TownBites by Edd Merritt
Grant Received by Habitat, Denial of Tearoom at Berry Farm, and Liam Murphy Development Proposal.
March 25, 2010, page 5

Green Mountain Habitat receives grants for affordable housing in Charlotte.
In February, Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity was awarded $5,000 from the Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg Interfaith Projects (SCHIP) to benefit Habitat’s affordable housing project scheduled to begin this spring on the former Burns property off Greenbush Road. (See page 10 for information about other SCHIP grants.) Also in February, Habitat accepted a check for $1,000 from Northfield Savings Bank for the Charlotte project. The bank donates 10% of its profits to Vermont community organizations and has contributed more than $4.5 million to various nonprofits during the last ten years. Although Green Mountain Habitat has built 51 homes in seven cities and towns in Chittenden County over the past 25 years and is helping its affiliates in communities as far away as Lamoille and Grand Isle Counties, this year’s project is the first in Charlotte. Anyone interested in volunteering with its construction or administration should contact Bob Chutter at 425-2981 or Don Schultz at 985-2658.

Zoning Board of Adjustment denies tearoom addition to the Berry Farm.
Polly and Brad Simkins applied to the Charlotte Zoning Board to add a 1,000-square-foot addition to the farm stand at the Charlotte Berry Farm. The addition would serve as a tearoom and café and would seat 24 people. The Simkins’ property, including their residence, is located off Route 7 (Ethan Allen Highway) in the town’s “Rural Zoning District.” In addition to the tearoom, the Simkins proposed a gravel parking area suitable for 12 cars adjacent to the stand. The hang-up came about in identifying the addition as a restaurant under the terms of “Home Occupation III.” In its letter of finding, the Zoning Board defined restaurant as an “establishment of which the primary function is to serve food and beverages to the public for consumption at tables or counters on the premises. This definition includes cafés, bakeries with table or counter service, bars and taverns.” (Take heed East Charlotte villagers!) Home occupation is allowed as a “Conditional Use” in the rural district. However, subsections of the article say “such home occupations use must be carried out within the principal dwelling and/or in an accessory structure.”
The board determined that the principal use of the Simkins’ property is residential, and it did not find that a restaurant is “customarily related to a residence or residential uses.” In addition, the findings noted that a restaurant would also not be considered “customarily related” to an agricultural use. The proposal was denied because the board felt it “does not meet the standards for a Home Occupation III.” The owners may appeal the decision to the state Environmental Court within 30 days of the decision, which was dated March 18.
Liam Murphy presents a sketch plan to the Planning Commission
Before a sizable turnout of neighbors, Liam Murphy presented the Planning Commission with a sketch plan for a 10-house subdivision of his property off Orchard Road near the Shelburne town line. He proposed adding nine new units in addition to his existing house. Seven of these homes would be clustered off Tamarack Road with an additional three single sites, including Murphy’s current residence. A number of neighbors expressed their concerns about damage to animal habitats and wildlife connectivity routes as well as what the development would do to change the rural character of the area. At a subsequent meeting of the commission Murphy said he was pleased that neighbors felt they could express these concerns and that he wanted to hear them and receive the Planning Commission’s response before proceeding with more detailed plans for the property. He felt that the feedback would, in the long run, help him save unnecessary design costs.