Owner seeks design guidance for external lift at steep Montpelier house; committee says formal application required

A Montpelier homeowner asked the Design Review Committee for guidance on installing a reversible external lift — described as a pulley/"dumbwaiter" or zipline‑style goods lift — alongside a steep set of public stairs to reduce hundreds of feet of elevation between car and front door.

Owner Melissa Shekinah described the challenge: "There's about 60 steps before you even reach the front door," she said, and asked whether a lightweight external system for groceries and packages would require design‑review approval. Her contractor, Hutch Warren, proposes a small frame and line system that would not attach to historic fabric in a permanent way.

Committee members generally expressed support for an approach that minimized visual impact. Steven Everett suggested painting any exposed structure a dark color to blend into the hillside. Meredith Crandall, city planning staff, told Shekinah that such installations are treated as new structures in the Design Review District and would require a formal application to return to the committee. "You will have to come back to design review committee with an application," Crandall said. The committee asked for material and color information and a clearer diagram of attachment points and noted the choice of whether the lift is motorized could affect routing and electrical review by the building inspector.

The committee agreed to accept a formal application for the project; staff said the committee meets the first and third Mondays and gave a scheduling window. Crandall said she would provide application forms and asked the owner to return with materials, colors and a clearer plan; she gave an administrative deadline for applicants to submit materials in time for the July 7 meeting, asking for materials "by next Friday" as the filing cutoff.