Alton zoning board grants two driveway variances after debate over ambiguous ‘less than 3’ wording

ALTON TOWN — The Alton Town Zoning Board of Adjustment on Feb. 5 approved two variances that change how driveways may be used on private property, after extended discussion about an ambiguous definition in the town zoning ordinance and possible emergency-access implications.

The board granted a variance for case Z26-03 (Prospect Mountain Survey), allowing a shared driveway to serve three separate dwelling units on Bay Hill Road. Paul Zusko, the applicants’ land surveyor, told the board the new lot would use roughly 100 feet of an existing shared driveway and that the Selectmen had already approved the shared access for the lots. Speaker 3 read aloud the ordinance language that gave the board pause: "Any path of that access serving less than 3 dwelling units." Several members said the phrasing could be read in different ways and that pursuing a variance was a prudent approach.

Why it matters: The wording in the town’s definition — whether it means "fewer than three" or "three or fewer" —…