SOUTH HERO DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD MINUTES September 13, 2023
Members Present: Tim Maxham (Chair); Doug Patterson (Vice-Chair), Mike Welch; Jim Brightwell; Liza Kilcoyne; and Nate Hayward.
Others Present: Sue Arguin (via Zoom); Stern Rosen; Liam Murphy (via Zoom); Jon Quackenbush, Christian Chorba; Sue Mahany (via Zoom); Mary Ann Cryan (via Zoom); Don Bedard (via Zoom); Chris Cryan (via Zoom); and Martha Taylor-Varney (ZA).
7:00PM – T. Maxham called the meeting to order.
Changes to the Agenda
There were none.
Public Input
There was none.
Continue Pest Pro hearing for Appeal to a Notice of Violation at 238 US RT 2 – Pest Pro/Jon Quackenbush (23-84-RT238)
7:04PM – [This hearing was continued from July 26, 2023.] L. Kilcoyne re-read the warning. New attendees wishing to speak were sworn in. Jon Quackenbush told the Board that he had asked Zoning Administrator Martha Taylor-Varney about expanding his parking lot at Pest Pro for additional needed parking space. Parking could not be added to the west side of the Heritage Dr. right-of-way because of wetland buffers. He received permission to expand the existing lot on the east side. He began construction and was notified to stop when the zoning office received a complaint. He said he was not prepared to leave it in the condition it was in at that point, so he added gravel to the excavated area and stopped. T. Maxham clarified that the hearing was only to determine if a violation exists – no other concerns brought up in July apply to this hearing. J. Brightwell asked if the parking lot enhancements remained or if the area had been returned to its original state. Mr. Quackenbush stated that the gravel remained in the expanded area and some holes had been filled. Christian Chorba (attorney for Jon Quackenbush) asked what the process is for a site plan amendment. ZA M. Taylor-Varney explained that a separate hearing would be required for that.
Public Comment
Liam Murphy asked the Board to uphold the violation and return the area to what is shown in the approved court ordered site plan until an amendment is approved. Sue Mahany stated that the court order states that the court order does not allow the footprint of the parking lot to be expanded, and that no additional cars can be accommodated. She asked if the Board had questions for the residents about their ideas about what is appropriate for the area. T. Maxham told her that was out of the scope of this hearing.
7:22 PM – There were no other questions. T. Maxham closed the hearing.
Conditional Use and Site Plan Review for Boat Repair at 50 Ferry Rd. – Stern Rosen/Rosen Marine (24-13-FR050)
7:26PM – T. Maxham opened the hearing. The warning was read, and Mr. Rosen was sworn in.
Stern Rosen told the Board that his goal was to create the #1 boat repair company in the area. He is leasing the old Grand Isle Nursery property for 15 months, with the option to buy it. He has outgrown his current location and has only a single-bay shop. He needs more room for parking boats and for repair work, tune-ups, and seasonal shrink wrapping. He will not be selling parts. This will be conducted in a shop built into the existing barn. The shop will be ‘drive-through’, entered from the driveway on the east side and exiting the west side of the barn via a gravel drive that will circle north to connect with the parking area and ultimately back to the driveway. The existing ‘office’ on the property, held over from the nursery, will be used for storage.
Mr. Rosen would ultimately like to also offer high-end boat restoration. The work does not create loud noise, and an eventual ‘clean room’ would be installed in the barn (shop) for fiberglass work. He hopes to have 4 to 5 employees eventually but will start with just 2 technicians and an administrative person. He plans to clean up the property and add more landscaping to screen the boats from the road. There is some natural screening there, but he plans to have a complete buffer between the property and the road. The barn will be painted and some of the remaining nursery trees around the property will be moved to add to the landscaping around the business. Only the front half of the 9.9-acre lot will be used. The back half is wet and cannot be developed.
If regulations related to storage in the village zoning districts change in the future, he hopes to offer winter boat storage on the property. The only boats at the shop will be there for repair over the winter. He anticipates 15 to 20 boats in the yard at a time. Waiting for parts can prolong the time that boats remain in the yard. There are many more boats during shrink wrapping in the fall — possibly up to 100 — but they will be there for a short period of time. Worst case — estimated turnaround could be 2 weeks; normal turnaround is 2 to 4 days. Three of the greenhouses from the previous nursery business have already been removed. Two remain. Those will be removed after Stern buys the property. The ground beneath them is already graveled and firm. This area will be used as staging for shrink wrapping, after which boats will be placed along the east boundary waiting to be picked up. Additional gravel will be placed along the driveway, on a lane leaving the drive-through workshop barn, and the parking lot at the north end of the barn. There will be cameras on the property monitoring the aera where boats are parked.
- Patterson asked about estimated traffic counts, especially during the busy season. Daily estimates could total 200/day during a 60-day period. Peak traffic hours are random and not evenly spread out. Fall and spring could have higher traffic for a month or two. L. Kilcoyne asked if they would be selling boats. Possibly restoration boats – 4 to 6 boats/year at most. They will not be along the road. J. Brightwell asked what size the business will be in comparison to others? Equivalent to Island Marine. T. Maxham asked if appointments would be preferred? Stern responded that drop-offs will not be accepted this year; maybe next year, but some may arrive that way anyway.
The site plan will need to go to VTrans for approval since Ferry Rd. is a State route (RT 314). Entrance and exit signs will be required for the existing access to/from Ferry Rd. The west access will be designated the entrance and the east access will be the exit. The business sign will be lit by solar that points downward. A separate sign will be mounted on the road-side of the barn.
The Board asked for an updated site plan showing the location of the sign, the entrance and exit from Ferry Rd., location of existing and any additional lighting (if planned), the circular drive leaving the west side of the drive-through repair shop, renaming the ‘office’ as ‘personal storage’, and outlining the area on the east side of the lot for ‘temporary boat parking.’ M. Welch moved to waive the requirement to show contours on the site plan; L. Kilcoyne second. All in favor.
8:18 PM –M. Welch moved to recess to September 27, 2023 at 7PM; D. Patterson second. All in favor.
New Business
There was none.
Administrator’s Report
-Upcoming hearing schedule—
- September 27:
- Complete Rosen Marine hearing
- 2-lot subdivision administrative review (HSE Realty)
- PUD review (Mackey, 125 Station Rd.)
- October 11 – no hearings are scheduled, short business meeting and deliberations only.
-Zoning 101 classes will continue at the Town Office on September 28 at 6PM.
Adjournment
8:28 PM – L. Kilcoyne moved to adjourn and move to deliberative; J. Brightwell 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 unanimous unless otherwise indicated.