Weybridge planners warn March hearing on Middlebury College boundary adjustment

The Weybridge Planning Commission on Feb. 11 warned a public hearing for March 11 on Middlebury College’s request to adjust property lines between two adjoining parcels on Sheep Farm Road. Chair Jeff Olson and the commission heard a sketch plan from Michael Gaines, the college’s surveyor, outlining a proposed change that would shrink a residential lot and enlarge an adjacent storage-structures parcel.

Michael Gaines said the proposed adjustment would increase the storage-structures parcel from 2.01 acres to 2.64 acres and reduce the residential parcel from 5.02 acres to 4.39 acres. Commissioners identified two immediate regulatory issues: the residential parcel would fall below the PAR district 5-acre minimum, requiring a waiver, and the drawn plan would create two driveways into the storage parcel while the town’s zoning allows only one curb cut.

Zoning Administrator Dorsey Lynn Coale told the commission the issue surfaced when Middlebury College sought a Certificate of Occupancy for 50 Sheep Farm Road; he could not issue the certificate because the boundary change created noncompliance with the 5-acre requirement, which is the basis for the waiver request. Commissioners said they would consider a waiver but noted conditions they expect to see addressed at hearing, including preserving existing barn access and avoiding a shared driveway.

The commission’s next procedural step is the warned public hearing on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, where staff, the college and members of the public can present additional information before any final vote or waiver decision.