Cromwell ZBA unanimously approves variances for Coles Road home, clears path to occupancy
Planning and Zoning · Meeting of March 10, 2026
Cromwell's Zoning Board of Appeals granted two setback variances Tuesday to allow a newly built Coles Road home to receive its certificate of occupancy. The board voted unanimously to approve application 26-02, filed by owner John T. Donovan for the property at 37 Coles Road, which was found to encroach approximately 0.7 feet into the required 20-foot side yard and, once the front porch was included, nearly seven feet into the required 40-foot front yard setback.
Staff member Andrew Armstrong told the board the original building plan had been approved as compliant; a mid-construction surveyor change, attributed to gaps in town monumentation records, produced the discrepancy. Written statements from three abutting property owners, including Timothy Ford of 35 Coles Road and Robert Hines of 39 Coles Road, expressed no objection. Armstrong reminded the board that financial hardship "is not considered a hardship" under Connecticut zoning law, and the board made no such finding in granting the approval.
In the full story:
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Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of March 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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