ZBA extends timeline for 2023 housing project

A three-year-old project to demolish and rebuild a Main Street building got another timeline extension at Tuesday’s Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

Son Le, the owner of 1122–1130 Main St., has previously requested the board extend the time limit for zoning variances it granted to the property in 2023. Le purchased the property in 2024 and plans to knock down the current two-family home and turn it into a five-unit residence. The board had previously agreed to extend the deadline but warned it would not grant another extension.

Le told the board this week that his hands are tied. He submitted requests for demolition and construction permits to the Building Department in July, but has yet to receive a response. Board members expressed frustration with the project’s slow pace, but unanimously agreed to extend the timeline on its decision for another six months.

Also on the docket were two private homeowners on Wimbledon Circle who received permission to expand their garage close to the back of their lot. Their attorney, Bret Francis, explained the expansion would allow them to relocate the contents of a shed that has been attached to the property for decades but technically sits on land owned by the Cambridge Water Department. The board stipulated that the property owners remove the shed and work with Cambridge to establish clearer property boundary lines.