Panel reverses vote, OKs Sarah Street wall plan

Conservation · Meeting of May 28, 2026

Burlington's Conservation Commission reversed a failed vote and approved a contested drainage change at 12 Sarah Street. Vice Chair Larry Cohen, who handed the chairmanship to William Boivin after roughly 25 years in the role, made a rare motion for reconsideration after an initial 2-3 vote rejected the change; the commission then approved it 5-0. Representative John Luther argued the wall's design, including French drains and plastic sheeting, already cut runoff toward neighbor John Hickey's property, and Cohen said he would "accept your opinion based on a long history of experience." The board also continued four pending hearings, including a reduced-footprint Chick-fil-A at 2 Wall Street to June 25, where Wetland Scientist Doug Dillon described the lot as "very, very, very, very confined." A tree-cutting violation at 8 Nelson Road, involving roughly a dozen large trees, will be folded into a future Notice of Intent rather than draw a separate enforcement order.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of May 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.