City Hall·Portland Hybrid Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting
Portland ZBA grants variance for St. Paul's Anglican Church accessibility project
The Portland Zoning Board of Appeals voted to grant a practical difficulty variance for St. Paul's Anglican Church at 279 Congress Street. The approval allows the church to reduce rear yard setbacks to construct a connecting cloister, a new entrance vestibule, and a retaining wall to improve accessibility and secure the historic structure.
Key points
- The board voted 5-1 to grant the variance, with Dan Black casting the sole dissenting vote.
- The variance reduces the required 10-foot rear setback to 5 feet for the cloister, 6 feet for the vestibule, 9 feet for the retaining wall, and 4.7 feet for a property line jog.
- Board members discussed whether the cloister and vestibule constitute accessory uses to the place of assembly, concluding they are permitted uses that require the variance only due to setback restrictions.
- The applicant presented new materials clarifying dimensions and explaining that the project aims to provide ADA-compliant access between the church and parish house.
- No public comment was received during the hearing, and the board noted that one item regarding 570 Congress Street was previously tabled.
Where this came from
City of Portland, ME Meetings Portal
The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.
Watch the meeting ↗The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.