Bulldog battle escalates

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

In response to protests from neighbors on Lamplite Lane and a zoning violation notice from the Town of Williston, the Vermont English Bulldog Rescue has scaled back its operation and received a town permit to continue saving homeless dogs from out of state.

That has only strengthened the resolve of people living nearby to have it shut down or relocate from the neighborhood.

The town planning and zoning department issued a home business permit to Vermont English Bulldog Rescue founder Dawna Pederzani on Jan. 20. The town imposed operating conditions that would clear up the prior zoning violation and allow the nonprofit to contin - ue operating near the corner of Lamplite and Pine lanes, the residential area where it has been located since 2010, growing in the number and breed of dogs it rescues. den County and is at least 3,500 homes short of meeting the demands of its current workforce, according to the report. It anticipates that only a fraction of that gap (463 homes) will be built in

A group of neighbors has hired an attorney from the Burlington law firm of Paul Frank and Collins to appeal the permit approval. An appeal hearing is set for 7 p.m. March 14 in front of the Williston Development Review Board (DRB). The neighbors are planning to testify to the negative impact the dog rescue has had on the neighborhood. Meanwhile, Pederzani is appealing to Vermont Environmental Court the DRB’s November decision to deny the operation a home business permit.

Representing the neighbors — 17 in all — attorney Mark Hall argues that Pederzani should not have been allowed to apply for another permit after her November application was denied.

“Furthermore, demand for homes is likely to increase … putting additional pressure on affordability,” the report states.

The report delves into the affordability issue, noting that home sale prices and rents have both increased at a faster rate than wages and household incomes. Over the last 10 years, home prices and rents have increased at an average annual pace of 5 percent, with the median home sale price in 2022 at $480,250 and the median rent at $1,647.

When the cost of a home (including utilities, insurance, taxes and homeowners association fees) exceeds 30 percent of monthly income, planners consider it unaffordable. In Williston, about 70 percent of renters and 21 percent of homeowners spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, according to the report.