Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning And Str topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Springfield selectmen review land-dispute complaint, zoning report and limits on short-term rental use
Summary
At their Nov. 25 meeting the Springfield Board of Selectmen heard a resident’s land-dispute complaint, reviewed the zoning coordinator’s report including approved permits, and discussed a consent decree that limits short-term rental (STR) use at a Main Street property through Dec. 15, 2024, pending further approvals.
The Springfield Board of Selectmen met Nov. 25 at the Memorial Building and spent a substantial portion of the meeting on zoning and property issues, including a resident complaint about a neighbor’s permit and a consent decree that constrains short-term rental activity at a Main Street property.
Bob Baker, a resident of Brook Road, told the board he believes a neighboring permit issued to the Arnetts does not meet setback requirements and presented a 10-year-old survey by Clayton Platt. Baker asked the town to consider requiring stronger documentation from residents when they apply for zoning permits. Zoning Coordinator and Health Officer Tim Bray said the current matter appears to be a civil dispute between property owners but that the Board would discuss whether town procedures could be adjusted to prevent similar situations in the future.
Bray presented the Zoning Coordinator report and listed several permits approved after site visits: a 12-foot-by-18.6-foot deck for Dimitri Feoktistov (3133 Main St.), a 16-by-24-foot attached shed roof for Josh and Chelsea Worthen (561 Hogg Hill Rd), a renewal for a 12-by-14-foot shed for Whit and Terry Smith, and a 50-foot-by-4-foot lawn stairway for Tyler Rowley (2380 Main St.) where the ZBA had previously granted a special exception and NHDES issued a Shoreland Protection permit.
The board reviewed enforcement action and a consent decree involving Tyler Rowley. Town records show a Notice of Violation was issued June 18 for construction within the 100-foot shoreland buffer (Springfield Zoning Ordinance Article IV, Section 4.21). A consent decree agreed Oct. 21 requires the Rowleys to submit a completed building (zoning) permit application within 30 days of the Nov. 5 ZBA variance (a December 5 deadline was noted). If a building permit is denied, the Rowleys must remove the stairs within 14 days of denial. The consent decree also allows STR use of the property only through Dec. 15, 2024; any STR use after that date requires a ZBA special exception and Planning Board site-plan approval. The town recorded receipt of a zoning application from the Rowleys on Nov. 18 and approval on Nov. 19.
Bray also reported pending matters that include a short-term rental tent special-exception case at 2513 Route 4A (Timothy and Shannah Stone), a single-family home application for David and Susan Leathers on a nonconforming lakefront lot pending NHDES and NHDOT approvals, and a continued ZBA application for Sue-Ann and Audrius Kazenas. Bray noted that Harriet Cabins, LLC recently completed a two-year site-plan review process and received Planning Board approval Nov. 21.
Tamara (a town staff member) told the board she had found no new STR listings and will contact applicants about site-plan requirements; she reported a notice of violation was posted at 5 Winding Wood Road and that a withdrawn application at 10 Winding Wood Road had not produced documentation of septic repairs. Tamara said she will follow up with the owner of 30 Winding Wood Road.
The board voted 3–0 to accept the Zoning Coordinator/Health Officer report as written. The board did not adopt any immediate regulatory changes at the meeting; members said they would discuss potential procedural changes to zoning permit requirements at a future meeting.
Next steps: the Board will further consider whether to change permitting procedures and will monitor the Rowley permit, pending ZBA and Planning Board actions.
