Zoning Board of Appeals

The board will hold a hearing on Sauve’s Auto Service’s request to add three tire-brand signs to the north side of its building at 1421 Washington St., bringing that façade to four signs where the B-1 district allows two. Staff says the application does not establish that the business lacks a reasonable use without the extra signs, and it does not identify a physical feature of the property that creates a unique limitation. The board will need to decide whether the request meets the required hardship, unique-site, and public-interest tests.

The board will consider Metro North Communications’ request to change a condition on its earlier variance for a shipping container at 1910 20th St. The prior approval required the container to be painted and screened from neighboring homes; the owner now proposes vinyl siding instead of property screening. Staff notes the 3.47-acre brownfield has active cleanup wells and contaminated soil that could make excavation costly, but the container remains on a vacant lot, which city rules generally prohibit.