ZBA denies sober home appeal, orders owner proof
Stow's Zoning Board of Appeals denied an appeal over a reported sober home and ordered the owner to document its use. The board voted 5-0 to adopt a written decision on 41 Birchow Road that gives the owner 30 days from filing to give the building commissioner written evidence of bylaw compliance.
Zoning Board of Appeals · Meeting of April 6, 2026
Stow's Zoning Board of Appeals denied an appeal over a reported sober home and ordered the owner to document its use. The board voted 5-0 to adopt a written decision on 41 Birchow Road that gives the owner 30 days from filing to give the building commissioner written evidence of bylaw compliance. Members voted 4-1 on language saying evidence "appears to show more than five people living at the property," then said they were "unable to conclusively find" a violation.
Chair David Hartnagel presided. The board also voted 4-0 to treat the Residences at Still Acre cottage expansion, from 40 to 52 units, as an insubstantial change. Mark, the applicant, said the plan would lift the whole project from 189 to 201 units, a 6.3 percent increase.
In the full story:
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- Key Motions & Votes
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- Stow's community access TV: Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, April 6, 2026
- The complete report: 1,000 words
Source: the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting of April 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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