Creamery Parcel Proposed Development


The Interim Zoning Committee will be meeting on Monday, August 24th at 7pm in the Town offices to begin discussing possible changes to the zoning for the Creamery Parcel.  Please plan to come to let us know your thoughts on the future of this property.  This meeting is extremely important for the future development in the town!  Critical decisions will begin to be made about the type (rental vs. owned), size (studio, 1bdrm, 2bdrm), and number (15 – 33) of new residential units downtown.  The developers would like the Selectboard to approve changes to the zoning by October 1st so they may commence demolition of the existing structure.  To do this, we need to propose changes within the next 3 weeks.  Now is the time to provide input on the development.  Please plan to come!   Click on the links to the left to learn more about the proposal.

Developer’s request:

The potential developers, Buttermilk, Inc, have requested a change to the residential density standard and the parking standards (below).  This represents what could be a significant change the in number and type of residential units originally envisioned for the site.  The IZ Committee set the standard for 15 residential units, with the option to increase the number to 24 if the additional units were designated for elderly housing.  The developers are requesting that we change the standard to eliminate the number of units, but instead set the standard to a percentage of the total development.

1) Residential Density. Change the residential density requirements to be at least ‘40% of the total mix of the development’ similar to the clause in Part IV ‘Uses’ Section B.  (Please note we are NOT requesting an increase. The current policy could be implying a 50/50 mix.)
 
Points of consideration
  • The ‘unit’ measurement  – without distinction of sq footage – does not protect the Town’s intent of prioritizing commercial development.  A developer could offer a much higher mix of residential by offer 15 or 24 large unit sizes (e.g. +3 bedrooms). See page 25
  • The ‘unit’ measurement  – without distinction of number of bed – does not limit the number of residents / beds. See page 26
  • A 40% mix of total development would enables the developer & the community to offer the type of ‘unit’ size to best meet the community need without increasing or impacting the volume of residential to commercial.
2) Parking Requirements. Enable options of Parking Management (as recommended by vermont.gov) to effectively manage parking supply & demand.  a) enable a reserved/ overflow parking lot up to 30% of the development’s parking and b) enable adjustment factors based on actual future tenants & plans.
Points of consideration