Development Review Board

About the DRB 

The Development Review Board's (DRB) authority and duties are laid out in both the Vermont State Statutes and the Montpelier Zoning and Subdivision Regulations. Established on July 24, 2002 by the City Council, this board combines the development review functions of the former Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Planning Commission into a single body that must evaluate and decide upon the appropriateness of proposed development measured against the standards and procedures defined in the Montpelier Zoning and Subdivision Regulations.

It is an important and difficult job carried out by volunteers appointed by the City Council, with staff support from the Montpelier Department of Planning and Community Development. This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak, toward implementing the community's vision, goals, policies, and priorities as expressed in the Montpelier Master Plan and codified in our development regulations--1 case at a time--while at the same time respecting due process, the rights of applicants, and the rights of the public to participate.

The DRB has the following duties:

  • Adjudicates appeals of acts or decisions made by the Zoning Administrator
  • Adjudicates appeals for variances from the provisions of the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations
  • Considers applications for conditional uses
  • Considers applications for site plan approval
  • Considers applications for design review approval
  • Considers applications for subdivision
  • Considers applications for access to landlocked parcels of land
  • Considers applications for development in the flood plain
  • Interprets the meaning of provisions of the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations when questions arise



Meetings

The Development Review Board generally meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month, 7:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers, City Hall. **Due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, meetings are being held remotely via Zoom.  For more information on this please review the Procedures for Zoning-Related remote public meetings.**  Meetings are sometimes scheduled on a Tuesday in the event of a Monday holiday.  Most meetings are aired on ORCA Cable TV channel 17, which serves the Montpelier area. All meeting rooms and facilities in City Hall are accessible to persons with disabilities, including headphones in the Council Chambers for persons with hearing impairments. For evening meetings, the rear entrance to the building should be used.

Members are urged to let staff know as early as possible if they will be unable to attend a scheduled meeting so arrangements can be made to ensure a quorum. 

Members

  • Open Seat - Apply here
  • Robert Goodwin, Chair - Term expires: 6/7/2025
  • Sharon Allen - Term expires: 6/7/2025
  • Kevin O'Connell, Vice Chair - Term expires: 5/1/2023
  • Katherine Burgess - Term expires 5/12/2024
  • Alexandra Halasz Term expires 5/24/2026
  • Michale Lazorchak - Term expires: 5/1/2023
  • Gene Leon, Alternate - Term expires: 6/7/2025
  • Joseph Ryan Kiernan - Term expires: 5/12/2024