[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6143803,"mediaKeyId","5535424-83dfde7d95f9038d87224c4bffe132d1","parentId",5535424,"title","Wolfeboro ZBA denies rehearing request for Poplar Island special-exception decision 3-2","audioSeconds",955,"startMs",5244000,"endMs",6199000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5535424-83dfde7d95f9038d87224c4bffe132d1&start=5244&end=6199","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5535424-83dfde7d95f9038d87224c4bffe132d1/thumbnail_5244000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6143803/New-Hampshire/Wolfeboro-ZBA-denies-rehearing-request-for-Poplar-Island-special-exception-decision-3-2","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6143803-996c808bab9b2057d6723508bf797370/orig.mp4?Expires=1770885588&Signature=Amwubod8spV41b2hvmxLhLpHtnMSSTz5rXITTllSmFyMhBwjK4gwLU3GZC9w1s1LhpIoskTDSotv711WYhtm4EToIhEWc2mJagrLnNc3vLZDfyop1tYX44Wp6osV1zd~RysHzo4vt93rrpZ6-nPDminUMc3tgST3MF4cjU-AQynENDiTuMt0ToqXVtu1CA1ndoTG27c-09ZQg0maWbRk76LVR9BYABSbkE~jGkfBhSfmZ2ZvDqiG3Ng82LXI-3iENvPHB2bwZV2hsrNS6wD88BIwuNN26QRT3Ra2K466HDs67MeZZbErVHzM~QVOrIhtG0ty6OjpKpGvxFq5FAAbbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-08-05T11:54:50Z","article","The Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment on Aug. — voted 3-2 to deny a request for rehearing of a prior special-exception decision concerning a property on Poplar Island (11 Poplar Island, case 15SC25). The board held the rehearing process is limited to assessing whether the original decision was unlawful or unreasonable or whether new evidence justifies reopening the matter; the motion to deny carried by a 3-to-2 margin.

Board members debated whether the rehearing petition presented new material that would have changed the board’s earlier view. Board member Kate McMahon said she believed the earlier decision’s discussion included characterizations — such as an assertion that two-story houses did not exist on the island — that were not accurate in the record and that new photographs supplied with the rehearing request showed additional context. McMahon said that, on that basis, a rehearing was warranted to ensure the board considered all pertinent evidence.

Other members disagreed. Vice Chairman Audrey Klein and another member explained that special exceptions are granted in locations where the board deems the use appropriate and that the facts before the board at the original hearing (including site visit observations and submitted materials) did not appear substantially different. Klein said the rehearing materials did not present substantially different information that would change the board’s prior legal analysis.

Board staff also noted an administrative point: the rehearing file did not include a separate, explicit agent-authorization letter authorizing the rehearing (the earlier agent authorization covered the initial application). Staff said the board could make ownership or authorization confirmation a condition before any rehearing were accepted.

After deliberation, the board voted to deny the rehearing request. The chair summarized next steps and reminded parties that appeal options include the New Hampshire Land Use Board of Appeals or superior-court review as allowed by state statute.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","4 August 2025 Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 3-2 to deny a request for rehearing of its prior decision on a special exception that concerned additions at 11 Poplar Island, concluding the rehearing petition did not present sufficient new or unlawful grounds to reopen the case.","taxTitle","Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment, Wolfeboro, Carroll County, New Hampshire","taxId",68304,"location","New Hampshire","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6143808,"ZBA approves Brewster Academy special exception to convert 209 South Main into girls’ dormitory",1973,3209000,5182000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5535424-83dfde7d95f9038d87224c4bffe132d1&start=3209&end=5182","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5535424-83dfde7d95f9038d87224c4bffe132d1/thumbnail_3209000.jpg","/articles/6143808/New-Hampshire/ZBA-approves-Brewster-Academy-special-exception-to-convert-209-South-Main-into-girls-dormitory","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6143808-ad10dba957856fd2245f4a14b1bcb88a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770885588&Signature=VFJefPhF7ZoiRsVkjVdkB6EPG829~7GfVImjyiX-b1LQCjJH~drzONIGd3L0vHXmPOG-stkP1Pvr7fM6hFKgQnL~jfqwYpoF~zHB1VgOzy3Tk2PlX4GehfCV6bjCrz-RDOTm4I4L0E4gI6Rf9pULMYRqCTnBo92CzHiTBhFxxEM-Ffg59ZKa7waYbycUSdyG1DjOb3TkTbXuNlw7IREX1d8KqBQaeibkmDwHJbxr6~SP~YD6~UuFirhyiqodLXZVDFJUtVG2lI~q6RB3DLsupNo7NC9IGDZOYvsb9G3BxuATxBBo0Vkgn~P9rK376zP-SGDBlvVZ3KqQBtn2d49INg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a special exception allowing Brewster Academy to convert an existing bed-and-breakfast at 209 South Main Street into a girls’ dormitory for roughly 10 students. The board voted to grant the special exception after hearing the academy’s presentation and reviewing the site during a site visit earlier the same day.

Caroline Palucha, attorney for Brewster Academy, told the board the conversion would house about 10 students—two per room in five bedrooms—supervised by on-site faculty in a separate residence unit. “The proposed use will actually reduce traffic, when compared to the previous use of the property as a bed and breakfast,” Palucha said, noting students are generally not permitted to have cars and any student vehicles would be limited to the main campus parking lot.

Palucha said Brewster will make limited exterior changes: updated signage and key-card retrofitting for entry doors for security. She said the academy submitted a minor site-plan application to the town technical review committee and that the building and fire departments would review required sprinkler and alarm systems as part of a change-of-use review.

Board members discussed parking, narrow stairs, lighting for safety and the role of the planning board and the technical review committee (TRC) in reviewing site-plan changes. The board added conditions that any significant change to the approved site plan — such as additions, sheds, or changes to the footprint — must return to the ZBA, and that the property’s uses must remain accessory to the dormitory.

The vote was unanimous. The board’s written conditions require the applicant to obtain all applicable federal and state permits and comply with the Town of Wolfeboro building code prior to construction or occupancy; the notice of decision must be recorded with the Carroll County Register of Deeds, and the special exception must be exercised within two years or be extended for good cause.

The applicant said the property is in two zoning designations: an underlying Village Residential zone (where dormitories require a special exception) and an overlay Residential/Office/Institutional (ROI) zone, where school uses can be permitted. Brewster filed for the special exception after town staff advised moving forward under the stricter special-exception review. The academy also noted nearby institutional and dormitory uses, including an adjacent performing arts center and other Brewster dorms, as precedent for the request.

The board closed the public hearing, found the eight special-exception criteria met, and approved the conversion with the stated conditions. The matter will proceed also through the planning board’s site-plan review process as the academy finalizes exterior details.","The Zoning Board granted Brewster Academy a special exception to convert a bed-and-breakfast at 209 South Main Street into a girls’ dormitory for about 10 students, with conditions requiring building- and fire-code review and notification to the planning board for site-plan work.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6143813,"Wolfeboro ZBA approves variance to reopen Hope House transitional housing at 1618 Lerner Street",2477,648000,3125000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5535424-83dfde7d95f9038d87224c4bffe132d1&start=648&end=3125","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5535424-83dfde7d95f9038d87224c4bffe132d1/thumbnail_648000.jpg","/articles/6143813/New-Hampshire/Wolfeboro-ZBA-approves-variance-to-reopen-Hope-House-transitional-housing-at-1618-Lerner-Street","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6143813-ec810c3d5fa2c3f31eb4292fcc54b1ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1770885588&Signature=hQvnZTiQoplMV~sU8~7-YWzChNP1OsRSfW~mQd4RHb5SbugEwuOhHcwt-RCPUgo9KktEskohRdcVT4gENJqQ5xXcvvzw-kfU-vzs8HVFSCHaHLjg4Y38uoTSRilWJRJxj0JcmQX0frLVpOpbXSspDTQ5sLeLzEelGZ6gZDKr06Y-YtLmDY0Eq3ii88kmcCnsSrGPXC-Hc~7wVI-FKgV0r9MYsUjkHQLs6RYXL9Zz-XvI-l23DquAlx9h7O-LOq4Id2M~Ex6pgq-JJwQNCu35DtrWCI7V0~FCS9D73H7AO29BBSkJNb8ddaf0YV-BPeQkyJfbQdZLF7PGTWD7ms5yJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment on Aug. — approved a variance allowing the second and third floors of 1618 Lerner Street to be used for temporary transitional housing and comprehensive services for families experiencing homelessness. The motion passed unanimously on a roll-call vote after public comment and deliberation.

The variance, granted for Hope House Holdings Inc., restores a use the board approved in 2016 and which lapsed when the prior operator closed. The approval covers use of the second and third floors for transitional housing, with conditions requiring all applicable federal and state permits and compliance with town building codes before any construction or change of use is implemented.

Attorney Randy Walker, representing Hope House Holdings Inc. and Family Promise of the Lakes Region, told the board the organizations are private 501(c)(3) nonprofits providing short-term stays — typically two to four months — and counseling services to families in need. “How can it be contrary to the public interest to provide transitional housing for homeless people?” Walker asked during his presentation, arguing the proposal fits within the Commercial C-1 Central Business District’s mixed-use aims and noting the building is large—about 19,000 square feet—and “turnkey” for the proposed use.

Jim Southern, a local organizer and former board supporter of the earlier program, described the management changes the applicants plan. “We want 24-hour people paid to be awake all night,” Southern said, addressing neighbors’ past concerns about overnight supervision. Southern also said the program historically averaged 110 days per stay and helped roughly 35 families per year during earlier operations.

Several neighbors spoke during public comment and said they supported reopening the facility if management would be present overnight. Betsy Booth, who said she had volunteered at Hope House previously, said, “I think it’s terribly needed, and I really believe that we have this space that’s ideally suited for it.” Neighbor Paul Whalen said the program’s earlier run began well-managed but later lapsed, and he welcomed the stated return to stronger oversight.

During deliberations the board applied the five variance criteria cited in the Wolfeboro zoning materials, concluding the use would not alter the essential character of the neighborhood, would serve a public good, and that literal enforcement of the ordinance would create an unnecessary hardship given the building’s size and prior approval. The board’s motion included the approval be recorded at the Carroll County Register of Deeds and noted the variance must be exercised within two years or be extended for good cause.

The board’s approval included an administrative list of conditions: the project must obtain all federal and state permits, comply with Town of Wolfeboro building code requirements, match the submitted plans and documentation, and satisfy recording and appeal requirements cited in local guidance.

The decision restores a use that operated from 2016 until about 2023, when Families in Transition closed and the use lapsed. The applicants said the program relies on private funding, not state or federal grants.

The ZBA’s action ends the board’s public review; the conditions require the applicants to secure building- and fire-code approvals as needed before occupying the space.","The Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a variance to allow the second and third floors of 1618 Lerner Street to be used for temporary transitional housing and services, restoring a use that previously operated at the site.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Wolfeboro ZBA denies rehearing request for Poplar Island special-exception decision 3-2

ZBA approves Brewster Academy special exception to convert 209 South Main into girls’ dormitory

Wolfeboro ZBA approves variance to reopen Hope House transitional housing at 1618 Lerner Street