Have any of you fellow Walthamites had an experience with a house being built on a lot smaller than what the current zoning is allowed in your district?

     As a resident of Waltham, the continued building of large houses on small lots has baffled me for years.  Recently, the issue became acutely relevant, when a house right next to me, built across two lots over 50 years, was about to be torn down, and two put in its place.
    
      Overdevelopment in Waltham has been a concern raised for years by its citizens.  "Big houses on small lots" seems to be a recurring theme. 
      
       So, my fellow Walthamites, have you had similar experiences?  And do you think these building  practice should be stopped?

As long as it's legal, it's okay with me.  There have been a lot of those little Garrison colonials squeezed in to my neighborhood.

There are a lot of dense neighborhoods in the Big W.  Part of the charm, I guess.

    Thanks for the response. 
    The legality of the practices are questionable.  Two recent cases before the Zoning Board of Appeals and in the Courts determined otherwise for those properties. And my suspicion is that more permits may be overturned simply if the neighbors challenge them. 
     For those Garrison colonials, were any of those constructions near you, and, if so, were you ever given notice about having a right to challenge the building project?   
 


In Response to Re: Questionable zoning practices--big houses on small lots in Waltham:

Hi, Grace, no we aren't abutters; they're one street over.

Be reassured that, if  you live within a 300 feet radius of the property, you still would be considered an abutter.  A direct abutter is one who lives right next to the property.  Keep in mind, Cosmogirl, that even if you're not an abutter, you can still request reinforcement of the zoning codes through the building commissioner.  Anyone is allowed to do that, such as by writing a letter. My understanding is that if a request for enforcement is ignored or refused, only abutters can pursue the matter before the Zoning Board and in court. 

The zoning codes are so obsolete in this city and because of that things that are allowed here would never fly in surrounding towns or cities.  There are many acceptions to the rules, depending on how you present your issue.  Same goes for businesses being allowed in residential neighborhoods in Waltham. You buy a house, expecting to live in a nice residential neighborhood, then you neighbor sells and puts 2 houses in its place, and maybe even a business.  
Until this city re-writes its zoning codes and sticks to it, nothing will ever change.  We are overcrowded and growing by leaps and bounds.  That is just the way it is.  We can either deal, or move.