Zoning variances are governed by Article 7 of the city Zoning Code. There are three primary conditions that must be met in order to obtain a variance: 1) There are “special circumstances or conditions” that prevent “reasonable use” of the property under the current zoning code. 2) Due to “practical difficulty and demonstrable and substantial hardship,” a variance is required for “reasonable use” of the property, and the variance is the minimum variance required for this purpose. And 3) the variance is “in harmony with the purpose and intent” of the zoning code, and will not be “injurious to the neighborhood” or “detrimental to the public welfare”. For a complete description of the requirements for a zoning variance, see Article 7 of the Boston Zoning Code.
