In order to pursue court actions, you must exhaust your administrative process. The appeal is part of the administrative process.
I don't think that an appeal to the board is required by law. I am no expert on administrative law but consider:
Sec. 29-32b(b): "Any person aggrieved by any refusal to issue or renew a permit . . .
may, within ninety days after receipt of notice of such refusal, limitation or revocation, or refusal or failure to supply an application as provided in section 29-28a, and without prejudice to any other course of action open to such person in law or in equity, appeal to the board.
First, appeal to the board is permissive ("may") - not mandatory ("must"). And I do not see anything in section 29 that exhausts your rights to pursue equitable relief (e.g. mandamus) without exhausting any administrative procedure.
Second, the statute says that the board may be petitioned only where your application has been refused. An application for mandamus would only seek an order that the town
act on the application and either allow or deny it which is what the 8 week limitation requires.