Zoning Board Grants Retroactive Deck Permit for Westwood Drive Home

Zoning Board · Meeting of June 17, 2026

Sturbridge Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously grants retroactive determination for a Westwood Drive deck project built before permits were secured. Applicant Bryan Bays told the board his contractor started work on the 54 Westwood Drive property on May 13 without a permit, was rejected on a May 18 application, and was shut down by the town on May 26 before staff allowed the job to continue over safety concerns. The board found the project, replacing a 16-by-12 deck with a 20-by-16 deck and adding a separate 16-by-13 deck around an existing pool, does not create or increase the lot's existing zoning non-conformities, which stem from a frontage 25 feet short of the requirement and 0.66 acres against a 0.75-acre minimum.

Member Elizabeth Banks said the applicant's "presentation was so good" she had no questions left to ask. The board also accepted its May 20 minutes and set its next meeting for July 15.

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Source: the Zoning Board meeting of June 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.