The Stowe Administrative Hearing Board on July 22 reviewed a code-enforcement case (B25103) alleging outdoor storage of junk at 4019 Genevieve and agreed to give the property owner a short period to clean the site or to apply for a permit for a covered structure.

The hearing opened with the board’s presiding officer saying, “I will introduce the case, go on the record.” Planning Department staff presented inspection history and photographs documenting recurring outdoor storage. Planning Director Zach Cowan testified that the municipal code requires materials “to be stored, in a fully enclosed structure.”

The board’s record shows a complaint and inspection on June 25, a compliance date of July 7, followed by reinspections on July 8 and July 18 that showed remaining materials. The Law Department sent notices on July 10 and a hearing notice on July 21. A further reinspection on July 22 showed “significant progress,” according to the Planning Department.

Property owner Eric Silhavy told the board he removed contents from the garage after a house fire, used a temporary tarp shelter, and then suffered a heart attack on June 14 that limited his cleanup efforts. Silhavy said he has been working alone with a pickup truck to remove items and that he had receipts documenting scrap and disposal activity; the board accepted those receipts into evidence.

Facilitating compliance, the presiding officer proposed — and neither party objected to — giving Silhavy two to three weeks to clean the property, and additional time if he applied for a shed permit. The hearing officer said the board did not want to “jam people up” and preferred to allow time for progress, while preserving the city’s ability to order cleanup if the deadline passed. The board directed planning staff to work with Silhavy after the hearing on the permit process and to make copies of the receipts he provided. The officer said a written opinion would be issued following the meeting.

During the hearing planning staff and the officer clarified permit timelines: if a shed meets code (setbacks and size under 200 square feet), approval can occur “within a couple days”; sheds over 200 square feet require a building permit and a longer building-department review; variance applications for size or setback may add about a month for scheduling. Silhavy said some prefab sheds take three to four weeks to deliver and assemble.

No formal sanction, fine, or vote was recorded at the hearing; the board framed the outcome as a compliance deadline tied to either cleanup or the filing of a permit application, with a written decision to follow. The planning department entered photographs from multiple inspections as exhibits and accepted owner receipts as evidence.

The matter remains open pending the board’s written opinion and follow-up from planning staff on permit requirements and any further inspections.