Board grants carport variance so veteran can access specially equipped vehicle

The Nashua zoning board approved variances for a carport at 54 Baldwin Street to allow a front‑yard encroachment of 10 feet 1 inch and a 5‑foot side‑yard encroachment so a veteran can access a specially equipped vehicle that won’t fit through the existing garage.

Contractor Tim O’Regan explained the hardship: the owner’s truck uses a gull‑wing lift that cannot be opened inside the existing garage. Emily Duvall, whose husband uses the vehicle, said steps and garage constraints make access difficult and exposed the veteran to weather when entering and exiting the vehicle. "For him to access that vehicle, he cannot even go through the garage because there are steps," she told the board.

Board members noted the parcel’s lot configuration and adjacency to neighbors who reported support. The board found a property‑specific hardship tied to the vehicle’s physical dimensions and the lack of any other practicable location for the structure; a motion to approve was passed. The chair recorded the approval and wished the applicant well.

The approved variance includes findings that the encroachment would not unduly harm neighborhood character and that the carport is the least invasive solution given the unique accessibility need.