Zoning Board approves two setback special permits

Zoning Board · Meeting of October 28, 2026

WATERTOWN — The Watertown Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved special permits for renovations at 48-50 California Street and 60 Catherine Road after reorganizing its leadership. Chair Melissa Santucci-Razi was reelected, with Member Heap elected vice chair and Member Ferris elected clerk under new city-manager guidance requiring all boards to have three officers. At 48-50 California Street, the board added conditions on window uniformity and fence relocation after abutter Laura Rice said "I just want to make sure that folks aren't building on this section of that land that's ours." At 60 Catherine Road, architect Yosef Fazzad told the board the attic-dormer project grew complicated once he found that modifications to meet energy code requirements would leave as little as "seven foot four" of headroom, prompting a 10-over-12 roof pitch.

Both permits passed on unanimous voice votes with no roll call.

In the full story:

• Administrative Business: Minutes and Annual Reorganization
• 48-50 California Street: Continued Hearing on Two-Family Conversion
• 60 Catherine Road: New Hearing on Attic Expansion and Front Vestibule
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,802 words

Source: the Zoning Board meeting of October 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.