SOUTH HERO DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD MINUTES September 25, 2024
Members Present: Tim Maxham (Chair); Doug Patterson (Vice-Chair); Mike Welch; Gareth Hunt; Jim Brightwell; Liza Kilcoyne (via Zoom); Nate Hayward (via Zoom); Tim Mullen (Alternate, via Zoom).
Others Present: Mark and Kathy Wheel; Mitchel Richardson; Dominic Guerrina; Christopher Guan; Joseph Porcelli; Martha Taylor-Varney (ZA).
7:00 PM – T. Maxham called the meeting to order and introduced the Board.
Changes to the Agenda
There were no changes.
Public Input
There was none.
Conditional Use and Site Plan Review for a Maintenance Garage at 61 Station Rd. – Guerrina (#25-10-SR06)
7:03PM – The warning was read and interested persons sworn in. Dominic Guerrina, owner of Dominic Crane Service LLC, told the Board that he proposes building a shop for his business and eventually his home at 62 Station Rd. The 60×80-ft. steel shop building will be to house 2 boom trucks and to perform normal maintenance. The crane trucks will be parked indoors when they are on the property. There will be no commerce at the facility. The design of the shop building will closely match that of the eventual family home.
Questions from the Board
- Maxham — Is there a well location? Yes, on the southeast side of the shop location.
Is the proposed access from Station Rd. the same access that was approved of in the original subdivision? Yes.
- Kilcoyne – Will there be any designated employee parking? The Applicant said he could do that. It will need to be shown on the site plan. There will be an open gravel space between the road and the shop to allow for room for the trucks to turn around rather than backing in from the road. This location will only be for the 2 smaller cranes; the oversize vehicles will remain at their current North Hero location.
- Brightwell – Will there be anything else stored on the grounds? A dumpster and a 500-gallon fuel tank. Both can be screened if required.
- Hunt – What kind of maintenance will be performed there? Wash and clean trucks, and regular maintenance. There will be a car lift in the shop.
- Patterson – How many vehicles? There are 2 crane trucks and pickup trucks belonging to the employees. Occasionally equipment from North Hero can come temporarily for maintenance but will not stay there.
- Maxham – How much distance from the shop to the west boundary? 40 feet. The garage doors will face Station Rd.
- Patterson – Will there be any outdoor lighting? There will be security motion lights. There won’t be any additional lighting unless required.
- Hunt – What about noise? The trucks are clean diesel that are quieter than regular diesel. The back-up alarms can be disengaged when entering/leaving the shop. What about tools? Will there be impact tools? The doors can be closed while working indoors.
- Brightwell – How is the waste oil handled? It will be put in barrels and recycled. Ill wastewater be recovered? There will be a center floor drain with grease traps to separate oil from water. A storage tank for this will be on the east side of the shop.
- Maxham – What State permits are required? Perhaps none for the fuel storage – may not have the minimum required f or a permit.
- Patterson – What will be the hours of operation? Generally, 6am to 4pm. But trucks could leave in the morning from 5am to 6pm and return from 3pm to 5pm. The trucks leave once a day and return once a day. No multiple trips on the same day.
- Hunt – How frequently do you wash down the trucks? Generally, every 2 weeks. How high will the building be? 22 feet to the top of the peak.
- Patterson – Do you handle emergency calls as part of your business? Very seldom, typically weather related – wind.
Martha Taylor-Varney – What is the business’ area? Franklin, Chittenden, Grand Isle Counties mostly. A large part of the work is setting trusses and pre-fab panels.
- Maxham – suggested that outdoor employee parking be on the east side of the gravel space and should be designated on the site plan. Dumpster? On the west side of the shop. Needs to be shown on the site plan.
[Nate Hayward entered the hearing at 7:34PM.]
Also to be shown on the site plan – location of UG power from the closest pole and the names of property abutters. Also, updated elevations of the structure. T. Maxham designated this hearing a preliminary site plan review.
Questions from the Public
Mark Wheel (SR054) said that his major concern was allowing a commercial use in that area. In spring, the road is posted for heavy vehicles. The Town will need to address the fact that the road is not built for this.
Kathy Wheel – When will the house be built? The tineline will be spring/early summer 2025 for the shop; 2-3 years later for the house. The facility and house will be very neat and attractive. He is aware of the aesthetics and intends for the site to be well maintained. He will be living there, too. Will this bring down property values? T. Maxham said that he cannot answer that but that property values continue to appreciate throughout South Hero. If the business grows, will you extend the garage? The Applicant stated that he does not want to expand beyond where they are now. He currently has a 40×60-ft. shop in North Hero. This new shop will be 40×80 feet. Storage for the business will remain in North Hero. There will be a bathroom in the shop. An oversize septic system will support the shop and a 4BR home.
- Hunt moved to enter photos and renderings of the proposed house and shop into the record as Exhibit #1; J. Brightwell second. All in favor.
Joseph Porcelli (LV085) said that this was an area of residential homes and a unique character that he wanted to protect. By allowing this business to move to Station Rd. the Town would be setting a precedent by risking the character of the rural community. There needs to be a balance; there are other suitable properties elsewhere. ZA Martha Taylor-Varney explained the requirements in the Town’s Development Regulations for reviewing; this proposed use in the Rural Residential zoning district – performance standards of Sec. 508; determining Undue Adverse Effect (Figure 3.2), etc. He also asked whether the roads could handle the excess weight. The Applicant stated that one of the crane trucks is 60,000lbs and the other is 67,000lbs. They each have 4 axels that distribute the weight evenly. Can the shop be more like the house design? It will be as close as possible. The shop must be a steel building. Wood is impractical and too expensive. It will be insulated to absorb sound. Mr. Porcelli expressed appreciation to the Board for the process.
Dominic Guerrina – explained that he was born and raised on the Islands. He wants to be part of the community and also friends with his neighbors. He will talk to John Beaulac (South Hero Highway Department) about springtime weight limits on the roads.
8:18PM — G. Hunt moved to recess the hearing to October 9, 2024 at 7PM at the Town Office; M. Welch second. All in favor.
[*** NOTE: It was later determined that the hearing will re-open on October 9, 2024 and immediately recess to November 13, 2024, to allow for additional time to produce a new site plan]
Review of September 11, 2024 Minutes
- Hunt moved to approve the minutes of September 11, 2024; D. Patterson second. All in favor.
Administrator’s Report
- Schedule – October 9, 2024: continued Guerrina hearing to be recessed to Nov. 13, 2024.
– October 23, 2023 : no meeting
– November 13, 2024 – continued Guerrina hearing
There will be only one meeting in November (11/13) and December (12/11).
- There was a discussion about changes to ACT 250 that will require updates to the Town’s Development Regulations.
Adjournment
8:35PM – G. Hunt moved to adjourn and move to deliberative; J. Brightwell second. All in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA
Signed: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________________
For the Development Review Board
These minutes are unofficial until approved at the next regularly scheduled meeting. All motions were unanimous unless otherwise indicated.
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