Board grants Canterbury Road variances to allow new single-family home on substandard lot

The Concord Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to grant variances allowing Ashutosh Rana and Valentine Realty LLC to build a single-family house on an undeveloped lot on Canterbury Road that falls short of the ordinances minimum frontage and lot-area requirements.

During the hearing the applicant said he purchased 17 Canterbury together with the undeveloped parcel and that both parcels had common ownership dating to 1976; he presented a conceptual plan showing a house within required setbacks, a driveway on Canterbury and noted nearby lots with smaller sizes and frontage. The applicant said two neighbors notified by certified mail support the proposal.

Board members discussed the site history and confirmed the lot predates the current ordinance. Members generally concluded that denying the request would deny the property owner reasonable use of the lot. The board moved to grant a variance from the minimum lot frontage requirement (less than 100 feet where 100 feet is required) and a variance from the minimum lot area (approximately 8,712 square feet where 12,500 is required) on the basis that the RSA 674:33 criteria had been met and by adopting the applicants proposed findings. The vote was unanimous and the board advised that the applicant should return with final building plans if additional variances are needed.

The board and applicant discussed driveway placement; the applicant said an earlier plan proposed access via an adjacent lot but that he revised the design to place the driveway on Canterbury to meet intersection spacing requirements. Board members noted the applicant could return if his final design required additional relief.