DRB Begins Discussions on Windy Ridge Final Plat Approval
Board expresses concerns about storm water, building envelopes and traffic
By The Record Staff
(Video from Media Factory; to skip to various parts of the meeting click the icon with three lines.)
By The Record Staff
Champlain Housing Trust, which is proposing a 76-unit development — including 66 units of affordable housing — in Hinesburg began the process of final plat approval in a presentation to the Development Review Board on Sept. 2.
The Windy Ridge development, being undertaken in partnership with the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity, would include a day care center, 10 market-rate homes, 30 affordable homes and 36 affordable rental units. The project would be located on land that stretches between CVU Road and the north side of Riggs Road (the entrance to NRG) on the east side of Rte. 116. (Windy Ridge, if approved, will be directly across from the Haystack development which has received final approval and was expected to begin this year.)
The applicants had three major updates:
Jan Blomstrann, the former owner of NRG, has formally transferred the land — a donation — to Champlain Housing Trust;
Construction of the rental units off Riggs Road are now fully funded; and
Discussions continue with the child care center that is going to develop the north side of the property along CVU road.
The bulk of the discussion was over the board’s concerns about the storm run-off plan and the building envelopes for the four phases of construction — daycare center, single-family homes, multi-family units and apartment building(s). The board essentially requested that Champlain Housing Trust come back with specific building envelopes on each of the lots and more detail and design of the storm runoff.
The board also discussed concerns about traffic off CVU road (particularly left-hand turns from the east) and off Rte. 116 onto Riggs Road and a potential cross walk across Rte. 116 to connect to the eventual Haystack Crossing development.
After much discussion, the board voted to continue the discussion at its Sept. 16 meeting. For those wishing to examine all the documentation with the project, click here.
In other action:
Ashley Labelle presented her sketch plan for a three-lot subdivision of a 10.20-acre property located at 421 Place Road West in the Rural Residential 1 Zoning District. She explained that she wanted to subdivide Lot 2 to herself and renovate one of the buildings into a rental property and sell the third lot with new access from Place Road.
The board asked Labelle to present a plan marking the building envelope which could avoid any need for a wetland delineation nor a plan for storm runoff and wetland mitigation plans for Lot 3 and a mapping of the building envelope on the third lot.
“This is a relatively simple application,” said Mitch Cypes, the town’s Development Review Coordinator.
Kate Kelly, an abutter, expressed a little concern about the overall wetland area in the corner of the third lot which crosses property lines. She said the front of the lot is also wet, and suggested an extension of the existing drive so the entry could avoid that wet area and avoid another cut onto Place Road.
DRB member Dennis Place recused himself from deliberations.
The DRB voted for the application to direct staff to issue conditions of approval.
Matthew Baldwin asked for and was granted a continuance of his 9-lot subdivision plan on Baldwin Road. Several people have raised objections to the plan, particularly in that it affects waterways and conserved land that surround the land and that it does not meet zoning requirements. The continuance was granted.
Present at this meeting were: Dennis Place, Dick Jordan (via Zoom), Jon Slason, Ted Bloomhardt, John Lyman, Branden Martin (via Zoom)
