This story by Jason Starr first appeared in the Williston Observer on June 8.
The Williston Planning Commission is ready to hold a public hearing on land use regulation changes specific to the 97-acre Glaser parcel at the corner of Old Stage and Mountain View roads that would enable a 109-home subdivision.
Landowners Jack and Caitlin Glaser applied for the subdivision under the town’s rarely used “specific plan” process that requires a multi-tiered review by a subcommittee of the planning commission, the full planning commission, the selectboard and finally the development review board. An approval would create site-specific zoning rules and accelerate the pace of construction beyond the constraints of the growth management caps the town currently has in place. In return, the Glasers pledge to give 53 acres to the town, including about 15 acres fronting Mountain View Road, that preserves views of the mountains to the east.
The planning commission voted 4-2 on Tuesday to move the application along for a public hearing, which is planned for mid-July. The vote followed a unanimous recommendation of approval from the subcommittee that has worked for the past six months to revise the plan for the neighborhood.
“This is a decision to take another step forward. There are several of these yet to come if this is to go over the finish line,” Planning Director Matt Boulanger said.
The plan was revised over the course of several subcommittee meetings from the original submission the Glasers proposed last year. Current plans show two distinct neighborhoods connected by a rec path. One of the neighborhoods, with a cul-de-sac road, would be accessed through a new intersection with Mountain View Road and the other, with a semi-circular road, would have two new intersection points with Old Stage Road.
Eleven of the 109 homes are proposed to be deed restricted as affordable. Development would occur at a pace of no more than 18 homes per year.
“The way things actually buildout in real life, it tends not to be steady,” said Ken Belliveau, the former Williston planning director who is advising the Glasers on the application. “There is a certain amount of variability. It’s not 18 units per year, it’s no more than 18 units per year, understanding that the town has concerns about everything coming online at once.”
In addition to the 15 acres along Mountain View Road that would come under town ownership, the plan also proposes granting to the town about 38 acres off Old Stage Road. This is acreage the Glasers currently allow their neighbors, Windswept Farm, to use for equestrian activities. The subcommittee envisions a future lease between the farm and the town to allow for its continued operations.
“People value (Windswept Farm) as an important community asset,” Belliveau said.
Windswept Farm owners Mike and Tina Mauss have sent the town an operations plan and letter “that summarizes their ideal lease terms that can be used as a starting point for discussion,” the subcommittee states in a memo to the planning commission.
“The town has several leases on town owned conserved land, including simple agreements with farmers at the Mahon parcel and the Catamount fields. We anticipate the town would use a similar format for any lease with Windswept Farm,” Town Planner Simon Myles wrote in the memo.
Planning commission member Chapin Kaynor voted against the proposal Tuesday. He said his suggestion of a rec path connection from the parcel to Williston Village through the adjacent Northridge parcel was not sufficiently explored. Commission members Cate Lamar, Shayla Livingston and Jill Pardini said they had hoped for more affordable housing, including a suggestion the commission made encouraging the Glasers to reach out to nonprofits like the Chittenden County Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity to consider the needs of adults with developmental disabilities.
“I’m just not sure if the view is enough of a substantial benefit for the town,” Lamar said.
Editor’s note: Williston Planning Commission member Shayla Livingston is married to VTDigger editor-in-chief Paul Heintz. Heintz was not involved in the publication of this story, which was produced by the Williston Observer.
