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Finalized Taft Corners regs reach selectboard ‘This truly is a master plan for Taft Corners’ BY JASON STARR Observer staff The regulations to finally make Taft Corners the pedestrian-centric, thoughtfully designed neighborhood that residents first described in the Town Plan in the 1990s have come into full form and are up for consideration this spring by the Williston Selectboard. The town’s planning department and planning commission have worked for the better part of the past two years to write the new rules, enlisting input from citizens and the expertise of design consultants. The effort garnered “Project of the Year” recognition from the Vermont Planners Association this week. The planning commission signed off on the final draft of the new regulations in March, and Planning Director Matt Boulanger presented them to the selectboard on Tuesday. Because of the amount of information presented (all available at www.mytaftcorners.com), the board chose to hear the presentation in two parts. A second part is planned for the May 17 selectboard meeting. The board also plans to hold a public hearing on the proposal June 7 before voting whether to
adopt them into the town’s Unified Development Bylaw. The so-called “form-based code” changes the nature of zoning in Taft Corners — the 1,000 or so acres surrounding the intersection of routes 2 and 2A — by prescribing detailed standards about the look and size of any new building that a landowner wishes to build, as well as the building’s relationship to the street it is on. Single story buildings won’t be allowed; building height can max out at five stories; buildings must be less than 20,000 square feet; and they must be built fronting the sidewalk and street (i.e., no spacious front lawns). What uses are allowed, the basis of traditional zoning, is mostly unregulated. As long as a building conforms to the new code — built vertically with the prescribed look and placement on the street — all residential and (legal) commercial uses would be allowed. What will happen to the large, single-story retail stores near the Exit 12 interstate interchange? The planning commission chose to exclude that area from the new regulations. “Walmart and Home Depot are not in this district,” Boulanger said. “There is still a place for that more traditional retail to develop and redevelop.” The building code works hand in hand
Above, a drawing of the pedestrian-friendly streets that are envisioned in proposed new zoning regulations for Taft Corners. At right, a map of the proposed street layout around the intersection of routes 2 and 2A in the Taft Corners official map. COURTESY OF THE WILLISTON PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT
with a new map of where future streets and open spaces are to be built. The street map aims to create a grid of pedestrian-friendly blocks where a person is always within at most a three-minute walk of a park. “This … truly is a master plan for Taft Corners,” Boulanger wrote in an April
memo to the board. “In addition to site design standards and revised architectural requirements, it will create a coordisee TAFT CORNERS page 24
Allen Brook Park gets master plan BY JASON STARR Observer staff
A master plan for Allen Brook Park shows new courts, fields and a multi-use community building, among other amenities. COURTESY OF THE WILLISTON RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
An artificial turf playing field, an outdoor pavilion and event lawn, a multi-use building with food service capacity, tennis and pickleball courts, baseball fields — these are the main elements in a master plan for Allen Brook Park that the Williston Recreation and Parks Committee has drafted over the past year. The town-owned park is next to Allen Brook School and currently has two athletic fields used for soccer and lacrosse, but there is room to grow. The plan creates a phased approach to building out the park as grants, donations and town funds become available. Parks and Recreation Director Todd Goodwin estimates buildout to take 10 years. The last plan for the park was created in 2011 and was focused on facilities for team sports, Goodwin said. The new plan diversifies uses of the park for the enjoyment of a broader array of people. “The previous concept was very sports heavy,” Goodwin said. “We felt like we needed to develop another large community park — like the Village Community Park —
that is a park for all.” Beau Doucette, a landscape architect from the SE Group who worked with Goodwin and the committee on the project, described the result as “a really resilient, vibrant — both active and passive — recreation master plan.” The plan’s first phase creates a dedicated, tree-lined access road to the park leading to a new parking area — taking pressure off the access road to Allen Brook School. The second phase envisions construction of the outdoor pavilion, the multi-use building and playgrounds near the entrance. Future phases include the pickelball and tennis courts, a basketball court, three baseball/ softball fields as well as converting one of the existing grass athletic fields to artificial turf — extending its use during mud season in early spring. A trail network on the meadow on the north end of the property and a realigned paved rec path are also envisioned. The total project cost is estimated at $7.5 million. “It’s a great plan. I look forward to trying to work to achieve it,” selectboard chair Terry Macaig said.