The Hudson Planning Board met on September 9 to hear a lot line relocation request from Kristen Zisa, a homeowner on Saint Laurent Drive who has spent the past three years trying to resolve a longstanding property line issue with her neighbor. The matter began when the town notified both homeowners that their lot lines were incorrect, prompting a closer look at how several parcels on the street were originally laid out.
“We got a letter from the town stating that our property lines were messed up. So, we’re trying to fix it basically,” Zisa told the Board. She explained that her neighbor’s propane tank, part of a fence, and a shed were all located on her property, structures neither homeowner had installed. “All that stuff was put on the property before either of us actually owned the properties,” she said. “It’s very frustrating, and as of August, we’ve been doing this for three years.”
To resolve the issue, the two neighbors agreed to a land swap. Zisa said they exchanged equal amounts of land so that each homeowner’s structures would fall within their correct boundaries. “We just traded the exact same amount of land and now all of her stuff is on her property and her stuff is on hers,” she said.
Planning Board Chair Tim Malley noted that such lot line adjustments are relatively common and typically straightforward when both parties agree. “It sounds like it’s basically a land swap and it brings you in compliance with zoning,” Malley said.
Still, several Board members wanted to understand how the situation developed. Board member Ed Van der-Veen asked whether the propane tank had been on Zisa’s property, and she confirmed that multiple structures were misplaced. Vice-Chair Jordan Ulery added that property encroachments are “not uncommon” in Hudson, especially in older neighborhoods where lot lines were drawn decades ago.
Town Planner Hudson Brooke Dubowik displayed an aerial map showing that several lots along Saint Laurent Drive appear to have been misinterpreted by past owners. “Those four properties all in a row are set up so everybody clearly figured their lot line went the opposite way, following the houses,” Dubowik said. “It had a domino effect; one person made a mistake and others followed. It’s bad.”
The neighbor involved in the land swap attended the meeting and confirmed that the agreement was mutual. Malley asked how the issue first came to the town’s attention. According to both homeowners, the letter arrived after a separate complaint unrelated to their dispute.
A third neighbor, also present, asked whether the town planned to address the broader lot line problems affecting the street. Malley said the town typically does not intervene unless a complaint is filed. “This lot line relocation deals with these two pieces of property,” he said. “Every other piece of property stays exactly the way it is until somebody complains and someone chooses to make an application for a lot line relocation to correct the situation.”
After reviewing the plan and confirming that the swap met zoning requirements, the Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the lot line relocation.