Zoning board votes to drop school lighting appeal
The West Newbury Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously Aug. 19 to let a resident withdraw, without prejudice, her appeal over unenforced zoning rules on athletic field lighting at Pentucket Regional Middle/High School.
Zoning Board · Meeting of August 19, 2026
WEST NEWBURY — The West Newbury Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously Aug. 19 to let a resident withdraw, without prejudice, her appeal over unenforced zoning rules on athletic field lighting at Pentucket Regional Middle/High School. Land and Building Services Administrator Jen Geary told the board the town clerk recommended that approach given the timing of the request. Geary also outlined upcoming revisions tied to Chapter 40A, the state zoning law, under the fiscal year 2027 state budget signed July 9, including a shift in the variance standard from a "substantial hardship" test to the lower "practical difficulty" threshold.
The board agreed to schedule a training workshop with its law firm, KP Law, for Nov. 18, and separately began a rewrite of its own rules, including dropping certified mail in favor of cheaper certificates of mailing for abutter notices.
In the full story:
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Source: the Zoning Board meeting of August 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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