Williston Observer 1/6/2022

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WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985

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What is the future of the village?

Planners tackle rewrite of village land use regulations BY JASON STARR Observer staff

Nineteen-eighties-era fears about strip mall development sweeping down Route 2 through Williston Village gave rise to strict residential density caps and limited commercial options in Williston’s Village Zoning District. The regulations have succeeded in preserving the village’s historic charm, but town planners believe it’s time to rewrite the rules for a new era of

land use, where property owners can create a more dense population center and entrepreneurs can take a shot at a wider array of businesses. Town Planner Emily Heymann is working with the Historic and Architectural Advisory Committee on a draft rewrite of Chapter 42 of the Williston Development Bylaw, which outlines land use regulations in the Village Zoning District. The district runs along Route 2 roughly from Southridge Road to just past the four-way intersection at Oak Hill Road and North Williston Road. Nine businesses and dozens of homes are within its boundaries, as well as Town

CSWD presents Redmond Road expansion plans Composting and recycling improvements in the works recycling center, which would replace the district’s current recycling center on Williston’s Avenue A 2,500-foot waterline ex- C. tension down Redmond Road, With Vermont’s universal reapproved by the Williston Select- cycling law taking full effect in board in the fall, will enable the 2020 — prohibiting food waste Chittenden from being Solid Waste thrown in with ‘It’s time to get District to landfill-bound power its comtrash — the machinery and posting operavolume of technology to do tion, construct food coming a new admininto the disthe sorting and have istration buildtrict’s compeople doing quality ing and, one post center has day, build an surged. So has control and making automated reits water needs sure the machines cycling center. to process The town’s the material are doing their job.’ water line curinto compost. Sarah Reeves rently ends The district CSWD executive director at IBM Road had already — the entrance outgrown the to Globalcapacity of a Foundries. The extension will man-made pond it built on-site take it into the district’s compost- and has been trucking in water, ing center, where much of Chit- purchased mostly from Willistenden County’s food scraps are ton’s supply, to keep the facility processed into gardening products producing compost. for sale under the Green Mountain “We literally have thousands Compost label. Along the way, it and thousands of gallons of water will pass the sites of a proposed delivered a year,” CSWD Executive new administration building and see CSWD page 16 BY JASON STARR Observer staff

Hall, the library, Williston Central School and the Old Brick Church. At the heart of the zone is a nationally registered historic district. “The current standards do not encourage development that will achieve the long-term goals of incremental change, diverse housing and business opportunity,” said Heymann. “The town must adopt something new that looks to the future and encourages the many ways in which the village can remain a vibrant and real place.” Village property owners will be notified through the mail and online channels of upcoming see VILLAGE page 16

Williston’s Village Zoning District is a mix of homes, businesses and town and school buildings. OBSERVER FILE PHOTO BY POGO SENIOR

Rink at the ready

Skaters enjoy an evening on the Village Community Park ice rink Tuesday. Sub-freezing temperatures have allowed the Williston Recreation and Parks Department to open the rink for the season. The rink is open to the public daily until 9:30 p.m. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY


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