HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP-23-012 - Supplemental - 0705 Spear Street (6)
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TO: South Burlington Development Review Board
FROM: Marty Gillies, Development Review Planner I
SUBJECT: #SP-23-12 705 Spear Street
DATE: May 2, 2023 Development Review Board meeting
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Site plan application #SP-23-12 of the University of Vermont to amend a previously approved plan for a
research and educational facility. The amendment consists of adding outdoor storage as a use and
associated site improvements, 705 Spear Street.
COMMENTS
The Board reviewed the addition of a steel storage use to an existing agricultural complex at 650 Spear
Street on October 18, 2022. The project proposed in this Site Plan application #SP-23-012 is the creation
of a second steel storage area located at 705 Spear Street. All outdoor storage uses require DRB review,
which is why this application is coming before the Board.
To save time and facilitate an expedited review process, Staff has prepared a draft Findings of Fact &
Decision for this project proposal, which was created under the assumption that the Board would review
this project similarly to the previously reviewed steel storage project at 650 Spear Street.
There are three especially noteworthy items in this decision – the proposed site restoration plan, the
determination that the proposed outdoor storage is appurtenant to the primary use of the property,
and the proposed screening/buffering of the steel storage area. These three items, and the associated
condition of approval, are italicized and in red in the draft Findings of Fact & Decision.
For the purposes of the draft Findings of Fact & Decision, Staff has drafted the decision as though the
Board will approve the site restoration plans proposed by the applicant, which includes rototilling,
seeding, and mulching the impacted areas. The Board is free to request additional information about the
proposed site restoration and is also free to find the proposed site restoration to be unacceptable or
impermissible.
Staff has also included language assuming that the Board will concur with the applicant’s testimony that
the outdoor storage of construction materials for a UVM building on this site is appurtenant to the site’s
primary use as a UVM educational facility, given the conditions associated with that finding. The Board is
free to request additional information about this situation from the applicant and is also free to find the
proposed outdoor storage not to be appurtenant to the primary use of the property.
Similarly, Staff assumes that the Board will approve the screening solution proposed by the applicant –
an 8-foot chain-link fence with opaque privacy slats. However, the Board is free to request additional
information about the proposed screening from the applicant and is also free to find the proposed
screening to be unacceptable or impermissible.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Board review the three highlighted items in detail to determine whether the draft
Staff language accurately reflects the Board’s findings on those items, request any necessary additional
information from the applicant, and close the hearing.