In a letter to the Metrowest Daily News published today, a Southborough landowner said she and her husband “feel like we have been hit by a truck” after a recent Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.
The couple attended the meeting to urge the board to decline a request by a major land developer to rezone a parcel of land from residential to industrial, a move they said could decrease the value of their abutting property.
The variance request was ultimately approved, which prompted the landowner to write this:
The “hardship” criteria the applicants used for this variance are laughable, but obviously not to the omniscient ZBA. Any hardship that occurs will be felt by us property owners. The vote was 4 to 1 in favor of the variance; we did not have a chance. One of the board members said, I’m paraphrasing, that it was not up to them to stick up for individuals – EXCUSE ME!!! They say that they are obligated to “do what’s best for the town.” What’s best for the town is what’s best for its residents. What advantage is it for this board to allow spot zoning, what property owner is safe from this autocratic behavior?
You can read the full letter in the Metrowest Daily News.
Isn’t that Hugh Darzell’s old property on Rt 9?