The Kingston Zoning Board of Appeals met on December 17, 2025, to consider a special permit for 4 North Street, where homeowners Henry Gavin and Kate Santa Marie proposed replacing an existing deck with a 13-by-13-foot four-season room. Santa Marie explained that the addition is vital for the couple's future comfort, stating, my husband and I are getting older and I’ve had to have knee surgery, we need a room to just kind of like a living room. Contractor Thomas Curry supported the application, noting that the current layout forces the residents to navigate stairs to reach living spaces. Curry told the board, she just wants the ability to be able to age in place.

The board expressed significant concerns regarding the property's non-conforming status and the strict 25% impervious surface limit mandated by town bylaws. Chair Paul Dahlen emphasized the mathematical constraints of the project, noting, 75% of your lot has to be pervious surface. Kevin Wrightington scrutinized the existing site conditions, asking, is the parking on the right side of the house? after reviewing the submitted plans. The discussion turned to the nature of the room itself, with Robert Mullen sharing a personal anecdote about home temperatures, stating, I have a three-season porch. It’s really cold out there right now. The applicants clarified that the new room would be fully insulated and heated.

Board members also noted that the original site plan lacked several critical details, including the location of stairs, the driveway, and interior labels for existing rooms. Douglas Dondero recalled previous work on the property, remarking, I thought that was the deck in the front that we fixed. To address the impervious surface issue, the board suggested that the applicant could convert paved parking areas to crushed stone or shells to meet the 25% coverage threshold. Lane Goldberg voiced support for the project provided the documentation was corrected, saying, I think that I’m inclined to approve it as long as the record is sort of cleaned up a little bit.

Motion Made by Douglas Dondero to close the hearing. Vote Passed 3-0. Following the closure of the public hearing, the board moved to grant the permit with specific conditions requiring updated engineering stamps and accurate lot coverage calculations. Motion Made by Douglas Dondero to approve the application for a special permit for Henry Gavin and Kate Santa Marie located at 4 North Street to demolish the existing deck and to convert the framing into an addition to the home, a four-season room, on the condition that the applicant resubmit a site map with all details of the site, including side yard and front yard, and the proposed addition to the existing structure, and include impervious surface details and a new table depicting the impervious surface minimum requirements of the zoning. Vote Passed 3-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:23 p.m.