Burlington Conservation Commission Issues First Wetlands Permit for Accessory Dwelling Unit

BURLINGTON -- October 9, 2025, Burlington Conservation Commission approved the town's first wetlands permit for an accessory dwelling unit, a 900-square-foot structure at 20 Gibson Street. The board voted 4-0 Thursday to issue the permit under Burlington Bylaw Article 14 and the State Wetlands Protection Act, setting a $1,500 performance surety, below the $2,500 standard for single-family homes, after Chair Larry Cohen said the project was more comparable in scope to an addition. Applicant Jenna Spinoza and engineer Jack Sullivan had already removed a berm of accumulated organic material and planted six native wetland shrubs along the stream bank before the vote, drawing praise from Conservation Administrator Eileen Coleman: "They did Trojan work, phenomenal amount of work in just a very short period of time." The commission also adopted a vegetation restoration plan for 2 Van de Graaff Drive by a 4-0 vote, and Cohen reported that a warrant article to shift technical stormwater content from the bylaw into regulations failed at town meeting by four votes, the second time the article was defeated, with the commission agreeing it would not bring it forward a third time.