Grantham schedules May 28 zoning hearing for Stocker Pond Road variance

Grantham has scheduled a May 28 public hearing on a variance request for 259 Stocker Pond Road, putting a new land-use decision on the calendar in one of the town’s most watched shoreline areas.

The notice, posted Tuesday, May 12 at 8:54 a.m., identifies the case as ZBA Application #05-2026-01. It does not spell out the full substance of the request in the public snippet, but it is clear that the applicant is seeking relief from at least one zoning requirement, and that the Grantham Zoning Board of Adjustment will take the matter up in a public setting where residents can review the proposal before the board acts.

That timing matters because the ZBA normally meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Jerry Whitney Memorial Conference Room at the Grantham Town Building, unless otherwise posted. The May 28 date fits that regular schedule and gives neighbors a defined window to examine the application, understand what change is being sought at 259 Stocker Pond Road, and speak at the hearing if they choose.

Stocker Pond carries added land-use sensitivity in Grantham. The pond is included in the town’s Shore Land and River Overlay District, along with Eastman Lake, Anderson Pond, Butternut Pond and Miller Pond. That overlay means shoreline-adjacent projects can trigger closer review, especially when a proposal does not fit neatly within standard zoning rules.

Prior records show how closely the town has already watched work around the pond. In 2025, Michael Stanhope filed a special-exception application for 89 Stocker Pond Road to replace and expand an existing deck and farmer’s porch within 250 feet of Stocker Pond. A separate 2024 shoreland permit file for that same property was approved by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services on April 11, 2025. Together, those records show that projects near the water can involve both local zoning review and state shoreline oversight.

For abutters and other nearby residents, the practical question now is not only what happens at 259 Stocker Pond Road, but how the board interprets the request and what that could mean for future uses on the pond. A variance can affect setbacks, access, building placement or other site conditions that do not fit the base zoning rules, and the outcome can shape expectations for other lots in the same shoreline district. The May 28 hearing is the point at which that decision starts to take form.