The Board is comprised of five elected members and up to five alternates. Alternates are always needed. The ZBA is a good introduction to state and local land use regulations. State seminars are provided.
Chair: Brooks McCandlish
Vice Chair:
Members: Nathanial Bruss, William Duffy, Laura Beaton, Jim Varney
Alternates:
Zoning Board Secretary: zoningboard@bradfordnh.org
The Zoning Board of Adjustment meets at the Bradford Town Hall at 7:00 pm on the first Wednesday of each month.
The Bradford Zoning Ordinance and New Hampshire statutes authorize the board to grant Special Exception, Variances, and hear appeals from Administrative Decisions. The need for an appeal is referenced by the Building Inspector during the building permit process. Information is available at the Town Hall.
Individuals are encouraged to attend a regularly scheduled meeting for informal discussion about the appeal process.
WHAT IS THE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT?
The Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) considers the differences between properties which do not conform to the Zoning Ordinance since no ordinance can be equitably applied to every parcel of land.
The ZBA deals with three main types of appeals:
- Special Exception – certain sections of the Zoning Ordinance provide that a particular use of property in a particular zone will be permitted by special exception if the specified conditions are meet.
- Variance – a variance is use of property in a way not permitted in the Zoning Ordinance, denial of which would cause a special hardship because of unique properties of the property in question. There are five (5) conditions required by state law to be meet for a variance to be granted.
- Administrative Appeal – if you have been denied a building permit or are affected by some decision regarding the administration of the Bradford Zoning Ordinance, and you believe that the decision was made in error, you may appeal the decision to the ZBA.
State law and local regulations set out the proper procedures for preparing, submitting, reviewing and approving any applications required. Time periods are set for all procedures and must be followed in order to be legally binding. In some cases, a public hearing, with notification of abutters, must be held before a decision is made.
A preliminary discussion with the ZBA is advised to determine the appropriate appeal and clarify the application process.