The Newcastle Appeals Board did not take action on a variance application from an apartment building owner after both sides said they need more time.
Paul Sidelinger, through his company, Juloania Inc., applied for the variance because his Academy Hill apartment building, known as Newcastle Center, violates Newcastle zoning.
Newcastle Center has 15 units, but town officials say Juloania Inc. only has building permits for six. Newcastle’s land use ordinance restricts apartment buildings to six units in the applicable zone. The apartment building also violates a density rule that requires 10,000 square feet of property for every residential use.
Sidelinger and his attorney, Richard Salewski, said they were not prepared for the Jan. 2 Appeals Board meeting because they did not know about it until earlier in the day.
The Appeals Board will meet Thursday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. to resume consideration of the application. Newcastle’s attorney, Peter Drum, said he expects to meet with the board for about an hour in executive session before opening the meeting to Sidelinger, his attorney and the public.
Salewski said the apartments were built “openly and in public view” and Sidelinger did not think he was doing anything wrong or intend to deceive the town. He said the property would be “unsustainable” without income from all the apartments.
Salewski also said his client is soliciting quotes for work to address several fire safety violations discovered in a recent inspection by the state fire marshal’s office.
Sidelinger also gave some history of the property. He said it was a lumberyard and the main structure, built in 1905, later became a rooming house known as The Overnightery. The property went to public auction twice without any interest, he said, before he bought it in 1996 and converted it to apartments.