What is the process for filing an application with the Board of Appeals?
The process officially begins when a complete application is submitted to the Town Clerk. Once a completed application is received by the Planning Department and filed with the Town Clerk, a public hearing is scheduled.
Public hearings require abutter notification (direct abutters and abutters within 300 feet of the subject property). A hearing notice must also be posted on the Town's website, with the Town Clerk, and published in the local newspaper for two successive weeks, the first of which is 14 days in advance of the scheduled hearing date.
The public hearing is opened and closed by the Board of Zoning Appeals. After the close of the public hearing, the Board must then vote on the application. A written decision must the be prepared, signed at the following Board meeting, and submitted to the Town Clerk for a 20-day appeal period.
All applications will be processed within the statutory timeframes as outlined in the Zoning Ordinance and M.G.L. Chapter 40A.