Planning Proceeds at Both Ends of Town
by Edd Merritt

Seven people met on June 19 to review and critique plans for affordable housing near the southwest end of the Burns property in Charlotte’s West Village. Previously, the Planning Commission had received a report from David Raphael of LandWorks reviewing what he had learned from the community meeting in the East Village and suggesting a next step in planning that area’s growth.
West Village housing gets down to the nitty gritty.
Building design issues held sway among attendees at the West Village discussion. A design by Eric Morrow and the building committee from Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity, is being proposed for a three-house development. The proposal raised questions about a shortage of living spaces that benefit from solar heating. The square design, rather than a rectangular layout, also was discussed. David Mullin from Habitat provided plans for a rectangular building that is being constructed elsewhere in Chittenden County. Planning Administrator Dean Bloch said the people at the meeting seem interested in mixing the two designs.
The group will meet again near the end of July, by which time Habitat will provide full-size plans for both designs and photos of what has been built in the county. Mullin will also provide a list of materials that are likely to be used.
East Village plans aren’t quite so far along.
East Villagers are still talking in terms of general desires for the community’s future. Raphael told the Planning Commission that he would like to survey residents at the Town Party on July 11.
The major question for planners is, what would people like to see in the way of an East Village? In his summary of the first meeting, Raphael said that residents “appreciated the current character of the village and environs. The agricultural feeling, old farmhouses, trees, existing views, small community, neighbors and the ‘de facto’ village green all contribute to the village’s sense of place...” They seemed to want a place to congregate, he felt. Community involvement is important in the activities of the village.
Sensing that traffic volume will continue to grow along the Charlotte/Hinesburg Road and Spear Street, he noted that control of vehicular traffic coupled with pedestrian safety was a concern, leading to talk of creating walking paths, hiking trails and, generally speaking, more recreational opportunities.
According to Raphael’s report, the four main areas of focus in considering the projects next steps are: 1) calming of transportation and traffic, 2) creating indoor and outdoor spaces for the community to gather, 3) developing patterns for future housing, and 4) reviewing the currently demarcated boundaries for the village and the commercial district.
He suggests that data be collected over the summer and the next workshop be scheduled for the fall. The commission is reviewing the survey to ensure that it provides valuable data to the planning process.