Starksboro DRB approves Mendells' amendment to wetlands buffer and site plan

The Starksboro Development Review Board voted unanimously June 11 to approve a conditional‑use amendment and site plan for Taylor and Jake Mendell that adjusts a previously imposed wetlands‑buffer condition and formalizes on‑farm distribution activities.

The applicants told the board their CSA ‘‘had been running since around 2014’’ and that they began adding third‑party products to their distribution in 2020, moving some operations into the town’s On‑Farm Business category and triggering the combined review. Zoning Administrator Stephen Rooney summarized state input in Exhibit J that a state wetlands permit would not be required if 60 feet is maintained from a birch tree determined to be outside the wetlands; the board discussed that an earlier decision had recorded a 100‑foot condition while state baseline protections are 50 feet.

The board first voted to find the Mendell application complete, then to close the hearing and deliberate in open session. Motion: L. McCarthy moved to approve the conditional‑use amendment and the site plan application; E. Boardman seconded. Vote: all in favor. Rooney said the zoning permit will be issued 15 days from the meeting date and the DRB appeal period runs 30 days from the approval date.

The decision will be drafted for signature at the board’s next deliberative session on June 25, 2026. The board and zoning administrator also noted the town must still make its final determination under VSA Title 24 about whether the operation qualifies as a farm for exemption purposes; state letters and farm‑determination guidance inform but do not replace that municipal finding.