HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Natural Resources & Conservation Committee - 10/04/2023NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes for October 04, 2023 6:00 pm
Attending: Dave Wheeler (City Liasion), Andrew Chalnick (City Council Liaison), Jean Sebastien-
Chaulot (Chr), Larry Kupferman (Vice Chr), Katherine Boyk, Michele Korpos, John Bossange,
Linda Bailey, Julian Keene, Lisa Yankowski
Missing: Christine Badalamenti Smith
Public attendees: Betty Milizia from the SB Common Area for Dogs Committee & Ryan Doyle.
1) Jean welcomed everyone.
2) Changes to the agenda- Larry requested we discuss #7 once he had arrived.
3) No comments from the public.
4) Meeting minutes for September 06, 2023
a. John moved to adopt. Linda 2nd. Approved unanimously except for Larry who
arrived after the vote and Christine who was absent.
5) City updates
a. Per Dave- preliminary discussion on the next phase of Larkin Terrace, (corner of
Shelburne Rd & Fayette Rd.). #1 is proposed construction of additional multi-
family buildings currently where the Palace 9 parking lot is. Additional buildings
where there is currently an apartment complex and some duplexes along
Fayette Rd. Plans include a dog park and community garden space. #2 is a
proposed development of 125 mixed use housing units off Holmes Rd. extending
to Bartlett Bay Rd. It includes construction of a connector street. This is part of
the original Farrell estate. The plan shows conserved land parcels to the north
which includes some wooded area.
b. From Andrew- the city council approved using ARPA funds for developing a
“Village Green”, along with funds for a consultant(s) to find an appropriate spot
and develop a plan. A place the people of South Burlington can gather for
events, for children to have a space to play, families can picnic. Similar to the
village greens in the center of many small Vermont towns.
6) Betty Milizia- Chair of the SB Common Area for Dogs Committee (CAD).
a. Betty discussed a survey CAD has on the city website looking for feedback from
dog owners & non-dog owners. There is a big issue with dogs off leash in the
city’s parks and rec paths.
i. So far results are: 80% from SB residents, 6-7 % are from Chittenden
County and the remainder are from outside these areas. Questions also
asked about dog park use for off leash and respondents said: too many
dogs in the dog parks, some people are afraid of the off-leash dogs- too
dangerous and lots of large dogs in the dog park. Comments are
welcome from both owners & non-owners.
ii. One comment mentioned that if you do not have a yard for your dog to
use you should not have a dog. We realize this is not practical and issues
will increase as more housing is built. The committee is looking, with
public assistance, for workable solutions to keep dogs safe, owners safe
& non-dog owners safe. HARMONY.
7) Hubbard Park Easement
a. Larry had wondered about the progress of the easement for Hubbard. Andrew
said the city is still working on the easement which is more to help define
boundary lines and what the city would be able to do or not do when developing
the park. The easement will be designed to help protect Hubbard in the future.
8) Land Development Regulations (LDRs) and the Tree Ordinance
a. The work group was getting prepared to present their work to the Planning
Commission. Dave coordinated with Kelsey to get the NRCC on the planning
commission’s November 14th meeting agenda. Andrew feels Jean needs to be at
the presentation, so the committee requested another time when Jean could be
available. Andrew also felt the document should include the value of trees,
(document ref- Sec 4c Fees). We settled on $10,000 for a Heritage Tree, $5,000
for at Key Tree and $1,000 for a Protected Tree. And add no penalties for
removal of a tree(s) when deemed necessary by the city arborist.
b. Ryan questioned the trees listed in the document. Some did not seem
appropriate for this area. John will verify which trees are considered Heritage,
Key & should be Protected in this area of Vermont.
c. Dave suggested there was an opportunity to have the document more “fine
tuned” before going before the planning commission, which would then allow
the planning commission to move it forward more quickly. He will reach out to
get the group scheduled into a different upcoming meeting.
9) Open Space Plan
a. Thank you work group and Katherine for the work on Vision & Goals. The
committee suggested a few minor changes.
b. The NRCC still feels we need better clarification on what the city council
wants. Andrew suggested going back to them for that needed direction. It was
suggested Paul Conner from Planning may also be of some assistance as to what
the city needs. Dave will coordinate a meeting with the work group.
10) Wildlife safety and public education.
a. Moved to November meeting.
11) Member updates
a. Chair- Jean looked into the suggested area on the BTV plans where the
community gardens might be- too shady. Jean will talk to Nick and Larry at BTV
about this.
b. Linda & Lisa were sitting in front of Helen Riehle & Meaghan Emery for the public
presentation for the Landscaping/ Noise Mitigation Plan BTV is working on. We
appreciated that they had come and talked to the NRCC. We were able to make
a few suggestions for changes. We like the plans for community garden space
and that they will take care of maintenance.
Our next meeting is WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 01,2023 at 6pm
Future agenda items:
- Wildlife safety and public education