West Newbury Zoning Board Unanimously Approves Garage Variance on Cranberry Street

WEST NEWBURY -- August 20, 2025, West Newbury Zoning Board approves reduced setback for farm storage garage on Cranberry Street. The Board of Appeals voted unanimously Wednesday to grant Timothy and Lisa Allen of 157 Cranberry Street a dimensional variance reducing the required side-yard setback from 40 feet to 20 feet for a proposed pole-barn-style storage structure on their restricted-frontage lot in the Residence A district. Board members cited the shape of the restricted-frontage parcel and the footprint of an elevated septic system, installed around 1999, as the statutory basis for the finding under Section 10 of the zoning bylaw. The planned structure, approximately 30 by 20 feet, is described as unheated and without plumbing, intended for storage of farm equipment and an antique truck, and is expected to be built by Wharton Buildings using a steel-column-on-concrete-footing system. The board conditioned approval on submission of a certified plot plan from a licensed surveyor, to be recorded with the decision at the Essex County Registry of Deeds; the Allens have one year to obtain a building permit and act on the variance.