Award-winning actor James Woods is looking to stop a neighbor from building a single-family home on Boone Lake.
In a lawsuit filed with the Washington County Superior Court, he's appealing the Exeter Zoning Board of Review's approval of a variance to allow the project to move forward.
"In this case, they're basically saying it's going to change the way the neighborhood looks and that is a basis to appeal," NBC 10 legal analyst Mark Dana said.
Woods is a native Rhode Islander. His family has owned a property on Boone Lake for decades.
Back in 2017, he announced plans to sell the lakefront home but never did.
The undeveloped property in question is two lots down from Woods' home.
Despite his objections, the Zoning Board of Review approved dimensional variances to allow for the construction of a 966-square-foot home.
"The footprint is only an additional 950 square feet. The Zoning Board of Review looked at it. They said it's not going to change the appearance of the neighborhood," Dana said. "If the person was building a 5,000-square-foot house and blocking people's view of the lake, then of course. But that does not appear to be the case here."
Dana said Woods will have to prove the board was clearly erroneous in its decision in order to get it reversed.
"The bottom line is, he's got to show a real reason as to why this was going to be an issue, and he really hasn't done so in these pleadings," he said.
NBC 10 reached out to the town and the attorneys involved in the lawsuit, but they have not returned our request for comment.