Bolton ZBA keeps pool setback hearing open after documentation errors; applicant to submit new site plan

Chair William Pike called the Bolton Zoning Board of Appeals to order at 7:04 p.m. on Feb. 9 and opened a continued public hearing at 7:11 p.m. on Application BZA-25-3, a variance request concerning 8 Alexis Drive.

Applicant Stephen Rascher presented revised maps and explained the proposed in-ground pool’s placement, telling the board the pool would sit about 25 feet from the well and septic and 10 feet from the house. The meeting agenda listed a requested reduction in the rear-yard setback from 40 feet to 26 feet (a 14-foot variance), but Rascher told the board he was requesting a 10-foot variance and supplied new measurements; the board flagged that discrepancy and asked for corrected paperwork.

Board members pressed for clearer, professionally documented boundary evidence. Vice Chair Joshua Machnik asked about landscaping and the pool perimeter; Rascher said he planned pavers or stamped concrete with a 4-foot perimeter and that there would be a fence around the pool. Member Jonathan Treat said the submission lacked a credible professional survey. Chair Pike noted that “the new site map and application do not match” and emphasized that the board requires an accurate site plan and application with consistent numbers.

When asked to state the hardship that would justify a variance, Rascher said there was “no other location to place the pool.” Pike suggested the house orientation might be considered a hardship but declined to rule on the legal question without the corrected documentation.

Given the measurement and documentation issues, the board left the public hearing open to allow Rascher to submit an updated site plan and application. Vice Chair Joshua Machnik moved to table ZBA-25-3 and continue the hearing to the next meeting; Anne Decker seconded and the motion carried unanimously, 5–0–0.

At the same meeting the board approved the Jan. 12, 2026 minutes (Jonathan Treat moved; Anne Decker seconded) and later voted to adjourn at 7:35 p.m. (Machnik moved; Decker seconded). Under Old Business the board recorded no final action on ZBA-25-3 beyond tabling the matter pending additional materials.

The board asked that any supplemental materials include a site plan that matches the application and, if feasible, a survey or other professional boundary confirmation. The public hearing will resume once the applicant submits the requested documentation and the board places the item on a future agenda.