In a highly unusual move, only one day after hearing oral argument, the Supreme Judicial Court reversed the Appeals Court decision in Murchison v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Sherborn, which concerned the test for establishing standing in land use cases, and reaffirmed what had previously been considered the undisputed  legal standard.

The SJC has concluded that a preexisting nonconforming home may be altered or extended in such a way as to increase the nonconfomity without a variance. What is required is a finding under Section 6 of the Zoning Act.

Johnson & Borenstein successfully challenged a zoning appeal, winning both on standing and on the merits, in a somewhat-unusual situation involving the personal representative of the estate of the original plaintiff.

Those who rent out their properties through Airbnb, VRBO, and other home sharing sites be aware: the Land Court has determined that the Hull zoning bylaw does not permit weekly rentals of a single-family home in the residential district.