Stowe Country Club LLC DRB Preliminary Subdivision Approval - Decision on Motions

CourtVermont Superior Court
DecidedNovember 25, 2025
Docket25-ENV-00021
StatusUnknown

This text of Stowe Country Club LLC DRB Preliminary Subdivision Approval - Decision on Motions (Stowe Country Club LLC DRB Preliminary Subdivision Approval - Decision on Motions) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Vermont Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stowe Country Club LLC DRB Preliminary Subdivision Approval - Decision on Motions, (Vt. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION 32 Cherry St, 2nd Floor, Suite 303, Docket No. 25-ENV-00021 Burlington, VT 05401 802-951-1740 www.vermontjudiciary.org

Stowe Country Club LLC DRB DECISION ON MOTIONS Preliminary Subdivision Approval

Before the Court are cross-appeals of a March 4, 2025 decision of the Town of Stowe (Town) Development Review Board (DRB) denying an application for preliminary subdivision/planned unit development (PUD) review submitted by Stowe Country Club, LLC (Applicant) related to land Applicant owns off of Cape Cod Road, Vermont (the Property). Applicant appealed that decision to this Court. Subsequently, neighbor Debra S. Reiser and the Stoweflake Townhouse Condominium Owner’s Association (together, Neighbors) filed a cross appeal. In a September 17, 2025 Entry Order denying Applicant’s motion to strike Meadows at Stoweflake III Owner’s Association, Inc. (Meadows), the Court gave Meadows until October 17, 2025 to either file a motion for leave to be represented by a non-attorney or retain counsel and have said attorney file a notice of appearance on its behalf by the same date. See In re Stowe Country Club, LLC DRB Preliminary Subdivision Approval, No. 25-ENV-00021 (Vt. Super. Ct. Envtl. Div. Sept. 17, 2025) (Walsh, J.). No such filings were made and, therefore, Meadows is DISMISSED. This matter is an on-the-record appeal. Despite this, the parties have stipulated that aspects of the cross-appeals may be ripe for summary judgment. Cross-motions for summary judgment filed by Neighbors and Applicant are presently before the Court. While this procedural posture is somewhat unconventional in the context of an on-the-record review, the Court notes that similar motions have been filed before. See In re Appeal of J.D. Assoc’s, No. 2002-109 (Aug. Term 2002) (unpublished mem.) (affirming a decision of this Court whereby parts of the on-the-record appeal were resolved by summary judgment and some were resolved by on-the-record briefing). In this matter, Applicant is represented by Christopher D. Roy, Esq. Neighbors are represented by James A. Dumont, Esq. The Town is represented by David W. Rugh, Esq. and Beriah C. Smith, Esq. Five Roads Stowe, LLC, an interested party that has not submitted filings related to the motions, is represented by Elizabeth Conolly, Esq. Finally, Sheri Baraw Smith, Caleb Connerty,

1 Charles C. Stevenson, and Jonathan Thomas are interested persons who are all self-represented. None of these self-represented parties submitted any filings relative to the pending motions. Legal Standard To prevail on a motion for summary judgment, the moving party must demonstrate “that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” V.R.C.P. 56(a), applicable here through V.R.E.C.P. 5(a)(2). When considering a motion for summary judgment, the nonmoving party receives the benefit of all reasonable doubts and inferences. Robertson v. Mylan Labs., Inc., 2004 VT 15, ¶ 15, 176 Vt. 356. When considering cross- motions for summary judgment, the Court considers each motion individually and gives the opposing party the benefit of all reasonable doubts and inferences. City of Burlington v. Fairpoint Commc’ns, Inc., 2009 VT 59, ¶ 5, 186 Vt. 332. In determining whether there is a dispute over any material fact, “we accept as true allegations made in opposition to the motion for summary judgment, so long as they are supported by affidavits or other evidentiary material.” White v. Quechee Lakes Landowners’ Ass’n, Inc., 170 Vt. 25, 28 (1999) (citation omitted); V.R.C.P. 56(c)(1)(A). Factual Background We recite the following facts solely for the purposes of deciding the pending cross-motions. These facts do not constitute factual findings because factual findings cannot occur until after the Court conducts trial. Fritzeen v. Trudell Consulting Eng'rs, Inc., 170 Vt. 632, 633 (2000) (mem.). 1. Applicant Stowe Country Club owns property along and near Cape Cod Road in Stowe, Vermont (the Property). 2. The Property is located in both the Rural Residential (RR) 2 (RR2) and RR3 zoning districts as those terms are defined by the Town of Stowe Zoning Regulations (the Regulations), effective January 1, 2024. See Exhibit B. 3. Applicant presently uses the Property as a private golf club with associated amenities and structures. 4. On February 22, 2025, Applicant applied for preliminary approval for a mixed-use Planned Unit Development (PUD) and preliminary subdivision/PUD approval related to the relocation and expansion of the golf course and associated amenities, such as a new clubhouse and recreational amenities, and 73 new residential dwelling units, consisting of a mix of single-family, duplexes, and multi-family units. 5. The DRB sent a Notice of Public Hearing for an initial hearing in April 2024. See Stip. Exhibit (Hearing Notice).

2 6. The Hearing Notice stated that the DRB was holding a hearing in April 2024 on Applicant’s request for preliminary subdivision/PUD review including a club house, recreational amenities, and residential uses at the Property. Id. The notice further indicated that additional application materials related to this application could be found at the Town’s zoning office or online. 7. The DRB held hearings on this matter from April 2024 through February 2025. 8. Neighbors received some form of notice and attended all or a portion of those hearings. 9. The application initially proposed to be served by municipal water service but during the course of the DRB heaving process, Applicant amended the application to propose service by private water. 10. Applicant did not submit updated water reports and/or documents related to the newly proposed private water system. 11. The DRB did not approve a private water system for the application. 12. The DRB issued its decision denying the application on March 4, 2025. 13. Applicant and Neighbors filed appeals thereof. Discussion Neighbors and Applicant each move for summary judgment, albeit on different Questions within their respective Statements of Questions. Neighbors motion seeks judgment on Neighbors’ Questions 1, 2 and 3 of Neighbors’ Statement of Questions. See Cross-Appellants’ Statement of Questions (filed May 7, 2025). Applicant moves for judgment on Questions 1, 3 and 5 of Applicant’s Statement of Questions. See Applicant Statement of Questions (filed Apr. 18, 2025). I. Neighbors Questions 1 and 2: Notice Neighbors Questions 1 and 2 concern notice.1 Neighbors assert first that Applicant did not properly notifying adjoining landowners and should have served amended hearing notice once Applicant determined it would not rely upon municipal water and instead will rely upon private water sources. Both arguments must fail. Neighbors lack standing to raise these issues on behalf of third parties not before the Court. See Baird v. City of Burlington, 2016 VT 6, ¶ 15 (“[A] party who is not injured has no standing to bring a suit.”) (quotation omitted). It is undisputed that Neighbors participated in the hearings below and raised their concerns with the project, including the potential shift from municipal water service

1 A portion of Neighbors’ Question 2 appears to go beyond notice and it is discussed below.

3 to private water service. They have therefore failed to identify how they personally have been injured in light of this. Despite this, Neighbors assert they have standing under the principles set forth in Craig v. Boren, 429 U.S. 190 (1976), and Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965). The Court fails to see the applicability of Craig and Griswold to these circumstances. In fact, the facts, circumstances and law at issue in both Craig and Griswold, leading to the U.S.

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Related

Griswold v. Connecticut
381 U.S. 479 (Supreme Court, 1965)
Craig v. Boren
429 U.S. 190 (Supreme Court, 1976)
In Re Tyler Self-Storage Unit Permits
2011 VT 66 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2011)
City of Burlington v. Fairpoint Communications, Inc.
2009 VT 59 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2009)
In Re Stowe Club Highlands
668 A.2d 1271 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1995)
Lubinsky v. Fair Haven Zoning Board
527 A.2d 227 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1986)
Robertson v. Mylan Laboratories, Inc.
2004 VT 15 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2004)
Fritzeen v. Trudell Consulting Engineers, Inc.
751 A.2d 293 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2000)
In Re Appeal of JAM Golf, LLC
2008 VT 110 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2008)
Town of Westford v. Kilburn
300 A.2d 523 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1973)
Baker v. Town of Goshen
730 A.2d 592 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1999)
Morin v. Essex Optical/The Hartford
2005 VT 15 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2005)
In Re Laberge Moto-Cross Track
2011 VT 1 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2011)
In re Bjerke Zoning Permit Denial
2014 VT 13 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2014)
Sandra Baird and Jared Carter
2016 VT 6 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2016)
Westover v. Village of Barton Electric Dept.
543 A.2d 698 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1988)
White v. Quechee Lakes Landowners' Ass'n
742 A.2d 734 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1999)

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