The Development Review Board voted to approve a request to relocate two large on-site boulders on Langwood Lane, near the corner of Stagecoach Pass at the base of Black Mountain, so a new single-family house can be constructed.

The board approved the relocation during a regular meeting after staff said the town's zoning ordinance allows relocation but does not permit destruction of significant natural features, and after the applicant completed required citizen participation with no formal opposition reported.

Stacy, planning staff, introduced the case as “case number 25 0 1 DRB” and told the board the proposal would relocate and preserve two very large on-site boulders on a vacant lot proposed for a single-family home. Stacy said the development review board “does have the authority to approve a request of this nature,” and noted the zoning ordinance “doesn't allow for the destruction of boulders or significant, natural features on a property.”

Brian Raines of Rains Design, who said he represents the homeowners, described the boulders as granite and said they are surface boulders with “very little of it that's embedded in the ground.” He told the board the plan is to orient and re-bury the boulders at the new location to match their current exposure so they “look and appear as if it was there all along.”

The applicant described a plan to lift the stones with a crane rather than drag them, protect the rock surfaces by “wrapping the chains” in a basket configuration, and follow recommendations from Vans Engineering. A contractor name mentioned in the discussion was Smiley Cranes; the applicant said the move would be performed by a professional crane company and estimated the lifting portion would take about four and a half hours.

Board members asked about weight and how deep the boulders extend into the ground; Raines said an engineering estimate had been prepared but deferred technical detail to the engineer, and said the boulders are largely surface features. The applicant said the boulders will be placed near the corner of the driveway and used as a landscape feature rather than removed from the site.

A board member moved to approve the request; a second was recorded and the chair called the vote. The board approved the relocation request. The transcript does not include a roll-call vote tally by name or vote counts.

The conditions of approval were attached to staff reports presented at the meeting; staff and the applicant said they will follow the town engineer's requirement to embed the boulders at the same depth they currently occupy. The applicant also said they would document the move for construction records and expected to coordinate scheduling with the contractor and engineer.

Details not specified in the meeting transcript include the engineer's written estimate of weight, the exact crane model to be used, and a timeline beyond the on-site lifting estimate. The applicant reported that citizen participation was completed and staff received no public opposition to the request.

Next steps identified at the meeting were administrative: the applicant will implement the approved relocation plan under the conditions attached to the staff report and obtain any required construction permits.