New Haven Independent

As Tuesday’s BZA meeting approaches, neighbors feel a surge of anger for a house they wish never got pumped to McMansion size. An already dicey fight — about privacy, the right look for the street, and grittier personal matters — has been revived.

The city has a “side yard setback” regulation that delineates just how far from your neighbor’s property line you can build. Lotto’s got one setback variance already and has surpassed it by more than three feet, according to his neighbors’ calculations. He seeks another variance so that his building is no longer in violation.

“It’s unbelievable chutzpa — he gets the variance then he violates it,” growled Bill Deresiewicz, who lives next door to Lotto. Deresiewicz said his property value has gone down by as much as 20 percent because of lost privacy from the towering 4,000 square-foot house next door. If it were up to Deresiewicz, the building would be cut back so it didn’t come so close to his back yard garden, which he calls an “outdoor living room.” He said his privacy has been invaded: he doesn’t want that garden turned into a “fish bowl” if people next door start spending time near a big picture window.

Lotto has said in the past he lives alone with his partner and needed the space for a grandfather who has now passed away. He did not return numerous phone calls requesting comment for this story. A young man who answered the door identified himself as Lotto’s “ummm… nephew.”

To those griping about his quadruple-size house, Lotto (pictured) has responded: “It’s a city,” an appropriate spot for density. The plot will bring a wealth of taxes to the city. And he likes having a lot of space. He’s successfully appealed to the BZA three times before.

Tune in next week to see how he fares at BZA and whether the neighborhood fight will move to the courts.