Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals Regular Meeting Approves 16 Meadowbrook Road Side Yard Variance – September 10, 2026
Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals Regular Meeting Approves 16 Meadowbrook Road Side Yard Variance – September 10, 2026
The Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals met on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall, 155 Deer Hill Avenue, Danbury, Connecticut. The board accepted the prior meeting minutes, held a public hearing on Application #26-14 for 16 Meadowbrook Road, approved the requested variance, and adjourned.
Call to Order, Roll Call, and Minutes
- Chair Juan Rivas led the meeting; board members present were Barry Rickard, Jacob Williams, and Keegan Williamson. Tony Ribero was seated as an alternate in place of Peter Delusha.
- The board unanimously accepted the August 13, 2026, meeting minutes.
- The next regular meeting was scheduled for September 24, 2026.
Public Hearing: Application #26-14 – 16 Meadowbrook Road
- Gia Bateman, representing No Limit Construction and homeowner Marlene Frank, presented the application for a side yard setback variance from 15 feet to 12 feet 3 inches for a proposed one-story addition.
- She stated the existing single-family, one-story dwelling is pre-existing nonconforming and that the addition would continue the existing house line at the rear to avoid disrupting the framing and layout and to preserve the home's appearance.
- She cited hardship: the homeowner wants more living space, plans to move the laundry from the basement to the first floor as she ages, and has two teenage children expected to stay through college.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Margaret Begum of 11 Meadowbrook Road spoke in support. She said she received a notice, had heard about the addition, and spoke with the homeowner; she noted some neighbors she asked said they did not receive a notice, but still considered the proposed addition normal and had no objection.
- No one spoke in opposition.
Discussion and Decision
- The board closed the public hearing and opened the voting session.
- A motion was made to approve Application #26-14, finding the variance would not impact public health or welfare and would conform with the neighborhood; the motion was amended to specify approval as per the submitted plans.
- The amendment and motion passed unanimously by voice vote with no nays.
Key Outcomes
- Application #26-14 approved unanimously: side yard setback reduced from 15 feet to 12 feet 3 inches for the proposed addition at 16 Meadowbrook Road, as per plan submitted.
- The public hearing was closed; no continued, old, or new business was considered, and the meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the uh City of Danbury's Zoning Board of Appeals meeting here Thursday, September 10th, uh 2026 at 7 p.m. I'd like to start with uh roll call. I got uh Mr. Barry Rickard. Jacob Williams, yeah, Keegan Williamson, yeah. And I would like to uh seat Tony Ribero in place of Peter Delusha for tonight's meeting. And myself, Chairman Juan Rivas. Do I have a motion on the floor to accept the meeting minutes of August 13th? I have a motion. Do I have a second? All right. All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All right. Our next regular meeting is scheduled for September 24th, 2026. Do I have a motion on the floor to open up the application for public hearing? Motion to open public hearing for application 2614. 16 Meadowbrook Road. I second it. All right, we have a motion and a second. All in favor, signify for saying aye. Aye. All right. Any names? No. If I can have the applicant uh come up to the podium, state your name for the record and address, and you may present your application. Okay. Um hello, my name is Gia Bateman. I am here as a representative on behalf of No Limit Construction, who has applied for the permit for Marlene Frank, who is the homeowner at 16 Meadowbrook Road. Um basically, as you can see on the plans, the proposed addition is toward the back of the house. Um we are proposing or requesting a variance for the side yard setback, which is currently set at 15 feet. Um it is currently a pre-existing non-conforming dwelling, single family home, one story. Um basically the side yard, if you're looking at the house on the right side, which is the north side of the home. Um that is currently the foundation is at 14.3 feet, so it is 8.4 um inches into the setback as is. So what Marlene is proposing to do is put the addition onto the back and just continue the current house line as it is already. Um so the addition is why I'm here for the variants, in order to build that addition to match the pre-existing nonconforming um house line. So it would be end up being 12.3 inches to the property line, like with the roof and gutter overhang. So from the foundation, it's 14.4 inches. Again, like I said, eight point um six inches into the property line from the foundation. Um you have any specific questions or need any more information from me. This is a one one-story addition, I assume. Yes, single story um single family home. And if you can just uh for the record, state what your hardship is. Um well, the current hardship for Marlene is just that um she was looking to add on more space to her home. She was looking to move her laundry um from the basement to the first floor as she's getting older. Um she has two teenage children that are plan to stay in the home through college, so she's looking just for a little bit more space. Um, if she were to build onto the home and do like a bump in, I guess you would say, to like meet the side yard setback, it would mess with the framing um and the layout of the home, um, as well as just the aesthetic look of having a clean line on the one side. Any further questions from the board? All right. Is there anybody in support of this application?
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