December is a time to spend with family and friends enjoying the holidays. Historically it’s has not been a time when people are interested in going to public meetings. But an important public hearing is taking place at Camels Hump Middle School this Thursday December 11th at 7:00 pm. The topic is the proposed zoning changes to the Gateway. At stake is what will take place in the gateway to our village and whether that area will become an asset to our town or becomes a visual blight affecting how all people, visitor and resident alike, feel about our town. The goal for development in this area should be to create a Gateway District that visually fits the character of our community while supporting the development of businesses and residences.
There is much to be concerned about. While the district is over a mile long, once you remove the cemetery, steep slopes, floodplain, and wetlands, it only leaves about twenty-six acres of land. When you think about how those twenty-six acres will create an image that translates into how most people will think and feel about the whole town, you realize how important and how precious those limited acres are.
Why is this so important to get the zoning right at this time? Because it is increasingly likely that municipal water and sewer will be expanded to the Gateway district. If the Mobile Home Park on Route117 commits to connecting, the expansion is highly likely. Until now changes in the Gateway have been constrained more by water and sewer limitations than by zoning. If those limitations go away then zoning becomes much more important.
Under existing and proposed zoning for the area there is little to stop franchised fast-food restaurants and chain hotels from coming, as they have done at thousands of interstate interchanges across the country. But are these the best uses for those 26 acres or are there better choices to be made? How do we create a Gateway District that visually fits the character of our community while supporting the development of economic vitality? One idea that has been discussed is to create a mixed-use neighborhood where the jobs and the residents coexist in ways that are like a traditional Vermont village.
There are several directions to go and almost all seem better than the one we are likely to get under the proposed zoning. Please take the time to come out to this meeting.
Feb 3, 2025, 5:30 to 6:30 PM
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Sustainable Williston SocialFeb 8, 2025, 9 to 10 AM