The Framingham Zoning Board of Appeals on May 14 denied a request to reduce the side-yard setback for a proposed pool house at a Parmenta Road property, concluding the applicant had created the hardship that prompted the variance request.

The homeowner sought relief to place a 17-by-22-foot pool house 15 feet from the lot line where the R-4 district requires 30 feet. The application argued that an Algonquin gas transmission pipeline bisecting the parcel and the location of the septic system left little buildable area and justified the reduced setback.

Board members who visited the site acknowledged the pipeline and other constraints but repeatedly described the situation as a self-created hardship. One member said the homeowner chose the pool location and grading and “created the berms” and that those decisions undercut the legal standard for a variance. The applicant said the pipeline rendered roughly half the lot unusable and noted multiple abutters supported the request, except an adjacent neighbor who submitted a letter of opposition.

The neighbor, identified as Mister George, attended the hearing and reiterated concerns about alternative siting and the availability of space on the downstream side of the pool. Board members asked whether the pool house would include plumbing; the applicant said he preferred to include at least cold water but would remove full plumbing if required.

Following public comment and board discussion, a member moved to deny the variance; the motion carried. The board made no secondary conditions or directions for further study during the vote.

The denial means the applicant will either need to redesign to meet the existing setbacks or pursue other permitting options. No subsequent appeal or follow-up motion was recorded at the meeting.