Planner's Corner, November, 2018 Edition

Greetings, Williston!

Welcome to the very first edition of Planner's Corner, a monthly update on the activities of the Williston Planning and Zoning Department. It’s been a busy November, and you may have noticed construction activities at Finney Crossing, where a new bank building, a 100-room hotel, and a three-story apartment building are all under construction at once. Earthwork has also begun across the street at Cottonwood Crossing, a mixed-use project that received approvals from the town a little over a year ago. A new senior housing project is nearly complete in Blair Park and an existing building in Maple Tree Place is being renovated for use as a restaurant. Information about major developments in town, including site plans and drawings, is available at this link.

In the office, the staff has been busy reviewing the final batch of subdivision pre-applications for the calendar year, which will return for “growth management” review by the Development Review Board in March. At the same time, the Planning Commission has been working on revised growth management rules, parking standards, transportation impact fees, and more. It’s worth noting that amendments to the Town Plan prepared by the Commission with advice from the Conservation Commission and the Historic and Architectural Advisory Committee were recently adopted by the Selectboard. Our town plan now includes enhanced language about protecting archaeological resources as well as a whole new Village Master Plan calling for the town to take action in the Village to ensure we have good land use standards, great streets, sidewalks, and paths, and a vibrant Village that realizes its potential as a civic, residential, and commercial center of town.

Of course, our staff is ready to assist any Williston residents and contractors with questions about our zoning rules, permits for home projects, conservation lands, or long-range plans for the town. Our doors are open, 8:00-4:30, Monday through Friday. We can be reached at 878-6704 or by email.

Here’s a summary of what’s coming up for our board in the next month. 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. [MB1] 

Development Review Board (DRB)

WHEN: Tuesday, December 11, 7:00 PM (No Meeting Tuesday, December 25)

WHERE: Police Station Meeting Room, 7928 Williston Road

WHAT: Black Rock Construction requests a pre-application review. DP 17-01.1

Big Three, LLC seeks to amend a conditional use permit. DP  19-08

Gary Howard Family seeks pre-application review of subdivision. DP 19-09

Adams Real Properties, LLC seeks pre-application review of subdivision off mountain View road east of Katie Lane. DP 19-11

Historical and Architectural Advisory Committee (HAAC)

WHEN: Tuesday, December 4 and Tuesday, December 18, 5:30 PM

WHERE: Planning and Zoning Conference Room, 7878 Williston Road, 1^st Floor

WHAT: Discussion regarding appropriateness of demolishing historic structures 

Williston Conservation Commission (WCC)

WHEN: Wednesday, December 5 and Wednesday December 19, 7:00 AM

WHERE: Planning and Zoning Conference Room, 7878 Williston Road, 1^st Floor

WHAT: 12/5 Refine watershed protection standards, Sucker Brook Hollow Invasive Management Plan,                         DP 19-09 & 19-11

12/19 Discuss UVM Report on Pine Ridge, Allen Brook 2018 water quality monitoring results

Planning Commission (PC)

WHEN: Tuesday, December 4 and Tuesday, December 18, 7:00 Pm

WHERE: Planning and Zoning Conference Room

WHAT:  12/4 Parking Review, Transportation Impact Fees Review, Black Friday Survey results

               12/18 Capital Budget

For more information about the DRB, HAAC, WCC, or PC visit www.williston.vt.gov, click on the “Boards and Commissions” Tab on the left side of the page, then click on the relevant board or commission link.

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Pollution in Lake Champlain is a hot topic in the news these days, and many are aware of local and statewide efforts to improve our waterways. However, despite increased attention paid to water quality issues, many people lack an understanding of watershed dynamics, including how water flows from one area to another.  

While watersheds can extend beyond political boundaries like town lines, the 6,900-acre Allen Brook watershed is almost entirely within Williston. In an effort to shed some light on basic watershed concepts as well as the unique attributes of the Allen Brook watershed, the Town of Williston Planning Department and Conservation Commission recently developed and installed a new wayside interpretive exhibit. The exhibit consists of six interpretive signs in the Williston Community Park and along the Allen Brook Nature Trail. The signs highlight the natural and recreational benefits the Allen Brook provides, raise awareness of how development and stormwater disposal adversely affect the stream, and identify simple, effective actions that can be taken to protect the watershed. 

The exhibit was funded in part by a Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife Watershed Grant. Technical and design assistance was provided by the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) through the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership wayside exhibit program. LCBP has partnered with more than a dozen groups, including local towns, not-for-profits, State parks, and Federal agencies, to develop wayside exhibits telling the unique local stories of the Lake Champlain region. Now the Allen Brook is one of those stories. 

Check out the new exhibit at the Williston Community Park and along the Allen Brook Nature Trail, or view a “virtual tour” at http://arcg.is/meuCP . To learn more about water quality and how you can help, visit the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s website at www.LCBP.org.  

 

 

The Vermont Master Naturalist:  Williston Program will create a close-knit team of naturalists with specific training in Williston’s natural history across the earth, life and social sciences, who understand and can “read” the landscapes of Williston.  Williston has a rich natural heritage with habitat ranging from kettle hole bogs to schist ridges. Diversity underfoot gives rise to over a dozen natural communities resulting in an abundance of rare plant species.  Moose, bobcats, coyotes, bears, beavers, deer and foxes either pass through Williston or live here year around.  The Vermont Master Naturalist Program connects Williston citizens to the nature of their region through professional training based on the landscape level training of the UVM Field Naturalist Program and volunteer projects. Candidates will spend time on each site reviewing the geology, soils, hydrology, plants and animals (natural communities), human land use history, and signs of processes like wind, fire, or deer browse.  We will also discuss the conservation history and management issues relevant for each site.  The town will benefit long term from a community of naturalists acting as a brain trust for solving ecological issues facing our wild lands and serving as expert resources for conservation education in our schools and communities.   Field dates for 2018-2019 program will be four Saturdays:  November 10, February 16, April 13 and May 4.  Cost $395.  Scholarships available.  For information and to receive an application contact:  Laura Meyer laura.e.meyer@gmail.com  or Alicia Daniel Alicia.Daniel@uvm.edu

Wildlife Observed in Williston

Have you ever looked out of your window to see a Gray Fox running across your lawn? Have you ever been driving home from work and seen a White-tail Deer crossing the road in front of your car? If your answer to either of those questions was yes, then we'd like you to post these observations on the “Wildlife Observed in Williston” iNaturalist page. The “Wildlife Observed in Williston” iNaturalist page was created in order to bring about a better understanding of the distribution of wildlife species across the Williston landscape. Your observations will be used to help further refine the Significant Wildlife Habitat Area map, used to regulate new development in Williston. Check back soon to find out more information on an upcoming iNaturalist training that we will be offering. Thanks!

You can find the page here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/wildlife-observed-in-williston or search “Wildlife Observed in Williston” on the iNaturalist app on your mobile device. 

Williston Receives $400,000 Community Forest Grant

The Town of Williston received a $400,000 grant from the USFS Community Forest and Open Space Program for the Catamount Community Forest. The Forest Service awarded $2 million to seven Community Forest projects nationwide. Of these, the Catamount Community Forest was ranked #2! This award is a critical piece of funding for the project, and will serve as a catalyst for additional funding. Here is a Press Release about the grant award.