Newbury ZBA Sends Plum Island Addition Back for Deck Fix Before February Vote

Zoning Board · Meeting of January 15, 2026

Newbury's Zoning Board of Appeals continued a Plum Island home-expansion case to February 19, directing applicants to pull a deck off the property line before a final vote. Attorney Jeff (surname not provided in transcript) presented for Michael and Michelle Mercurio, who are seeking a special permit to add a second story to a 6,177-square-foot nonconforming lot at 7 Exeter Way, raising the structure from 15.8 to 31.2 feet and bumping the floor-area ratio from 0.31 to 0.34 — a roughly 10 percent increase. Chair Eric P.

Svahn framed the board's ask plainly: "If you're increasing a little, you are fixing something or you're making something better." The board separately closed deliberations on a roof-deck addition at 25 Harvard Way after revised plans brought the structure to 34 feet 10 inches, just below the 35-foot limit, and voted to document louver specifications — six-inch spacing with a minimum one-inch gap — for a pavilion modification at the 28 Old Point Road Sunset Club.

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Source: the Zoning Board meeting of January 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.