Montpelier committee approves hemlock fence and roof-mounted solar at 5 West Street

On Aug. 18, 2025, the Montpelier Design Review Committee approved an application to install a hemlock privacy fence and roof-mounted solar panels at 5 West Street, allowing the applicant to proceed with the fence immediately while the solar installation requires additional electrical sign-off.

The approval matters because it authorizes a visible streetside change in a residential area and clears the way for a concurrent solar installation that the applicant said would help meet increased household electricity needs.

Applicant (Sean) told the committee the proposal includes horizontal 1-by-8 hemlock boards, posts set about 8 feet on center, and a fence height of about 5½ feet in most visible areas with a shorter 4½-foot section at a “bump out” to meet frontage requirements. He also described a small gate and a roughly 3-inch clearance at the bottom where posts are sunk into the ground.

Committee members discussed placement, transitions in height, and finish options. Meredith Crandall, staff, read the committee’s criteria and concluded that the proposed materials and the solar equipment were acceptable under the design-review standards presented at the meeting. The committee members then voted to approve the application; members present who voiced assent were Benjamin Cheney, Rebecca Owens, Steven Everett and Martha Smerski.

The applicant described why the fence is needed: “part of the reason for having the fence is to be able to throw the ball to the dogs, let the kids be out with the dogs, let the dogs out, particularly in the winter when you don't wanna walk out when it's 20 below with with them.” He said the fence will tie into an existing wire fence along the retaining wall and will run just inside the property line between 5 West and 7 West, including around a stone path and toward an accessory dwelling unit at the rear of the lot (referred to in the application as the secondary unit address).

On the solar portion, the applicant said panels will be surface-mounted above the roof — not replacing roofing — and that Green Mountain Solar provided the estimate. He said the roof is about four years old and that preliminary shading and performance estimates from the vendor suggested roughly 82 percent of modeled efficiency given existing tree canopy. The committee discussed tree shading and pruning; a committee member suggested consulting the Montpelier Tree Board for guidance on allowable pruning because the tree is not a public street tree.

Staff clarified post-approval steps: the zoning permit for the project will be issued and mailed once the applicant signs the permit form; the fence does not require a building permit and the city can issue the zoning permit quickly so fence work may proceed. The applicant was told the electrical portion for the solar will require final materials and sign-off from the city electrical reviewer (referred to by staff as Michelle).