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Applicant withdraws variance request after ZBA questions undersized lot at 12 Naples Ave.
Summary
Sadiq Sheikh withdrew his application seeking relief from the 12,000‑square‑foot minimum for a lot reportedly measuring about 11,200 square feet after board members said the variance standard was unlikely to be met.
Sadiq Sheikh withdrew a request before the Woburn Zoning Board of Appeals to reduce the minimum lot size requirement for 12 Naples Avenue. Sheikh asked the board to allow a lot smaller than the 12,000 square feet required in the zoning bylaw; he said the current lot is about 11,200 square feet and described family circumstances that motivated the request.
Board members reviewed the variance standard and repeatedly told Sheikh that the legal test for a variance is strict. Several members told him that owning additional contiguous parcels in the same R‑2 zone — including a larger parcel he also owns — would provide development options that do not require a variance. One board member said an undersized lot alone typically does not meet the hardship standard required for a variance. The chair explicitly referenced the case law standard that lot size alone is not ordinarily a hardship.
Sheikh said he had pursued acquisition of an adjacent parcel but that probate and title issues prevented the purchase. The board discussed past filings in 2022 and noted the petitioner had previously sought relief. After several members indicated they would not support the variance, Sheikh asked to withdraw his petition without prejudice so he could pursue alternate options, consult counsel and continue discussions with city staff. The board voted unanimously to allow the withdrawal without prejudice.
