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ZBA approves Rowley Street owner’s shed and sauna in prime wetland buffer with planting conditions
Summary
The ZBA unanimously granted Heidi Saint Allaire a special exception and variances to place a 10x20 shed and a 6x10 sauna on her 4 Rowley Street lot, which lies largely within the 75‑foot prime wetland buffer; approval includes Conservation Commission conditions for native shrubs and groundcover to mitigate runoff and erosion.
The Nashua Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a combined request from homeowner Heidi Saint Allaire to place a 10‑by‑20 utility shed in the front yard and a 6‑by‑10 sauna on an existing concrete pad at 4 Rowley Street, despite being inside the 75‑foot prime wetland buffer.
Saint Allaire told the board her lot is effectively constrained by buffer and setback requirements; she said a previous temporary tent garage occupied the proposed front location and that the entire property falls within the wetland buffer. “Because of the unique circumstances of where my house was actually built… the entire property is in the buffer,” she said, asking for fairness to allow replacement of prior temporary structures.
The Conservation Commission issued an unfavorable recommendation but proposed mitigation and an alternate location; the applicant submitted a landscape plan to address erosion and plant native shrubs on the slope to reduce runoff. Neighbors raised concerns about snow‑plow impacts and wetlands protection in written testimony. The applicant said she would move a boat and adopt the plantings recommended by ConCom.
In deliberations, board members noted the uniqueness of the parcel and existing pre‑existing uses (old pad and prior tent garage) and concluded granting the special exception and variances would allow reasonable use without undue public harm, provided ConCom’s landscaping conditions are met. The board approved the requests and required the applicant to submit the recommended landscape plan (three rows of native shrubs and groundcover on the slope) to the Conservation Commission as a condition of approval.
What’s next: Applicant may proceed subject to meeting the Conservation Commission’s planting and erosion‑control conditions; a 30‑day appeal period applies.
