Planning Board delays Form A for one‑acre lot bisected by Lenox–Stockbridge line

The Planning Board on July 21 voted to continue review of a Form A application for a one‑acre lot that lies on a parcel bisected by the Lenox–Stockbridge town line after the applicant agreed to correct errors on the application and secure Lenox sign‑off before returning.

Sam Parsons, a surveyor with Kelly, Granger and Parsons Surveyors, told the board the application misidentifies the assessor map and labels Hawthorne Street as Hawthorne Road. Parsons said the correct assessor reference is map 203, lot 79. He also described the owners, Michael Lynch and Susan Baker, proposing to convey a one‑acre parcel while retaining about 27.75 acres.

Parsons read the relevant Lenox zoning provision to the board, saying: "When a lot is situated in part in the town of Lenox and in part in the adjacent municipality, the provisions of this bylaw shall be applied to the portion of such lot in Lenox in the same manner as if the entire lot were situated in Lenox." He said the Lenox portion of the proposed lot meets Lenox's dimensional requirement of one acre and 150 feet of road frontage, noting the plan measures about 174 feet of frontage depending on measurement method.

Board members pressed on whether Lenox's bylaw could control a lot that has no frontage in Lenox and whether Stockbridge's R4 district frontage requirement (300 feet) would prevent approval. A board member noted that, while Lenox treats the town line as effectively invisible for applying its dimensional rules, Stockbridge may view the split differently and could consider the lot nonconforming in Stockbridge.

Given those open questions and the incorrect assessor information on the application, the board asked the applicant to correct the Form A, initial the corrections in person, and obtain signatures from Lenox planning officials. A motion to continue the review to the board's next meeting was made and approved; the board set the next meeting for August 4.

The board did not take a final vote on subdivision status or the Form A endorsement; members said they will consult with town counsel and expect to see the corrected paperwork and Lenox sign‑off before the matter returns for formal action.