ZBA approves ADU variance for Cottage Street garage

Zoning Board of Appeals · Meeting of October 8, 2026

WELLESLEY — The Wellesley Zoning Board of Appeals approved an ADU variance and garage permit at 58 Cottage Street despite objections from neighbors in the town's only historic district. The three-member panel, Chairman J. Randolph Becker, David Sheffield and Peter Covo, voted 3-0 on both the variance and the special permit, after abutter Elizabeth Parsons warned the relief "could create a gateway precedent" for Cottage Street. The board also approved a contested special permit at 14 Heckle Street, where abutter Susan Johnson said attorney David Himmelberger's drainage response was "internally inconsistent," conceding only an 85 percent containment figure after first claiming full prevention.

Additional 3-0 votes approved permits at 38 Calvin Road, 31 Leighton Road and a 21-inch signage variance at 71 Central Street for Mona Dermatology. The board cited a recent amendment to the state zoning act requiring it to grant variances rather than merely permit them.

In the full story:

• Business meeting: 39 Atwood minor modification
• 38 Calvin Road: a Superior Court remand
• 14 Heckle Street: raise-and-rebuild amid a drainage dispute
• 58 Cottage Street: an ADU variance tests the new zoning standard inside a historic district
• 31 Leighton Road: a prior permit, revised
• 71 Central Street: a signage variance for a dermatology practice
• Administrative close
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,537 words

Source: the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting of October 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.