Littleton Board of Health Denies Attic Study, Approves Two Septic Variance Packages

LITTLETON — August 23, 2023 — Littleton Board of Health approves two septic variances, denies attic room on Title 5 room-count limit. The board voted unanimously to approve variance packages for 91 Hartwell Ave. and 7 Dogwood Road, both involving failed Title 5 systems and requests to reduce groundwater offsets from four feet to two feet using alternative septic technologies — a GeoMAT system at Hartwell and a Presby EnviroSeptic system at Dogwood. In the evening's most contested hearing, the board voted 4-1 to allow a bedroom addition at 19 George Street under a four-bedroom deed restriction, with Member Matt Wason dissenting and warning that "it's not about the current owner, it's about the lifetime of the home." The board then unanimously denied a homeowner at 5 Jillian Way permission to finish a walk-up attic as a study, with Member Kevin Davis moving to decline after the board counted 10 existing rooms — the maximum supportable under a four-bedroom septic system — making the attic a prohibited 11th. A hearing for 37 Dogwood Road was continued to September 13 pending a Town Counsel opinion on whether the Board of Health has jurisdiction to grant a ceiling height variance on a structure predating current code.