The Grand Isle Development Review Board has approved Lake Champlain Transportation Co.âs plans for a new maintenance, storage and office facility near Gordons Landing, a project that drew strong opposition from some local residents.
On a 3-2 vote Sept. 22, board members gave the ferry companyâs application a green light but tacked on a number of conditions on how the facility must manage hazardous materials and protect the environment, including Lake Champlain.
The company filed its proposal almost seven months ago, and the board held four meetings to review the plans.
Lake Champlain Transportation plans to build a 30,000-square-foot facility on West Shore Road near the ferry terminal that links Grand Isle and Plattsburgh, New York. The company wants to move its maintenance operations from Burlington to the new building, saying that, with staff and parts next door, repair work will be easier.
Some Grand Isle residents contend the proposal is inconsistent with local zoning laws, could contaminate the islandâs drinking-water supply, and could cause noise pollution in an otherwise quiet part of town.
Laura Heaberlin, who lives next to the site, has been one of the projectâs most ardent critics.
Lake Champlain Transportation applied to build a âstorage and repairâ facility, Heaberlin has said, but she thought the project should be considered an âindustrialâ facility, which would not be allowed on that property under the townâs zoning laws.
The land is in a commercial recreation shoreline zone, which allows such uses as storage and repair, marinas, boathouses and offices.
Heaberlin has also said ferry officialsâ description of the project âhas a lot of word-for-word resonance with our bylawsâ definition of âindustrial.ââ
In its decision last week, the Development Review Board stated the ferry facility would be âindustrial in size and appearanceâ and would house âindustrial equipmentâ such as an overhead crane and a sand-blasting bay with a dust collector.
Still, a majority of members decided the proposed use was not industrial.
âDespite the size of the building, the number of workers, and the sophisticated repair capabilities represented by the facility and personnel, the DRB considers the application to be for uses that are permitted in the commercial recreation shoreline district,â the board said.
Conditions
Members noted that Lake Champlain Transportationâs proposal involves removing ânumerous mature treesâ and would convert about 60% of the 3.3-acre property to impervious, heat-reflecting surfaces, including roofs and pavement.
The company must offset the carbon sequestration lost by removing those trees, the board said, by either employing renewable energy on-site, planting new vegetation or using some other method thatâs approved by the townâs zoning administrative officer.
Any repairs or maintenance that produce noise or dust, or involve hazardous materials, must be done inside the building with the doors closed, the board said.
Lake Champlain Transportation must also present an annual account of its use, storage and disposal of hazardous substances to both the zoning administrative officer and the Grand Isle Consolidated Water District.
Water officials have raised concerns about hazardous materials being used at the site, which is inside the source protection area for the district’s water intake. That means groundwater likely passes through the land before traveling into the lake, where the offshore intake for the public water source is located.
In an interview, water district Chairwoman Janine Banks said the Development Review Boardâs conditions did not exactly meet the districtâs requests, and the districtâs board is scheduled to meet Oct. 13 to further review the Sept. 22 decision.
âWe’re not for or against the project,â Banks said. âWe just want to make sure that the drinking water is protected.â
Lake Champlain Transportation should also do more to âbuffer the proposed development from Lake Champlain and the people who use the lake,â the Development Review Board said.
The company owns two houses on the site, at 39 and 41 West Shore Road. Officials planned to keep both houses standing and use at least one of them.
But board members decided the company should remove the house at 39 West Shore Road to reduce the overall development on the site. In its place, the board said, the company should plant new trees and shrubs to better protect the shoreline.
The board also stipulated that Lake Champlain Transportation âmust prevent frequent or consistent noisesâ from its repair and maintenance activities that exceed 65 decibels at the propertyâs southern and western boundaries. It must also address issues with the planned location of an underground propane tank and present a more detailed analysis of how many parking spaces would be available.
Lake Champlain Transportationâs next step would be to accept the Development Review Boardâs conditions and seek permits from the townâs zoning office, board clerk Marie Prescott wrote in an email.
Interested parties also have 30 days to appeal the decision to state environmental court.
A Lake Champlain Transportation official did not immediately respond to VTDiggerâs request for comment on the decision.