ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Planners quash development restriction idea By Jason Starr Observer staff
The Williston Planning Commission on Sept. 1 cast aside a request from the newly formed Citizens for Responsible Growth to require open space protection of at least 50 percent of a subdivision in the Residential Zoning District. After fielding roughly 200 responses to a wide-ranging survey about land development in Williston, the planning commission instead chose to initiate a broader look at development patterns across all zoning districts. A “forum on growth” event is planned for this fall, and the planning and zoning department is fielding proposals from contractors to help redraft the zoning rules in the Taft Corners growth center. “The planning commission is sympathetic to the value of open space, but it is complicated, and there was stronger input in the survey on some other factors,” planning commission chair Chapin Kaynor said Monday. “So we decided to take a longer-term view. We feel like we have a wealth of information to follow up on without making that specific change.” He said dissatisfaction with the look and feel of Taft Corners, an interest in the interconnectivity of pedestrian/cycling paths and the potential allowance of commercial enterprises in the residential zone were among the themes that emerged from the survey. Whether a proposal to redevelop the Catamount Country Club golf course on Mountain View Drive into a 140-home neighborhood — which has earned preliminary approval from the Development Review Board — spurred the idea to protect 50 percent of a subdivision as open space was the subject of debate at the Sept. 1 meeting. Citizens for Responsible Growth member Terry Marron de-
nied a causal link, pointing instead to a January blog post from Planning Director Matt Boulanger with the sensational headline “500-unit project proposed at Mountain View and Old Stage Road” as the impetus for the formation of the group. The post describes a project that was proposed in the early 1980s but never built. It does, however, mention the Catamount Golf Club redevelopment plan. The citizens group began meeting shortly after that, and developed the 50 percent open space proposal in the spring. According to Kaynor, about 10 parcels of 10 or more acres remain undeveloped in the residential zoning district that the restriction would affect. But golf course developer Chris Senesac and landowner Alex Kourebanas said they believe the proposal was aimed at forcing a redesign of their development. “I started this project under a given set of rules, and it would seem immensely unfair to force us into changes this far into the project,” Kourebanas wrote in an August letter to the commission. In a June letter to the commission, Senesac said a 50 percent open space requirement would make it harder to develop affordable homes; the golf course redevelopment shows plans for about 50 price-controlled, perpetually affordable homes. “Increasing the open space requirement to 50 percent … could possibly be looked upon as a means to discriminate against those of lesser means and backgrounds,” Senesac wrote. “This is in stark contrast to town planning goals.” Former Williston Planning Director Ken Belliveau submitted comments to the commission in August on behalf of Senesac and
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Hotel project languishes
Planners are pushing ahead with a redo of the zoning regulations that govern the Taft Corners growth center.
see DEVELOPMENT page 2
Observer photos by Paul Apfelbaum
Construction of the four-story, 96-room Hyatt hotel in Blair Park was stalled due to a permit violation, which was resolved, and due to the coronavirus pandemic. So far, an underground parking lot has been built, but no opening date has been determined.
Architect says project ‘is still active’ By Jason Starr Observer staff
Construction of a hotel on Blair Park Road started too quickly in January. Now it appears to be languishing. The Williston Planning and Zoning Department issued a violation notice to the Vermont Hotel Group in January for a false start — commencing construction of the four-story, 96-room Hyatt without first obtaining an administrative permit and paying $117,000 in impact fees. Tucked into a parking lot in front of a UPS Store and Ski
the East headquarters and behind the Williston Post Office, the hotel received Development Review Board approval in 2019. The violation was cleared and construction began over the winter. Then, with an underground parking lot built and the beginnings of the first floor in the works, the project stalled in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Construction has not resumed as pandemic restrictions have lifted. In August, the Burlington Free Press reported that the project is likely to be paused for the rest of the year. The Observer could not reach landowner David Zhang of the Vermont Hotel Group for comment. The architect of the building, Marc Dowling of G4 Design Studios in Burlington, said Monday that Zhang disputes the Free
Press report. “It’s still active within our office, and he’s told us it’s not on hold,” Dowling said. Abigail Dery of Trudell Consulting Engineers — the Blair Park Road firm spearheading the project for Zhang — did not return calls seeking comment. On Tuesday, a solitary man stood atop the concrete foundation, appearing to be taking notes. That’s in line with what Ski The East co-founder Chris James has been seeing out his office window over the past couple months. “It seems like they are tinkering around at it here and there, but the major construction seems stalled at this point,” he said. Dowling said the owner has not given him an opening date to work toward.