CHARLOTTE PLANNING COMMISSION

7:00 P.M., THURSDAY, June 17, 1999

TOWN OFFICES, 425-3533 



Members
Present:

Chairman Al
Moraska 

Ed Melby

Jeff McDonald

Dave Brown 

David Woolf




Members
Absent:

Jim Donovan




Guests Signed
in:

John Patnaude 

Linda S.
Hamilton

John Hammer

Atty. Jim
Ouimette

Sylvia Sprigg

Michael S. Lazar

John Pitrowski

John Sheehan




1. General Business, approve Minutes for 5/20/99: Ed Melby moved to approve the
Minutes for May 20, 1999. Al Moraska seconded the motion and it was approved, 4-0 with 2
members absent (Dave Brown had not yet arrived).

The vote on approval for the Minutes of June 3, 1999 was deferred, in that there were not enough
of the original members present at that meeting to make a quorum.

It was determined by Jeff McDonald after review of the sketch plan for Chris Masterson, that the
Finding of Facts and the decision for the Fournier sketch plan review and the Masterson sketch plan
review were not necessary.

2. Ryerson / Finch, Dorset St. Extension, application for a Site Plan review. John Pitrowiski,
who is with Trudell Consulting Engineers appeared, to present the plans and make the proposal. Bill
Ryerson was unable to be present, so he asked John to represent him. Bill Ryerson has owned this
property for a long time, and is now proposing to divide the 40+ acres to one lot of 11.4 acres, and
the rest of the property to another lot of 31.9 acres. There is very rugged terrain in the front, he said.
The larger lot has some nice views out in the field, and that is probably where that building envelope
would be. One of the borders of the property is on the Town line.

He said the original proposal for septic, in 1988, was a mound system not approved by the State of
Vermont but approved by the Town. Champlain Consultants did the new system design in 1991. So
that original application would be a backup system. The owner changed consultants in 1991. The
history of the property is included.

Access would be off a common driveway that is already there. He described some of the
topographical features. If a person were to try to build far from the approved septic it would
probably not be cost effective because of the distance to pump the effluent. He explained about the
design of the road using a new "mirror drain" in which there are thousands of "dixie cups" that is now
comparable in price to the conventional stone method of drainage against foundations. There is a
power line near the existing driveway and they have monitored this drainage for two years. There
are no drainage ditches now due to this new method. Most of the soils out in the field are of clay.

The shared portion of the driveway is 600' long. There is a corner pin on Dorset Street but there are
no stone walls or other features.

Al Moraska said one of the things to consider is an open space agreement since it is required in the
bylaws. Dave Brown didn't see any wildlife problems although the members agreed to do a site
check to be sure.

Al Moraska moved to classify this as a Minor subdivision. The motion was seconded by
Dave Brown and it was approved, 5-0 with one member absent. John was asked to show the
septic replacement area so that someone independent can locate where these fields are on the map.
When consultants change, it can be hard to reconstruct the plans. The setbacks are 50' from power
lines but it is less likely that someone would want to put a house near them.

The building envelopes will have to be put on the map, even if later on a request comes in for
approval to move them. John asked how large they need to be, and was told approximately two
acres would allow any outbuildings in addition to the homes. The driveway easement will run with
the location of the driveway, John said. The right of way has to be 60'. They have to record the
survey which will show the easements and the septic lines.

3. Michael Lazar, 1196 Lime Kiln Road, changes in use for a private elementary school.
Mike Lazar introduced himself and described his plans to take the existing building that used to be
an equipment barn, which has already been renovated, and which he wants to make into a large
playhouse. Also he wants to add a 26' x 30' addition on this residential property for a private
elementary school for his two children and three others.

Chuck Dunham and David Marshall, Civil Engineers, have been working with Mr. Sybolowski from
the State on the water and septic. Mike said they have a separate tank which serves the house and
has a separate leach field. Last year the leach field failed, so he is using the replacement field (which
he showed on his map). Now he needed to have new capacity for the field, and since Lots #2 and
#3 have plenty of extra water capacity that was okay with the State.

His was one of the first innovative septic systems. He asked if anyone else had tried the new
systems and was told that Ten Stones development is trying it.

He described the location of his home, the school, a pool, the driveway area with capacity for up to
6 cars, and a basketball or tennis court. The school would at first be for grades 1 through 3, and as
the children grow older it is intended that the three grades will move up to the 8th grade. He has
hired a professional teacher, and with this one room school they hope to avoid the challenge of
larger classes. Their course of studies are accepted by the State.

He believes issues of safety are settled although he is willing to have Fire Chief Chris Davis visit and
give his views and advice. Every electrical outlet is child-safe. The house and property are
access-safe.

There was then a discussion of whether this is a "home occupation" or "accessory use" under the
town's bylaws. It appears to fit both descriptions because Mike is the operator of this school but
they decided it was Home Occupation.

Ed asked about the interesting landscaping, and Mike said the large playground is all wildflowers;
one section is all Daisies, taken after the movie, "Sound of Music." He actually had the land plowed
and seeded with the flowers.

For the next meeting he will come in with a Site Plan application and will have met with Chris Davis.
He will need to have a letter from Chris Davis stating his decision, Jeff advised.

4. Linda Hamilton, presenting the Wetlands Map: Linda formally presented the Town with this
map of wetlands in Charlotte which gives much more detail than anything they have had in the past,
on behalf of the Conservation Commission. This is the first product of the computerized mapping
project and has been in the works for two years. 

They are able to pick the layer out, using an overlay. The map she was showing has the
interpretations from aerial photographs, in the same way that the Town of Hinesburg's wetlands
maps were done. There are 1200 wetland units in town using the same classification that the
National Wetlands studies use. They worked with Karen Bates from the State of Vermont, who had
praise for the high quality of work done by their consultant. There are 78 different classes of
wetlands, but these are consolidated into just a few, and color coded according to vegetation and
substrates.

Linda, with the assistance of John Hammer and Sylvia Sprigg, displayed a very large, bulletin board
sized, colorful map of the whole of Charlotte with various, color-coded wetland areas, similar to the
book-page size that she envisioned for people on the committees to have in their copies of the Town
Plan. At least the Planning Commission should have a hard folder with this information at hand,
Dave Brown said. Any notes on development maps would refer to the pages pertinent to that area.
Linda suggested that they could combine this information with an upland information layer that
should be finished later this summer. She said Karen Bates has offered to come here.

This project has been in the works for more than two years, and the Conservation Commission
funded it out of their own funds until a grant came in this year from the Planning Commission to help
get it completed.

5. Old Business: Then discussion centered around the previously approved computer purchase for
this fiscal year; they had been allowed up to $2,500 for the upgrade.

6. Other Business: Dean Bloch discussed the Sheehan Green subdivision. Jim Ouimette and John
Sheehan said that Clark Hinsdale, Jr. had not signed the Open Space Agreement yet, that was part
of the conditions for final approval because some of the information is already on the deed. So there
was a lengthy discussion because the Town's attorneys have said if we allow this agreement to go
without his signature it might not be enforceable. 

John Sheehan said he had deeded Clark the open land as farm land on the west side of Spear St.
and land on the east side of Spear St., and said grantors retained the right as a precondition of
subdivision approval to have Clark sign on as one of the owners of part of the subdivision. John's
spokesperson said anyone reading the Clark Hinsdale, Jr. deed is on notice that this land is
restricted. He just wanted specific direction from the Planning Commission for his upcoming meeting
with Clark on the coming Tuesday.

The Planning Commission asked that Clark sign the Open Space Agreement.



Submitted by Nancy Lane





APPROVED BY THE CHARLOTTE PLANNING COMMISSION