Westport ZBA Unanimously Approves Oversized ADU for Handicapped Resident at Reed Road

WESTPORT — June 10, 2026 — Westport's Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a 1,200-square-foot accessory dwelling unit for a handicapped individual at 112 Reed Road, exceeding the 900-square-foot by-right ceiling established under Massachusetts's 2025 ADU law. Attorney Sean Leach, representing owners Ron and Adam Frankauer, presented revised floor plans dated May 28, 2026, showing that ADA-mandated wheelchair turning radii of 60 inches, 36-inch doorways, and a ramp-accessible oversized garage make 1,200 square feet a functional minimum for a wheelchair user sharing the unit with a live-in caregiver. The board, chaired by Vice Chair Cynthia Kazakowicz, granted the special permit under a Westport bylaw provision authorizing "reasonable and necessary accommodations" for persons with disabilities, conditioning approval on inclusion of a second egress and a non-livable cellar if one is built. Neighbors from Primrose Lane raised concerns about hillside erosion and garage size, but the board noted those issues fall to the Board of Health and building department in subsequent permit reviews. The board also accepted the unrelated withdrawal without prejudice of an administrative appeal by Robert M. Haynes III over a parcel at Zero Horseneck Road declared undevelopable by the building commissioner.