A plan to demolish Joseph Moujabber’s illegal garage took another step forward recently when the Cottage City Historic District commission unanimously approved a plan to replace the controversial structure with an addition to the existing home off Sea View avenue extension. The historic district commission held a public hearing on the revised plan on Oct. 1.

The revised plan has also been approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the Copeland Plan district review board. It is still under review by the town zoning board of appeals.

The zoning board was scheduled to hold a public hearing last night, but was expected to continue the hearing to honor a request from an abutter who could not attend because of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.

The plan calls for the three-story structure that now sits along the North Bluff — dubbed garage mahal by critics — to be torn down and replaced with a 1,589-square foot addition to the existing five-bedroom home.

The revised plan has the support of some town officials who would like to see the garage demolished and longstanding legal battles end, but some neighbors feel the addition is still too large and out of character for the neighborhood.

What began as a garage in 2003 turned into a three-story house, built illegally without a permit. The building has since been ordered demolished and has been the subject of numerous lawsuits.

The new structure would replace the illegal garage.

— Jim Hickey