Burlington Zoning Board Approves Creston Avenue Variance 5-0 With Conservation Conditions

BURLINGTON — March 18, 2025 — Burlington zoning board unanimously approves Creston Avenue side-yard variance with conservation tree-planting condition. The Board of Appeals voted 5-0 on March 18 to grant a 5.4-foot southerly setback variance at 5 Creston Avenue — less than half the required 15-foot minimum — allowing the Battelle family to demolish their 50-year-old split-entry home and construct a new two-family residence on the 82-foot-wide, 10,400-square-foot nonconforming lot. Attorney Thomas Murphy argued the undersized lot constitutes a legal hardship and that the adjacent southerly boundary abuts a 29.1-acre conservation woodland with no structures. Conservation Commission Chair Larry Cohen read a formal letter recommending denial, citing risks to tree roots and construction precedent, but indicated the commission would welcome mitigation. The board conditioned approval on the applicants removing a pre-existing shed encroaching on conservation land and planting one two-inch-caliper red maple or red oak in its place, per plans dated November 27, 2024.