Chris Helms
At left is the home of State Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, D-Jamaica Plain. Neighbor Brian Wells, of 64 Orchardhill Road, on the right, sued her family over a third-floor renovation. Monday, July 20, 2015.
State Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, while adamant that she did not use her influence to cut through city red tape on a disputed renovation of her Forest Hills home, said Monday her architect admits he drew up the addition to be too tall.
The revelation came amid a detailed conversation Monday with Chang-Díaz and her husband, Bryan Hirsch, on the back patio at 3-5 Bremen Terrace.
Next-door neighbor Brian Wells sued the couple in April, claiming the project they'd proposed to the neighborhood wasn't the one actually being built. The parties agreed to a settlement in June. The case was scheduled to be heard by the city's Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday morning.
The settlement, among other points, calls for Chang-Díaz and Hirsch to chop 14 inches off the existing roofline, which would result in an overall shortening of the house by seven inches. Setbacks will also be carved off the front and back of the top roofline.
Chang-Díaz, a Democrat, 
Rear view of the home of State Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, D-Jamaica Plain. This roofline will be shortened as a result of a settlement with neighbor Brian Wells. Monday, July 20, 2015.[/caption]
[Editor's note: We've corrected the height the existing house will be shortened by and added information on a setback that is to be included.]