Granby ZBA Unanimously Grants RV Carport Variance at Cohill Drive

GRANBY -- February 18, 2025, Granby's Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a dimensional variance for a rooftop RV carport and opened a joint session with the Planning Board to begin overhauling the town's outdated zoning bylaws. The ZBA granted the variance to Jason Richard of 7 Cohill Drive, whose pre-zoning corner lot left him no code-compliant location for the 12-by-25-foot aluminum structure to shelter his travel trailer, with front and side setbacks falling short at 14 feet and 12 feet respectively against requirements of 40 feet and 15 feet. In the joint session that followed, both boards agreed the town's bylaws conflict with the 2024 state Accessory Dwelling Unit law, which sets a 900-square-foot ADU threshold, and that vague commercial-use definitions have blocked at least one local property, known as the Chateau, from displaying pre-built sheds and agricultural structures for sale outdoors. The Planning Board disclosed it has received a $110,000 state grant to fund the cleanup work, and both bodies agreed to exchange draft bylaw language before bringing any article to town meeting.