Planner's Corner: May 2020 Edition

Planner's Corner May 2020

The last posting on Blogger. 

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Planner's Corner: February 2020 Edition

Welcome to Planner's Corner, a monthly update on the activities of the Williston Planning and Zoning Department.

In the first month of the new decade, the Planning and Zoning office has been reflecting on how we can engage more folks in town planning and communicate its nuances so that the vision for Williston can become a reality.

This is a task which we do not take lightly. The mission Statement of the Williston Planning department states: “It is our mission to help the town create and realize a vision for its future. This vision is encompassed by the Williston Comprehensive Plan which we use to identify goals, objectives and policies. The Comprehensive Plan is administered through the Williston Unified Development Bylaw. We hope to empower citizens so that we may work together to build, finance, protect, support, and create an equitable, sustainable, and healthy community for present and future generations.”

We are working on ways to make all of these processes easier to understand and navigate. We are creating FAQ sheets and infographics about the development review process; the roles of the different boards and commissions; how they interact; and how you can take part in those operations. You can find a new infographic on the Discretionary Permit process on our website and while we are still preparing other information, there are several ways to get involved. We have four boards and commissions directly involved with the planning process:

The Planning Commission, whose function is long range planning including preparation of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan of Development, Zoning Regulations, and Subdivision Regulations.

The Development Review Board, which is responsible for reviewing and approving all proposed development projects. This includes conditional use, variance, site plan, and subdivision approvals. All meeting agendas, minutes, project proposals, and staff reports are posted to our website.

The Historic and Architectural Advisory Committee, which is responsible for making recommendations to the Development Review Board on applications subject to the Unified Development Bylaw. They also make recommendations regarding Certificates of Appropriateness for proposed construction, reconstruction, alteration, subdivision or other specified development in the Historic Preservation District.

The Conservation Commission, which advises the Planning Commission and Selectboard on matters relating to the Town's natural resources, including wetlands, open space, wildlife habitat, viewsheds, and rare and endangered animal and plant species.  The Conservation Commission promotes open space and conservation through studies, negotiations and advice on the use of the Town Environmental Reserve Fund.

These are volunteer citizen boards who welcome participation from their fellow community members. Each meeting is open to the public and you can find the schedules, agendas, and minutes on our website. All meetings begin with time for general public comment not related to the agenda items. If you have a topic you’d like to discuss in depth, you can get in contact with the Planning and Zoning staff to see if it can be an agenda item. We hope that folks will continue to engage in productive dialogue and attend meetings so that the town may know the ideas of the citizenry which we work for.

Here’s a summary of what’s coming up for our boards during the month of February. Agendas, meeting minutes, and supporting documents for the items discussed below can be found on the “Public Records and Documents” page of Williston’s website.

Development Review Board (DRB)

WHEN: 7:00 PM on February 25^th

WHERE: Town hall meeting Room, 7900 Williston Road

WHAT: DP 20-03.1

Historical and Architectural Advisory Committee (HAAC)

WHEN: 5:30 PM on February 18^th

WHERE: Planning & Zoning Office, 7878 Williston Road

WHAT: Design review of DP 09-01.17; DP 20-03.1

Williston Conservation Commission (WCC)

WHEN: 7:00 AM on February 19^th

WHERE: Planning & Zoning Office, 7878 Williston Road

WHAT: Five Tree Hill Management Plan update; Allen Brook water quality monitoring.

Planning Commission (PC)

WHEN: 7:00 PM on February 18^th

WHERE: Police Station Meeting Room, 7928 Williston Road

WHAT:  Energy Plan; Parking Standards

For more information, visit www.williston.vt.us, click on the “Boards and Commissions” Tab on the left side of the page, then click on the relevant board or commission link. Our staff is ready to assist you from 8:00-4:30, Monday through Friday. We can be reached at 802-878-6704 or by email.

Planner's Corner: January 2020 Edition

500-Unit Project proposed at Mountain View and Old Stage Road 

Welcome to Planner's Corner, a monthly update on the activities of the Williston Planning and Zoning Department.

A residential project with more than 500 units is proposed. Six new major streets and 21 cul-de-sacs will be built on both sides of Mountain View and Old Stage Roads.  While some of the dwellings will be single-family, many will be condominiums, and some will be rental units. All the open lands in the southwest corner of Mountain View Road will either be developed or planted with tall screening landscaping, obscuring the view of Camel’s Hump from Mountain View Road. A public “concept review” hearing will be held.

This is not a fictional project, but it is a proposal from Williston’s past- 1983 to be exact. You can see the plans and read more about it on the “Planning History” page of Williston’s Planning Department Web Page. At that meeting in 1983, residents bemoaned the additional cars, traffic, children, and dogs the development would bring to town. One resident referred to condominium projects as “shanty towns,” and a meeting attendee yelled out that “we ought to go and take up a collection and buy the whole damn farm and that would be the end of it.”   

While some things have changed in Williston since 1983, many haven’t. A good portion of the land on that old concept plan remains undeveloped, and it also remains in the Town’s Residential Zoning District, zoned for 3-5 dwelling units per acre, served by sewer and water, and planned for residential growth that looks much like Southridge, Old Stage Estates, and other nearby neighborhoods. Our staff still hears concerns about traffic and children, and while nobody has raised the specter of “shanty towns” of late, we’ve certainly heard people say that “those people’s kids will play on our playground,” or that a project might bring “apartment people” to town. One citizen once asked if the residents of a new project would be “renters, or would they be contributing to the community?”

As staff and volunteer board members, it can be tough to work through those types of meetings. Zoning has a checkered history in the United States and was often used to exclude “those people-” people of a “different” race, class, or ethnicity- from communities, even here in Vermont. Comments like some of those above are a significant distraction to the work of assessing a project’s compliance with the Town’s Zoning.  

As in 1983, Williston may be entering a time where concerns about new development and the people who come with it are prominent. I would encourage Williston residents and all those who are concerned about development to have a look at the town’s Official Zoning Map. The area we are talking about is the Residential Zoning District, shown in yellow. It allows 3-5 dwelling units per acre. Those units can be single units, duplexes, or bigger: triplexes and apartment flats- the only limitations are the height, setbacks and the base lot area. Affordable housing and connectivity to town roads and neighborhoods are encouraged, if not outright required. This is the set of rules the Town has developed, in accordance with its Comprehensive Plan. As I have in past posts, I urge all Williston citizens to read these documents. 

Finally, while nobody took up a collection that night in 1983, the town does have an Environmental Reserve Fund that all taxpayers pay into, which is used to preserve open lands in Williston. Soon, Planning Staff hopes to analyze the Fund and the remaining open lands in Town to provide more information about how to fund that “collection” that was suggested in 1983.  

Here’s a summary of what’s coming up for our boards during the month of January. Agendas, meeting minutes, and supporting documents for the items discussed below can be found on the “Public Records and Documents” page of Williston’s website.

Development Review Board

WHEN: 7:00 PM on January 28

WHERE: Town Hall meeting Room, 7900 Williston Road

WHAT: DP 20-18, DP 20-19

Historical and Architectural Advisory Committee (HAAC)

WHEN: 5:30 PM on January 7

WHERE: Planning & Zoning Office, 7878 Williston Road

WHAT: DP 20-19/ HP 20-01 Review; Revise Chapter 42 of Williston Unified Development Review Bylaw

Williston Conservation Commission (WCC)

WHEN: 7:00 AM on January 8

WHERE: Planning & Zoning Office, 7878 Williston Road

WHAT: UVM Senior Capstone Project: Exploring the Feasibility of Rent-a-Goat Services for Invasives Control; Desired Trails Prioritization

Planning Commission (PC)

WHEN: January 7

WHERE: Police Station Meeting Room, 7928 Williston Road

WHAT:  Energy Plan Review Part 4; Capital Budget

Mobility Projects Group

WHEN: January 9, 6:00 PM

WHERE: Police Station Meeting Room, 7928 Williston Road

WHAT:  Projects Group Kickoff Meeting

For more information, visit www.williston.vt.us, click on the “Boards and Commissions” Tab on the left side of the page, then click on the relevant board or commission link. Our staff is ready to assist you from 8:00-4:30, Monday through Friday. We can be reached at 802-878-6704 or by email.