ZBA finalizes findings denying variance for 36 Granite Street after court remand

At a public meeting on Dec. 9 the Nashua Zoning Board of Adjustment finalized findings of fact for the record concerning 36 Granite Street and adopted them as its formal response to a Housing Appeals Board remand.

Board members reviewed the certified record from the Sept. 26 hearing and debated whether the property met the five variance criteria. Some board members said the property is not unique in the immediate neighborhood and that granting a second detached principal dwelling would alter the essential character of the narrow, established dead‑end street. Other members proposed more surgical edits, but the board’s consensus language emphasized reliance only on the certified minutes and record before the ZBA at the time of the original decision.

The board’s motion to clarify findings said granting the variance would not be in the public interest because it would alter neighborhood character by adding an additional dwelling unit at the end of a narrow dead end street and would create two principal uses on a single lot. The motion noted no evidence in the certified record that surrounding property values would be diminished and that alternative ways to create additional dwelling units existed. The board voted unanimously to adopt the clarified findings and directed staff to finalize minutes and send the findings to the parties and the HAB.

The board recorded the vote and instructed staff to prepare a written letter and draft minutes for distribution to counsel and parties involved in the HAB matter.