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Applicant asks Bedford board to postpone variance hearing after only four members available
Summary
An applicant requested the Bedford board delay a variance hearing because only four members were present and the applicant preferred to wait for more members rather than seek approval with a four-member, unanimous outcome.
An applicant asked the Bedford board to postpone a variance hearing scheduled for tonight after officials confirmed only four board members were present.
“Mister chairman, in talking to the applicants, since we are only gonna have 4 members here tonight, that would require for them to get approval of this variance that would require all 4 members to vote in favor of it,” Speaker 1, a staff member, told the chair, adding that “the applicant has decided they'd like to wait until we could have more board members present to increase their chances.”
The request led the chair, identified in the transcript as Speaker 2, to consult the board attorney on how to proceed. Speaker 2 said, “With that, The attorney to make sure that I do this correctly is because we don't have a form here tonight. We've decided not to have the meeting for the record.” The chair then confirmed the board would not hold the meeting and that the applicant had asked for the delay.
Why it matters: the postponement delays whatever decision on the variance the applicant had sought and moves any formal action to a later date, potentially lengthening the review timeline.
Board members discussed scheduling options. Speaker 1 noted another application is scheduled for Sept. 17 but said the applicant for this matter would be out of town then and expected to return Oct. 15; “So you'll have 3 meetings in a row,” Speaker 1 said. A board member, identified as Speaker 3, urged that the board give more notice so more members could attend.
The record shows the board learned at about 4 p.m. the same day that one member would not attend; Speaker 1 said, “We learned, like, about 04:00 this afternoon that 1 of the members was not gonna be here. We thought we were gonna have 5 or we wouldn't have called the meeting.”
Outcome and next steps: the board did not convene the hearing and agreed to delay the applicant's matter until a later date when more members are available. The transcript does not record a formal motion, a second, or a vote on the postponement. The applicant indicated agreement with the delay.
The meeting concluded shortly afterward with the chair saying the hearing would be delayed and offering closing remarks.
