The project to bring reinvestment and a new, bright future to Route 7 discussed at the Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 pm in the Town Center. Please consider attending the meeting and getting involved in this important town project.
Why do we need to invest in Rte 7? People make decisions about where to live, invest, vacation, spend money, and retire based on what communities look like. Making Route 7 look more like the attractive (and valued) parts of Shelburne will draw new business investment to the town and expand our commercial tax base.
How does a town transform an under-performing car-oriented strip into an appealing mixed-use district that attracts new businesses, generates interesting destinations, and combines transit based housing with walkable, mixed, and more sustainable development? You start with a community-based vision.
What's that and what will it achieve? A positive civic identity that will guide redevelopment on Route 7, bringing new investment, businesses and jobs to the town. A consultant team of design, planning, marketing, and traffic experts, led by Charlotte-based landscape architect, Jim Donovan, will help town residents create an overall vision for the corridor. Two key tools will be used to identify and leverage the hidden potential that exists in the corridor: a public design workshop, or “charrette”, and the development of a new zoning code known as a Form-Based Code (FBC).
When does all this happen? The project gets underway this December and goes through next Spring. The Town will hold three days event of fun and informal community meetings everyone will enjoy. Residents will be asked to vote on what they think new development should look like and to join “conversations” with team leaders on topics that impact quality of life in the Route 7 corridor: traffic movement and congestion, lack of recognizable Shelburne identity, impacts to life in surrounding neighborhoods, economic development challenges and opportunities. By considering the corridor from new vantages, we’ll start to see the area’s huge potential and how we can invest in it to bring big results.
FBC is the type of zoning best suited to translate this vision into reality. It relies on pictures and diagrams, (instead of pages of hard-to-understand text), to clearly illustrate rules and expected results. When all the players work from the same rulebook, construction becomes more cost-efficient, simpler to administer, and the community achieves good outcomes.
Any town resident and all property owners in the corridor are invited to participate in this important project. There are many ways to become involved. For more information contact Town Planner Dean Pierce at dpierce@shelburnevt.org or call 985-5118.
I hope to see you on Thursday at 7pm!
Mar 7, 2025, 6:30 to 9 PM
Use Your Voice to Be a Light in the Darkness!Mar 11, 2025, 7 to 9 PM
Crochet & Knit NightMar 12, 2025, 5 to 6:30 PM