CHESTER, Vt. – The Chester Selectboard met for their final summer-schedule meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 20, beginning in their capacity as water and sewer commissioners, with a hearing concerning a finding of no significant impact regarding the replacement of a sewer main along Depot Street.
Matt Bissell, of Dufresne Group, explained to the board that the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation has determined that the project will have no significant environmental impacts, or impacts on significant archaeological sites. As such, 3,000 feet of sewer main pipes are to be replaced and relocated from Depot Street to First Avenue, running from the intersection with Depot Street to the intersection with Coach Road. No objections were raised by the public, and as such the project will move forward.
The board then heard from Planning Commission Chair Hugh Quinn, concerning the proposal for a Neighborhood Development Area (NDA), and the attendant changes to zoning bylaws in relevant districts that need to be made in order for the State of Vermont to approve the NDA application.
Quinn explained to the board that the NDA is a designation given by the state, which is intended to promote development in certain areas of town which are connected to, or have the potential to be connected to, municipal water and sewer, by exempting housing developments within the NDA from Act 250 permit reviews. Quinn stressed that the NDA is not itself a new district, but rather an overlay on top of the existing zoning map, and as such Chester’s zoning bylaws would still apply to all development within the NDA.
In order to comply with state requirements for NDA zoning, however, Quinn said that the town needed to make several changes to its zoning bylaws, mostly related to the creation of new subdivisions. Two properties would also be rezoned from Residential-2 to Neighborhood, including the property near Chester’s water tower, which has been the site of a recent housing development scoping study. Currently, the property serves as a gravel pit. Dead end roads longer than 1,000 feet would also no longer be allowed in the denser areas of town.
After some discussion, the board ultimately approved the changes to the zoning bylaws, and gave their support to Quinn to pursue the NDA designation. They also, after some minor wording changes, signed a document which declared their intent to promote increased pedestrian facilities within the NDA.
Moving on, the board heard again from Bissell, concerning the selection of an alternative for the sidewalks to be added along a section of Route 103 stretching from Route 11 to Green Mountain Union High School (GMUHS). Bissell told the board that, upon further review, the options involving a grass strip separating the sidewalk from the road without a curb had been replaced by an option that included both the grass strip and a curb. An alternative had also been added that included sidewalks along both the north and south sides of Route 103. Previous alternatives had included sidewalks along only one side or the other.
Board member Peter Hudkins preferred the options which included the grass strip, as opposed to those with only a curb, saying, “The sidewalks that last better in the town are not the sidewalks that rub against the curb. The 3-foot grass strip protects them.” Hudkins initially preferred the alternative that included a path along the Williams River which led to the high school athletic fields.
However, town manager Julie Hance explained that, from her point of view, the option which included sidewalks on both sides which extended further along the road was preferable, as it would make future expansion of the sidewalk network in the area easier. There is currently a scoping study for a housing development on town property on the other side of the high school, which Hance hoped the sidewalks could eventually be expanded toward if it moves forward.
The board eventually approved option 4B, meaning sidewalks with 3-foot grass strips and curbs separating them from the road along both sides of Route 103, leading directly to the front drive of GMUHS. However, Hudkins wanted the board to consider the future possibility of a gravel path along the Williams River, as he noted that students already use that path and are likely to continue to do so.
Finally, the board approved a loan in the amount of $32,500 from the Chester Development Fund to Calderon Dining LLC. Owner Miguel Calderon told the board that he and his wife had moved to Vermont in 2017, after training and working as a chef for many years prior in several major cities, as well as in Europe. After working as a personal chef in the area, Calderon is planning to open a restaurant in the former Heritage Deli property, which he recently purchased from owner Michele Wilcox.
The board expressed enthusiasm for Calderon’s endeavor, and approved the loan, which will be matched by funds from the Springfield Regional Development Corpration.
The Chester Selectboard will hold their next meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 6:30 p.m., at the Chester Town Hall.