[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6267814,"mediaKeyId","3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158","parentId",3062390,"title","DRB grants variance for taller rear fence at 120 Main Street because of unique grade conditions","audioSeconds",457,"startMs",6607000,"endMs",7064000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158&start=6607&end=7064","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158/thumbnail_6607000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6267814/Essex-Junction-City/Chittenden-County/Vermont/DRB-grants-variance-for-taller-rear-fence-at-120-Main-Street-because-of-unique-grade-conditions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267814-420808418c085be8e355fd3c05366b99/orig.mp4?Expires=1774995319&Signature=AtkCqdOfrReTKHMInlmLj2w3Y5ob-~AazXqr7IaCBfw-YI2jGADuFSuIgL3LiqGum7xSwLdzP5y8mbsuxMn9uKwg3lMuyz4JcENe~iB73ZT6o-I4BHDtY7Djlv~-GUpe2X4~sP3uUwO6Xbj~lgoYYdWb8AyzLPePzgtGxm9OXDbz0wHWGLnWpxiiJyHQML6sHnGAiLBeMFKQiLH0-5o0cK40FlpR3QE1owEF~6vIwjFcxJONb2GukgSR4EzS2xgVACqS9ksSwRvvVkuTMBUb1FVquCsKnAQT-v9DrG7n~BTASa3U1z~wITGUxRxYqHbfCpY6eQ0e~L-0mlapsHqa1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Essex Junction City, VT","date","2025-04-19T21:26:53.48Z","article","The Essex Junction Development Review Board on April 17 granted a variance to allow a property owner at 120 Main Street to construct a level stockade fence that will vary from seven to seven‑and‑a‑half feet at the rear property line, exceeding the six‑foot maximum normally permitted.

Owner Chris Bond (applicant) explained the request by pointing to unique topography: grade differences between his lot and the neighboring parcel at 35 Jury create a situation in which a level fence on his lot will appear taller from the lower grade. Bond told the board he seeks a level stockade fence to maintain privacy and to avoid extensive earthwork to regrade the yard. The board reviewed the statutory variance standard in 24 VSA § 4469 and heard staff and the applicant describe how the site’s physical characteristics meet that standard.

Staff reported conversations with the applicant and noted public safety and maintenance considerations: the applicant said he needs reasonable access to maintain the fence and the property and that the proposed layout avoids excessive excavation. Board members inspected the topography in their review and discussed how the fence will be perceived from Main Street and the adjacent parcel. The applicant confirmed the existing nonconforming fence on the neighbor’s side will remain; the new fence is proposed slightly on the owner’s side of the shared property line.

After reviewing the five statutory variance criteria, the board found the application satisfied the standard and approved the variance. The motion to approve the variance (per 24 V.S.A. § 4469 criteria) carried unanimously.

Next steps: The applicant will obtain permits and construct the fence in conformance with the approved variance and the details recorded in the decision.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Essex Junction Development Review Board - 4/17/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board granted a variance to allow a level stockade fence up to 7.5 feet at the rear property line of 120 Main Street after finding unique topography and safety/privacy concerns met the statutory variance criteria.","taxTitle","Essex Junction City, Chittenden County, Vermont","taxId",68791,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267819,"DRB approves 1 Main Street pocket park; asks applicant to refine lighting and edge with adjacent Firebird parcel",3449,3121000,6570000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158&start=3121&end=6570","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158/thumbnail_3121000.jpg","/articles/6267819/Essex-Junction-City/Chittenden-County/Vermont/DRB-approves-1-Main-Street-pocket-park-asks-applicant-to-refine-lighting-and-edge-with-adjacent-Firebird-parcel","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267819-b275f1637eea6fd0451894aefaead8c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1774995319&Signature=jscQu~K5DdmZPl7cU4rbKjHRSsdD~81NSy9Dabg-kM5EZTKpE7BNW1zjmC2BBJ1uRUAgjJTC5gRdROpCE3L~QhP33wzErmllL9FvG-e9Ni8171DqoXw5s2jxcAxRBYtIcF0MoKcZlxdDrx4v05SZnE5uzOMUERbW0lV5c3alQ7Ke4YfzaNJ4LnbnErRM5OqtyVbap69bZ~ewzS7gAYOGeDdJCV8RjXn50-3RdQ-3HRPEa5vXzK4JqdBT17Qvqm~5ayOb7ZLxUqdLEOTCOo~vciSdNfg3DmhvhzzSotFXu4f6H9M7v6dEgSZsZzHYUaAMabP8wLo1O3VurKtNo~IMSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Essex Junction Development Review Board on April 17 approved a site plan for a new pocket park at 1 Main Street — the parcel given to the city by Gabe Handy — and asked staff and the applicant to refine the lighting plan and consider additional treatments along the park’s boundary with the adjacent Firebird Café parcel.

David Burton of Ginkgo Design presented a modular, flexible design intended to limit below‑grade disturbance on a parcel with a history as a gasoline station. The plan uses an asphalt overlay and movable elements (planters, benches, trellis features and canvas shade sails) so the park can be adapted or relocated if future streetscape or redevelopment work changes the block. City staff said core drilling found contamination levels more favorable than originally feared, which reduced remediation needs in some places.

Board members praised the concept as an improvement to a degraded corner near 5 Corners but asked for changes before construction. The board requested the applicant and staff work to (1) refine the photometric/lighting layout so nighttime illumination is intentional and minimizes hot spots and glare for nearby residents and (2) consider modest, visually cohesive improvements at the park’s rear edge to reduce the abrupt transition to the Firebird parcel and to make the space read as a civic pocket rather than an extension of a private restaurant seating area.

City staff noted the deed for the parcel contains naming stipulations: the park should be named for Gabe and Diane Handy. The staff report also recommended working with Gabe Handy on a granite memorial plaque at the park entrance; the board suggested the city coordinate plaque materials and placement with the donor and finalize details as conditions of approval.

The board approved the site plan with the proviso that the applicant refine the lighting scheme, confirm maintenance arrangements, and incorporate the memorial plaque design in consultation with Gabe Handy. The motion carried unanimously.

Next steps: Staff and the designer will finalize engineered details for the shade‑sail foundations and lighting, develop a maintenance plan (city public works will participate), and incorporate plaque specifications. The project team said grant funding for an underground tree cell system was not awarded; a street tree remains planned for a later phase should funding become available.","The board approved the city’s site plan for a pocket park at 1 Main Street (Gabe and Diane Handy Park) but asked for further work on the lighting scheme and recommended the city consider improvements at the parcel boundary with the adjacent Firebird Café.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267824,"DRB approves three new apartments at 34 Park Street with conditions; dumpster requirement paused",1830,1258000,3088000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158&start=1258&end=3088","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158/thumbnail_1258000.jpg","/articles/6267824/Essex-Junction-City/Chittenden-County/Vermont/DRB-approves-three-new-apartments-at-34-Park-Street-with-conditions-dumpster-requirement-paused","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267824-13aa5ded1e0aec67f3073ec311c26cfa/orig.mp4?Expires=1774995319&Signature=SN0cm1uXWX7qmhHBrYBK0qCSmysp1IQ777j8zPHbglHxN0yxyxiZpyRWQTYN3qKcZRFsRVkG05yZkLJ8olohYb74hGyJ2fkHenZRsggRotDZ3Vgfd5siPjPFkGMiA88UITutithw196MeaiB-BYVVUj9P4L-HLQcEREwg-Jd0ChD3bLFpJ92Jxc7eKELeDM-dEHk4ftgPJOlbnAKx2u-cxcm6HolpYsGX3KM7prRI6y3N~-sj-BLv0cO6nJRsLvV5UWem5FLFXmcvcfAWUV5iFiSRI2qfceeJ5WR34UdxlXcSIQ6-7~uCuHo6CnfPypi6MbTTaRCHDIWHx5FIYDhDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Essex Junction Development Review Board on April 17 approved a final site plan to add three dwelling units to an existing three‑story mixed‑use building at 34 Park Street in the Village Center district, with modified conditions that remove an immediate dumpster‑enclosure requirement and ask for modest residential‑scale landscaping at the primary residential entrance.

Park Street Ventures LLC representatives Chris McKeeling (owner) and Ryan Augustine (engineer) described the application as primarily a documentation exercise: the building currently contains two dwelling units above a commercial space and the application documents existing conditions, updates lighting and parking plans, and adds a bike rack and bench. The board concluded the building’s footprint will not change and approved the site plan with conditions as adjusted.

Board members and staff discussed several operational and design items during the review. Staff and board members asked the applicant to replace noncompliant lighting fixtures with dark‑sky‑compliant fixtures and to adjust fixture aim and shields as needed; the applicant indicated plans to do so. The board requested a small, residential‑scale landscaping treatment centered on the building’s residential entry so the entrance reads as serving apartments as well as businesses; the applicant agreed to add planters or similar treatments that do not require removing existing concrete.

A key staff condition proposed in the packet would have required the dumpster serving the building to be screened from the public right‑of‑way. Board members noted the dumpster sits on a portion of land that is part of a larger master‑planned redevelopment (Chittenden Crossing) and that the dumpster location is likely temporary; members decided to strike condition number 5 (the immediate enclosure requirement) and instead ask that the dumpster be brought into compliance or relocated when the master‑plan work occurs. The board instructed staff to ensure the dumpster’s future handling is reviewed when the master plan advances; the applicant said the existing dumpster will remain in its current location for now.

Board members also discussed footprint‑lot ownership issues: Park Street Ventures owns the building footprint but not all the surrounding land, which creates the need for proof of concurrence from other parcel owners when site improvements affect shared land. The board asked the applicant to coordinate with surrounding parcel owners and staff as required.

The motion approved the final site plan with conditions as adjusted: strike the immediate dumpster enclosure requirement and require a residential‑scale landscaping treatment at the primary residential entry; the motion carried unanimously.

Next steps: The applicant will finalize the conditions with staff, adjust exterior lighting and add the agreed landscaping treatments, and complete any required agreements with co‑owners of the surrounding land before permits for tenant fit‑out and related work proceed.","The DRB approved a final site plan adding three dwelling units to an existing mixed‑use building at 34 Park Street, approving lighting and landscaping changes and striking a requirement to immediately enclose an existing dumpster because of an overlapping master plan for the block.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6267830,"Essex Junction DRB approves Meadow Terrace extension, three‑lot subdivision for CTE home‑building program",1167,76000,1243000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158&start=76&end=1243","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3062390-e85c0e721fbb3f3e3065c4898ece6158/thumbnail_76000.jpg","/articles/6267830/Essex-Junction-City/Chittenden-County/Vermont/Essex-Junction-DRB-approves-Meadow-Terrace-extension-threelot-subdivision-for-CTE-homebuilding-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267830-7ed0000a1d28c78fd67979240b45eb21/orig.mp4?Expires=1774995319&Signature=oHeGH9jcU4-lhGG4JkALgQvMBJnopmB1QhjGtsT4hrRsI1xDUnFr5FStIWi5cEB2qb9igo7ETp8Rz~WByYHhpF6sOVrI52HRobcB5j15gbU9NyCLnCDZEeVg2i36emwM60y81AhWSQD~aPLXsTN~RPCzW2RehY22Ad09t7ZYVNqc-WMveGyEPqXXX1hGmfocYU9jHVtvk-xoUIOkJbtNvv6Re855zOtjbciEASft3u7BxbtUI86acnTWrZTw4B4dJ1j30AXKDeiKgF512~EEmawy-f1GB8tpiAmegwcHMiTqP-gCfU~4cFYLiIBcgzYpzEiGsClz9U~TNpGTg-8HWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Essex Junction Development Review Board on April 17 approved a boundary line adjustment and the final plat for a proposed three‑lot subdivision that will create one immediate residential building lot and two lots for future development and extend Meadow Terrace to connect with Taft Street.

The board approved two separate motions — first to adjust parcel lines to donate a small island of land to the Center for Technology Essex (CTE) and second to approve the final plat and road connection at 11 Meadow Terrace in the R‑1 district — both motions carried unanimously with the conditions printed in the staff report.

The move to extend Meadow Terrace is driven by the number of dwelling units on the existing cul‑de‑sac: adding the new lot triggers the town’s requirement for a road connection rather than an expanded cul‑de‑sac, the applicant said. Scott Ronstedt, a civil engineer who described himself as president of Consulting Engineers and the project representative alongside Chris Welch for Center for Technology Essex, told the board the team resolved earlier sketch‑plan comments and completed engineering work on utilities, stormwater, erosion control and lighting.

Ronstedt said the developer adjusted the driveway alignment to create a perpendicular intersection with the new extension and agreed to extend sidewalk and add a handicap ramp so the new segment aligns with the existing sidewalk on Upland Road. He said the project as submitted includes utility stub provisions anticipating future lots so later connections will not require tearing up the new street.

During discussion board members asked about traffic calming and street trees. The applicant said signage and stop signs will control speed, and the landscaping plan proposes 16 street trees; the tree advisory committee received plans but had not raised objections. Board members also pressed the applicant on an oddly shaped open‑space parcel (Lot 7A) and were told the configuration was chosen to keep open space contiguous.

The board heard that the CTE home‑building program previously permitted five lots; the program builds houses as part of a student/educational program and the applicant said it intends to return later to seek approval for additional lots or alternate housing configurations such as duplexes. For now, only one new building lot will be released so the program can move forward on a faster timeline.

The board motion package included a boundary line adjustment to transfer a small parcel to the CTE parcel so the high school property will not be cut off by the new road. Both motions were approved with conditions; the staff report lists standard platting and construction conditions (stormwater handling, erosion controls, lighting that meets code, etc.). The record shows no roll‑call vote count; the chair announced each motion “carried unanimously.”

Next steps: The applicant will complete the listed conditions in coordination with city staff and the city engineer before recording the plat and beginning construction work on the road and the first lot.

Votes at a glance: Boundary line adjustment — approved (motion carried unanimously). Final plat and road connection for the three‑lot subdivision at 11 Meadow Terrace — approved (motion carried unanimously).","The Development Review Board approved a boundary line adjustment and final plat to add one new buildable lot and extend Meadow Terrace to connect with Taft Street for the Center for Technology Essex (CTE) home‑building program, with standard conditions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DRB grants variance for taller rear fence at 120 Main Street because of unique grade conditions

DRB approves 1 Main Street pocket park; asks applicant to refine lighting and edge with adjacent Firebird parcel

DRB approves three new apartments at 34 Park Street with conditions; dumpster requirement paused

Essex Junction DRB approves Meadow Terrace extension, three‑lot subdivision for CTE home‑building program