Starksboro DRB hears waiver request to place garage in recorded set-aside

The Town of Starksboro Development Review Board on May 28, 2026 opened a waiver hearing after applicants Bradley and Alexandra Thompson requested permission to build a garage addition that would extend into a recorded set-aside area. The board heard the applicants’ rationale that placing the addition on the east side of the existing garage would reduce the need for fill and screen the structure from the road.

Applicants told the board that preparing a stamped survey and amending the plat to relocate the set-aside would cost about $5,000–$7,000—an expense they said was comparable to the cost of the addition—so they sought a waiver instead. Zoning Administrator Stephen Rooney said an amended plat would require an official stamped survey to be recorded, and that even if a waiver were granted the waiver would need to be drawn and recorded in the land records.

Board members asked about the origin and permanence of the set-aside. Staff reported the lot was created in 2009 and that the set-aside had been maintained through subsequent subdivisions. Some members cautioned that granting a waiver to encroach on a set-aside could set a difficult precedent; others signaled cautious support provided the board’s rationale was carefully documented. The applicants provided abutter support letters (entered as Exhibit L) and the board voted to accept the application as complete (motion: L. McCarthy; second: A. Paquette; vote: all in favor). The hearing was closed at 7:27 p.m. and the board moved into closed deliberations on the application.

Next steps: the board’s deliberative session will determine whether the criteria for a waiver from a set-aside are met and, if so, what conditions to attach to any approval.