April 20, 2026 · Application 2025-138 · 220 Lake Raponda Rd, Wilmington VT
- → A lakefront home on Lake Raponda was permitted for a same-footprint rebuild — but was built larger, with a bigger deck, a new front mudroom, and a staircase that extends into the town right-of-way.
- → The contractor, Raymond Reed, took full responsibility on the record: the paperwork slipped, the owners shouldn't bear the burden.
- → The DRB walked through every applicable zoning section. Core problems: the structure expanded a pre-existing nonconformity, and the front staircase is in the public right-of-way.
- → A Vermont DEC shoreland permit is still pending — the DRB legally cannot issue a local conditional use permit without it.
- → Hearing continued to June 1, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Town ZA will measure the rear deck setback before then.
How It Started
The Oldfields received two permits for this property. The first, in December 2024, covered a foundation repair in the same footprint. The second, issued March 2025, allowed a rebuild of the four-bedroom single family home — again, same footprint. Both permits were clear: stay within the lines.
The structure that got built didn't. The front of the house now has a new mudroom and entry structure adding roughly 300 square feet of footprint — about 260 square feet more than what it replaced. The rear deck expanded to 576 square feet, a 445-square-foot increase. The deck also pushes further toward the rear property boundary, encroaching into the setback of a structure that was already nonconforming.
There's also a staircase at the front that extends into the town right-of-way on Lake Raponda Road — something the road supervisor flagged in writing in March. A proposed redesign pulling the stairs back inside the buildable area was presented as Exhibit 10.
"I made a mistake and I'm going to own it. I'm embarrassed. I don't feel my clients should have to go through sitting here."
— Raymond Reed, Contractor, opening testimony
The Legal Landscape
Because the home was built in 1930 — nearly four decades before Wilmington adopted its first zoning ordinance in 1968 — it qualifies as a legal nonconforming structure. That status comes with protections, but also strict limits. Board member John Ganon walked the room through the key sections methodically.
Article 4, Section 431 of the zoning ordinance allows alterations to nonconforming structures, but only if those changes stay within the footprint of the original nonconforming element and don't increase the degree of nonconformity. The encroachment beyond the rear setback, undisputed by the applicant, fails that test. Sections 705 and 706 added further texture: nonconforming structures aren't eligible for standard waivers under Article 2, and any modifications require prior DRB approval — which these didn't have.
The applicant's proposed path forward: argue that the eliminated storage shed's square footage should offset the mudroom addition. Reed submitted documentation on this theory to the zoning administrator. The DRB acknowledged it but didn't resolve it in this session.
The Measurement Dispute
Mid-hearing, Reed flagged something. The staff report states the rear deck sits approximately 7 feet from the rear property boundary. Reed disputed that figure, suggesting the actual measurement is closer to 15 feet. The discrepancy mattered because the staff report's measurements were scaled from a site plan that, by Reed's own acknowledgment, may not have been drawn to scale.
Rather than call a full site visit — which would have added scheduling complexity — the board agreed to a targeted solution: Alex Miller, the town's zoning administrator, will go to the property and measure the rear deck setback directly. That number will be in the record before the June 1st continuation.
The Lake Question
Carol, the board member with the clearest focus on environmental issues, spent her time on the shoreland implications. The property sits within the protected shoreland area of Lake Raponda, which triggers Vermont's Shoreland Protection Act and requires DEC review before a local conditional use permit can issue.
Reed described the mitigation work the Oldfields have committed to: no-mow zones along multiple edges of the property, a rain garden filtration system for road runoff, native plantings, and gutters directing water away from the lake. A new exhibit — Exhibit 25, submitted during the hearing itself — provided diagrams of the proposed layout.
Carol pushed further, noting that the expanded deck now comes right to the lake's edge, and asking whether the old boat garage structure might be worth removing — less impervious surface, better runoff numbers, more room for native plantings. Reed said the Oldfields were open to gutters on the boat garage but wanted to preserve it for sentimental and historical reasons. The board didn't press the point further, but it's likely to come up again in June.
The DEC shoreland reviewer assigned to this case is reportedly on vacation. Until the state sends back a determination — either finding the project in compliance or identifying violations — the DRB legally cannot issue its conditional use permit regardless of how the local analysis comes out.
What Happens Next
Three things need to happen before this case can close. First, Alex Miller measures the actual distance from the rear deck to the rear property line — that resolves the dispute over whether it's 7 feet or 15 feet. Second, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation finishes its shoreland review and issues a determination. The state reviewer is on vacation; no timeline was given. Third, the full DRB — including Charlie and any other members who attended tonight — needs to be present at the continuation. Scheduling around summer vacations landed the next available date at June 1st.
If you're a neighbor on Lake Raponda Road or anywhere in the shoreland zone, this case is a useful reminder of how the layer cake of local zoning and state environmental permitting works in practice. The town can want to say yes. The state still has to sign off first.
brbVT will cover the June 1st continuation. If you want to attend, DRB hearings are open to the public and typically begin at 5:00 p.m. Check the town of Wilmington's website for confirmed meeting details closer to the date
Recap by brbVT Civic Staff · April 25, 2026 · Based on the full meeting recording published by the Town of Wilmington, Vermont. DRB decisions are official only when issued in writing by the board.