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RECIPE INSIDE! SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
WILLISTONâS NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
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Grocery store anchors Taft Corners redevelopment plan BY JASON STARR Observer staff Taft Corners Associates is proposing to build a 20,000-square-foot grocery store behind an existing Hannaford grocery store as part of a 7-acre commercial and residential development that is on the Development Review Boardâs Oct. 12 agenda. As part of the proposal, the Masonic Lodge on Merchantâs Row would be torn down along with two neighboring buildings that currently house Falcon Plumbing & Heating and Waggles Dog Training school. In their place, âmulti-story mixeduse buildings and an urban park are envisioned,â according to application documents filed with the Williston Planning and Zoning Department. The plan includes the extension of Wright Avenue and Trader Lane to create an urban block in the vacant area behind Hannaford. The projectâs application documents float the idea of a hotel being constructed on the block and describe a hub of âdiverse retail, office and residential uses to be intermingled with the existing retail development.â Jeff Nick, one of the principals of Taft Corners Associates, could not be reached for comment. The project would bring to life one of the key elements of a
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new vision for Taft Corners that town planners, with the help of a consultant and public input, have created this year. The new vision will underpin revised zoning regulations for the Taft Corners Zoning District that town planners will seek selectboard approval for in the coming year. Taft Corners Associates anticipates their project will be built under the new regulations. âItâs exciting that there is interest on the private side in what is articulated in the vision,â Planning and Zoning Director Matt Boulanger said. A group of Williston senior citizens who meet regularly at the Masonic Lodge is concerned about the loss of the building. Joan Stoddard asked the selectboard at its Aug. 17 meeting to help the group find another meeting space. âWeâd like to know what the town is going to do to support the Williston seniors,â she said. âWe are going to need a meeting room and a small kitchen.â Burlington-area Masons have met at the lodge for roughly 30 years, since moving from a downtown Burlington location. âItâs been a great location for us because itâs so easy to get to,â said Williston Mason Larry Currier. He is unsure where the groupâs meetings will be held once the building is razed.
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9/11 Tribute
Jon Rock, former member the Williston Fire Department, took this photo to commemorate his hike up Camelâs Hump on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 as a different kind of tribute to those who lost their lives, and those who took part in the rescue efforts. Observer courtesy photo by Jon Rock
DRB endorses 300-home neighborhood BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Snyder Homes received preliminary approval Tuesday for its plan to build approximately 300 homes on a 54-acre parcel off Route 2A in Williston. The Development Review Board voted 4-1 to endorse the plan and allow it to compete for housing unit allocation at the townâs annual growth management meeting in March. Board member Paul Christenson was the lone dissenter after the boardâs closed-door deliberations on the project, but did not offer a reason for his dissent during open session voting. Snyder Homes President Chris Snyder presented the plans to the board, and several residents expressed concerns about increased traffic anticipated from the neighborhood. Snyder said he has an option to purchase the property from its current owner, the Essex Alliance Church, pending development review. The church received town approval to build
on the site in 2009 but, has abandoned those plans. Because the project is within the Taft Corners Zoning District,
âWalkable connectivity is an important element to the neighborhood ⌠We want it to be pedestrianoriented and a great place to live.â Chris Snyder President, Snyder Homes
which is the subject of a zoning regulation revision, town planners are recommending the project use a âspecific planâ approach that would allow it to take advantage of some of the coming design standards even before they are adopted. âA specific plan is essentially writing your own zoning for the
project,â Planning and Zoning Director Matt Boulanger said. The townâs Historic and Architectural Advisory Committee (HAAC) reviewed the project in August and encouraged the specific plan approach. A specific plan would allow the developer to customize building setback, height and density rules, as well as wetland buffers and construction phasing. Snyder agreed informally Tuesday to pursue the specific plan application concurrently with the standard application. âWe feel like we would want to preserve our rights through the (growth management) process along with submitting a specific plan application,â he said, noting he has not gone through the specific plan process before. The HAAC also recommended Snyder design neighborhood streets in a grid pattern to create blocks, but Snyder said he prefers the meandering roads in his original design. see DEVELOPMENT page 3