In a contentious and well-attended public hearing on Tuesday, the Williston Selectboard approved a form-based code for Taft Corners in a 4-1 vote.
The form-based code regulates the architectural design, site placement and other aspects of new development.
In approving the new code, the Selectboard allowed for the absolute building height limit in Taft Corners to be increased from 52 to 87 feet — a change a number of residents spoke out against.
“We’re just concerned that that’s not what the people of Williston want for our town,” Williston resident Denise Richard said at Tuesday’s meeting.
“It’s not that I don’t understand that there are people who are adversely affected by this. But on balance, I think that the form-based code is the way to go,” Selectboard member Ted Kenney said.
“This is not going to inundate the town with 10,000 new citizens overnight. This is not approving a project. This is approving bylaws. This is going to be a 50 year build out,” he continued.
The lone “no” vote on the board came from Gordon St. Hilaire. “For me as being a representative of the public, it’s not my vote, it’s their vote that I hear back,” he said.
The approval came after three Selectboard meetings and a public hearing in July during which the board voted to scale back the proposed height increase from 110 feet to 87 feet.
— Juliet Schulman-Hall
