Groton ZBA Continues Tower Variance Hearing to July 15

Zoning Board of Appeals · Meeting of July 1, 2026

GROTON — The Groton Zoning Board of Appeals continued a contested cell tower variance hearing and watched a second applicant withdraw his request rather than face denial. TowerCom Enterprises representatives Ben Detouri and John Stevens sought setback relief to build a wireless facility near Groton-Dunstable Regional High School's maintenance yard, but board member Bruce Eastman said the company needed to show "the only white spot" on the 186-acre parcel meeting zoning criteria before any hardship claim could proceed; the board continued that case to July 15. Separately, attorney Rob Ansell withdrew Edward O'Neill's bid to cut required frontage on Common Street from 225 feet to 110 feet after Chairman Prager and other members indicated in a straw poll they would deny it, citing the "zoning merger doctrine" and the self-created nature of the nonconformity.

In the full story:

• Board Reorganizes To Hear Two Cases Out of Order
• TowerCom's Proposed Wireless Facility at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School
• Common Street LLC Frontage Variance for 162 Common Street
• Board Process: Case Law, Training and the Zoning Merger Doctrine
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,082 words

Source: the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting of July 1, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.