Accountability Posts

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unanimous denial on statutory hardship grounds

Sunapee ZBA on 9/4 denied a side-setback variance at 81 Lake Ave (VA25-5) 4-0. Board found no unique hardship; code-compliant stairs possible without widening the deck into the setback. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/zoning-board/2025-09-04/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH

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split vote revealing division over hardship standard

ZBA split 3-2 on VA25-6 shed variance at 48 Hamel Road. Majority ruled lot size and septic constraints are common to other Mountain View Lake parcels, so they do not meet the unique hardship test. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/zoning-board/2025-09-04/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH

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another variance denial applying consistent criteria

At the 9/4 meeting, Sunapee ZBA also denied the raised hot tub platform variance at 16 Springfield Road (VA25-4) unanimously, citing failure to satisfy the spirit of the 50-ft waterbody setback ordinance. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/zoning-board/2025-09-04/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH

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clarification of legal standard applied to multiple cases

Board members noted during 9/4 deliberations that financial or practical difficulties alone do not qualify as legal hardship under NH variance law. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/zoning-board/2025-09-04/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH

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Post these in sequence for maximum impact.

1

Sunapee Zoning Board denied two lake-area variance requests on 9/4 after applicants cited steep slopes, crumbling structures, and code needs. Board held that shared neighborhood conditions do not create the unique hardship required for relief. #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH

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2

VA25-5 (81 Lake Ave deck) was denied 4-0. VA25-4 (16 Springfield Rd hot tub platform) was also denied 4-0. In both cases the board found alternatives existed within existing footprints.

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3

The 3-2 split came on VA25-6, a shed setback request at 48 Hamel Road. Two members argued the septic and lot constraints justified approval; the majority said those limits affect many parcels and denied the variance. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/zoning-board/2025-09-04/

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Longer-form draft.

At its September 4 meeting the Sunapee Zoning Board of Adjustment denied three of four variance or special-exception requests. The board applied the statutory hardship test consistently, ruling that site constraints shared with neighboring properties do not qualify as unique. 

VA25-4 (raised platform and hot tub within the 50-ft waterbody setback at 16 Springfield Road) and VA25-5 (side setback reduction for deck expansion at 81 Lake Ave) were both denied unanimously. VA25-6 (shed front setback reduction at 48 Hamel Road) failed on a 3-2 vote, with the majority again citing lack of unique hardship. One vertical expansion special exception was approved with a height condition. 

The decisions show the board's current approach to variance criteria and the narrow margin on at least one case. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/zoning-board/2025-09-04/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH