ZBA grants pool variance, continues two hearings
The Shrewsbury Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-0 to grant a pool-setback variance at 22 Ridge Road while absorbing a sudden state-law overhaul. Town Counsel Stephen Madaus told the four-member board, sitting one member short due to illness, that M.G.L.
Zoning Board · Meeting of August 24, 2026
SHREWSBURY — The Shrewsbury Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-0 to grant a pool-setback variance at 22 Ridge Road while absorbing a sudden state-law overhaul. Town Counsel Stephen Madaus told the four-member board, sitting one member short due to illness, that M.G.L. Chapter 40A, Section 10 now requires weighing a "practical difficulty" standard, including housing production, against neighborhood welfare, replacing the old "substantial hardship" test effective July 1.
Applicant Robert Coates won approval to install a 20-foot above-ground pool four feet from his deck where 10 feet is normally required, citing topography, a septic field and an existing fence. The board also voted 4-0 to continue hearings for Mark Peris at 13 John Street and McCarty Engineering, Inc. at 957 Boston Turnpike to September 28, and approved withdrawal-without-prejudice requests for RJ Foley LLC at 894 Boston Turnpike and Daniel Ford at 47 Lear Street. "We're just going to have to go out there and so our own path, I guess," Madaus said of the unsettled new standard.
The meeting adjourned at 6:32 p.m.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,135 words
Source: the Zoning Board meeting of August 24, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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