SOUTH HERO DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD MINUTES February 11, 2026
Members Present: Doug Patterson; Justin Myers (Alternate); Liza Kilcoyne; Gareth Hunt; Jim Brightwell; Tim Mullen; Sherry Dupont; Nate Hayward.
Others present: Mary Jane Wirsing; Janine Bellinghiri; Dylan Degree; Linda Kinney; Kim Kinney; Jay Buermann; Kathy Robinson; (via Zoom –) Steve Nedde; Jon and Linda Quackenbus; Dominic Scarpanado; Christina DeGraff Murphy; and Martha Taylor-Varney (ZA).
7:00PM — The meeting was called to order by Martha Taylor-Varney.
Annual Reorganization
J. Brightwell moved to nominate Doug Patterson as Chair; Tim Mullen second. All in favor.
L. Kilcoyne moved to nominate J. Brightwell as Vice-Chair; G. Hunt second. All in favor.
Changes to the Agenda
There were no changes.
Public Input
No public input.
Sketch Plan Review for a 15-lot subdivision at 310 US RT 2 (Haward 310 US RT 2, LLC/Nate Hayward — #26-45-RT310
N. Hayward recused. Jay Buermann and Nate Hayward presented the application to the Board. Nate explained that the sketch plan is for a proposed 15-lot residential subdivision on 8.7 acres located on the previous Fifield property. On the east and north sides of the recently approved Town Park. There will be 13 residential lots. The existing house, with frontage on RT 2, and the space between the house and the Blue Paddle Restaurant are proposed for possible future commercial uses and not being considered as part of this review. The remaining 13 lots will average .61-acre in size, with a 2BR home or 1BR duplex on each lot. Two shared existing septic mounds will be expanded to provide capacity for the entire development. Lots 1-9, at the back of the development, will be developed first. Infrastructure for the entire project (roads, sidewalks, water lines, etc.) will be installed before any homes are constructed. Lots will be available for purchase but eh developer will maintain some design review authority (limiting building heights, etc.). Homes will have south exposures with garages placed on the north side. An emergency turnaround is at the end of each road. The project will maintain a 25-ft. setback around the perimeter of the development. Sidewalks will connect to RT 2 and to the Town Park. Diseased ash trees will need to be removed. Two stands of Shag Bark Hickory will be saved.
Jay Buermann told the Board that the road will be private but will meet the Town road standards. The road has a 50-ft. right-of-way except for the first 116 feet, from the entrance from RT 2 between the house and the neighboring property to the east (Victoria Real Estate). The width of the ROW gradually increases from 44 feet at RT 2 to 50 feet through this area. The Applicant requested a waiver from the requirement to have a 50-ft. right-of-way for this section. A second waiver request asks to reduce the setback from the existing house to the edge of the ROW, from 10’ to 4’. There is currently not enough capacity from the Fire District #4 so some wells may be drilled. However, the developer plans to install a water main to connect to the fire district and include utility easements along the east boundary of the Town Park in preparation for possible future available allocations. There will be a Homeowner’s Association for maintenance of the roads and the shared systems.
Questions from the Board
L. Kilcoyne – Will there be duplexes on any of the lots? Possible 2 or 3. But each unit will have one bedroom. Each lot will have 2 bedrooms in total.
J. Myers – Do you have any privacy concerns being so close to the park? Nate – screening is planned for the boundary of the park and the homes.
G. Hunt – Is there any lighting planned for the development? No, I would prefer not. Any lighting on the homes or free-standing posts will be downward shielded. No street lights.
D. Patterson – Any fire hydrants? Jay Buermann – No. The fire district system is not designed for that.
** J. Brightwell moved to add the written requests for waivers to the record as Exhibit #1; L. Kilcoyne second. All in favor.
D. Patterson – Will there be culverts under the driveways and open swales the rest of the way? Jay – Yes. Maintenance of the stormwater system will be part of the HOA.
Questions From the Public
Kim Kinney – Will the entrance to the development have 2 lanes? This is a very congested area. Jay – Yes. There will be a stop sign and stop bar at the entrance to RT 2.
Dylan Degree – Which direction will the stormwater drain? Jay – I will echo current patterns in that field. How does the park fit in, being so close to the proposed homes? Each lot has a building envelope within which the home can be built. These can be taken into consideration when they are built. I am concerned about traffic flow requirements for entering RT 2. The development is meeting VTrans’ requirements for intersections. Peak estimated trips per day are 10 trips/day per residence. Peak traffic in the development will generally not coincide with the Town Park.
Janine Bellinghiri – Does Fire District #4 have enough capacity? Jay Buermann – water mains are being put in for future hopeful capacity, but there will be some drilled wells. Nate has some allocations now and there will be more capacity in the future when the Blue Paddle is no longer operating.
Kathy Robinson – Are there wetlands in that field? It’s wet all the time. Jay – There are no mapped wetlands there. It does not meet the State’s wetlands’ definition.
Dylan Degree – What is the timeline for the first 9 homes? Nate – We will start with infrastructure first. Late summer/early fall to break ground.
Steve Nedde – On the plan the road rights-of-way are 50 feet. How is it from the pavement to my property line [on Hill Rd,]? 13 feet. The road is 24 feet wide and in the middle of the ROW. The eastern boundary of the ROW is on your property line. How close will a new house be from my property? About 60 feet. There will be no street lights? No street lights. Will exterior lights on homes be downward facing? Yes. If there are 2-story houses, what will be the maximum height? Will they be less than 40 feet? Yes. There will be no specific designs, but I will retain some design review authority. These will be on a per lot basis.
Board Questions
J. Brightwell – For the next hearing, could you provide an overlay showing the park in relation to this proposal? Yes.
L. Kilcoyne – That would be important to help understand the proximity of the park to the back of the homes on lots on the north side of the park.
Jay Buermann – We are waiting to schedule the next hearing until we receive all the permits we need from the State.
7:54PM – D. Patterson closed the Sketch hearing.
Setback Waiver to replace a non-conforming seasonal home at 84 Wally’s Point Rd. (Quackenbush #26-46-WP084)
7:56 PM – D. Patterson opened the hearing. The warning was read and interested persons sworn in.
N. Hayward recused. Nate and Jay Buermann presented the application to the Board. The owners of the property, Jon and Linda Quackenbush, propose to tear down an existing non-conforming seasonal home and replace it with a year-round home. The .82-ac. lot is in the flood plain, with the existing home on the east (lake) side of Wally’s Point Rd. The remaining lot area on the west side has no buildable area. There is a water line (Fire District #4) along the west side of the road. A new septic mound is proposed for this side.
The replacement home will have a filled 5-ft. frost wall, bringing the first-floor elevation to 104.5 feet. The proposed increase in volume of the replacement home is approx. triple that of the existing home, with more lot coverage. Nate recalled two previous replacement non-conforming structures that had increased volume that the Board has approved in the past, on Richards Rd. and West Shore Rd. A Shoreland Protection permit will be submitted to DEC since there will be an increase in impervious surface. Nate told the Board that a patio on the northeast corner of the house will be at-grade and is not considered a structure.
Jay Buermann submitted 3 documents at the hearing to be added to the record –
**G. Hunt moved to accept an email to ZA Martha Taylor-Varney from Rose Watts, River Corridor and Floodplain Manager; J. Myers second. All in favor.
**L. Kilcoyne moved to accept a new site and grading plan by Buermann Engineering; G. Hunt second. All in favor.
**G. Hunt moved to accept Permit Navigator results #PRN-0000013544; J. Myers second. All in favor.
Jay Buermann agreed that a conditional use review is needed since the site is in Zone A2 in the flood plain and will require an elevation certificate before a CO for the new home is issued. Placing fill to lift the first floor of the house to 104.5 feet meets the requirements of Sec. 905.A.
The septic mound has been designed to sit centered on the top of a natural ridge on the west side of the road, so water will drain the same way as it does now. There are no changes proposed in drainage patterns. There is a swale along the south boundary of the lot that runs to a trench along the lake where the water is filtered before entering the lake. Since the new contours around the house will be steep (due to raising the home), a swale along the road will allow water to flow north to a drainage swale along the north boundary of the lot. The existing driveway will be moved north or perhaps even across the road.
Board Questions
L. Kilcoyne – Are there any plans for the existing wall along the water? Jay – no plans to do anything. If the house is raised, will there be steps to the front door [on the road side of house]? There will be steps to the front door.
J. Brightwell – What is the finished height of the house? 27’10”, plus the additional 4’ of fill = 31’10”. Will the new home block the view from any home behind? No, there are only woods, wetlands, and a ravine.
Questions from the Public
Christina DeGraff Murphy – No questions but appreciated the answers.
Dominic Scarpinato – At 104.5 feet. The house will be 2’9” higher than the road. L. Kilcoyne – the Mobley home (WP078, immediately south of WP084) is the same volume and scale as proposed here. It sits further back from the road, with uneven walls facing the road compared to the single wall of the proposed home for WP084.
Linda Quackenbush – We plan to do lots of landscaping around the new home.
8:48PM – D. Patterson closed the hearing.
Review of Minutes for November 12, 2025, December 17, 2025 Special Meeting, and January 7, 2026 Special Meeting
**G. Hunt moved to accept the minutes from the previous 3 meetings; L. Kilcoyne second. All in favor.
Administrator’s Report
- Upcoming schedule:
- February 25, 2026 – Conditional Use/Site Plan review for the first floor of the Meeting House
- March 11, 2026 – Conditional Use review for a change of use (professional services to retail) at 334 US RT 2.
- Vermont Dept. of Commerce and Community Development is hosting a webinar on CHIP (Community Housing Improvement Program) for Town officials on February 19 from 10am to noon. Martha is already registered. If anyone would like to come to the Town Office for the webinar, it will be on the large screen in the boardroom.
Adjournment
8:58 PM — L. Kilcoyne moved to adjourn; J. Myers second. All in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA
Signed: ________________________________________ Date: _____________________
For the DRB
These minutes are unofficial until approved at the next regularly scheduled meeting. All motions were unanimously approved unless otherwise indicated.