spaces, floor area shall be calculated by multiplying the floor level area of such space by a factor equal to the average height in feet divided by ten (10). Excluded from the calculation are bays or bay windows which are cantilevered and do not have foundations and which occupy no more than ten (10) per cent of the wall area on which they are mounted and any space in an attic or half story above the second floor as defined in this ordinance.
Our calculations are conservative, but it looks like we may be a bit “off”!
One thing you might want to try is to look for other filed petitions and contact those area neighbors. See what they did to get through the same issues. Also, you might want to attend a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting (ZBA) to get a flavor of how these meetings are conducted.
ReplyDeleteI started looking into this last night. Newton posts all the information related to special permit requests on the web. There's a hearing tomorrow night related to exceeding FAR that I can't make.
ReplyDeleteFrom what i've read, it doesn't look like it will be difficult to get, especially given the tiny amount I'll be over. In a couple of the requests, it notes that the city recognizes hardships related to making small, old houses (like mine) suitable for today's families. So, that's good news.