The Jaffrey Zoning Board of Adjustment has granted a request for a rehearing on a special exception to allow for retention of a logging bridge, after an objection lodged by the Select Board.

The Zoning Board originally approved the special exception Sept. 3, following an application by Cody and Alexa Gordon regarding their property on Harkness Road. The request was to convert a temporary logging road and bridge installed in 2022 into permanent driveway access for a future home. The logging bridge would make a second driveway, along with another over an existing stone box culvert.

In a letter received by the Zoning Board on Oct. 3, the Select Board listed a total of six reasons why they believed the granting of the special exception to be unlawful, including a lack of documentation from the state allowing the retention of the bridge, a lack of a dredge and fill application to allow the crossing to be used for forestry operations, lack of proof of wetlands, the lack of a site visit and failure to continue the hearing to allow time for supporting evidence to be submitted.

“A rehearing of the Sept. 3 decision for a special exception is requested by the Select Board given the decision was made without appropriate supporting documentation from the applicant,” the Select Board wrote. “Requests to postpone or make a conditional approval pending the documentation were dismissed. The Zoning Board of Adjustment deserves the opportunity to make an informed decision based on information requested by its members to make that decision.”

During a review of the request, Zoning Board members concluded that the request outlined sufficient errors to trigger a rehearing process. Member Walter Batchelder said that the two most-convincing items to him were not continuing the hearing to allow for additional documentation, and failure to do a site visit.

“We know hardly anything about that property other than there are two bridges going across it,” Batchelder said. “We should have put boots on the ground. We didn’t dig enough; we kind of rushed to judgment to get things done.”

Member Erlene Brayall agreed, saying that in hindsight, she thought the board put too much credence on the fact that the bridge was preexisting.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172. Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.