Planning Board Accepts Withdrawal of Zero Middle Street Subdivision Permit Application

WEST NEWBURY -- January 21, 2025, West Newbury Planning Board unanimously accepts withdrawal of a contested three-lot subdivision bid on a prominent scenic road parcel. After at least five months of public hearings, attorney Lisa Mead, representing the Thurlow Revocable Trust and 85-year-old property owner Ellen Thurlow, requested withdrawal without prejudice of special permit applications for a reduced-frontage lot and scenic road approval at Zero Middle Street, telling the board "the votes would not be present" if pressed. Members Brian R. Murphey and Ann E Bardeen led opposition, arguing the bylaw's reduced-frontage relief was never intended to circumvent the street's 200-foot frontage standard. New associate member Ted Amon was the lone voice in favor, calling it "a reasonable request" given inevitable development pressure. Recused board member Deborah R. Hamilton, an immediate abutter, cited scenic road protections, Massachusetts Endangered Species Act obligations, and the parcel's role in the Artichoke Reservoir watershed. Withdrawal without prejudice leaves the Thurlow trust free to return with a new application at any time.