Selectboard Meeting of October 15, 2007
Meeting Time: 120 Minutes
Writing Time: 70 Minutes
Number of Words: 643

West Village Study Considered

Mike Munson, former town planner for Williston and planner at large, has answered the call to come and help Charlotte determine what the options there are in planning for the West Village. The need for Munson’s services as facilitator arose from recent discussions regarding the use of septic capacity in the Burns Property and what relationship the affordable housing proposal would play in overall use of that septic capacity. He has agreed to come back to present a way forward on December 10.

Munson has a long record of finding solutions to planning problems and has worked in the past on some questions in Charlotte. His approach is to apply analytic approaches to problems, but in this instance, he is concentrating on gathering public input and marrying it with empirical data that he can collect. His first thoughts on the issue are to bring together the existing septic capacity with the expectations of the citizens of the Town in planning for the future. He wants to step back from the details of the Burns study and analytically evaluate sequentially the present needs of West Village, those which might come from development of existing buildings, and finally those for potential new development. A simplistic and conservative approach takes the septic capacity that exists, subtracts all the needs should all residences fail, and then determine the remaining amount for allocation to expansion or new developments. He hastened to add that we must be careful to realistically evaluate the ability of the area to support a commercial establishment before we leap to any grandiose planning. For instance, a pharmacy needs about a 10,000 population to economically justify its existence.

Part of the issue under study is the allocation of town septic resources which might be available for those owners in the commercial area of town (generally along Ferry Road) to fully realize the value of their properties by developing for commercial use. There is the nagging question about what to do with those residences which have potential failed septic systems. Questions arose from the public regarding the policy for payment. Since the Burns septic is on Town land, who will pay, under what circumstances, and how will the overall cost be apportioned? Munson pointed out that all this will have to be worked out, combining public input with analysis of the numbers. There is a definitive need for the public to have a chance to express its reasonable expectations for the West Village. Other elements will also need to be considered; such as water, affordable housing, the general style of the buildings, and other variables as yet to be discussed.

Munson agreed to return on December 10th with a proposed “step-by-step” process including a time line. He will, in the interim, begin an anonymous inventory of septic systems in the West Village to determine the capacity and possible future needs. He strongly emphasized that this will be an inventory to which no names will be assigned. He pointed out that it was necessary to know the needs in order to adequately come up with an adequate plan for the future. The meeting on December 10th will concentrate on the process and the time line.

Sidewalks Discussed

The issue of sidewalks has once again arisen. At issue is the danger to pedestrians along Ferry Road between the library and the Old Brick Store. Most of the discussions centered on a 5’ widening of the roadway on the north side which would allow the Road Commissioner to plow it with his wing plow. There were many negative comments from villagers who pointed out that parking on the “sidewalk” would be a problem. They suggested curbs. Another comment suggested moving to the south side with a verge, while Ed Stone suggested sidewalks on both sides. The discussion was tabled for discussion at a later meeting.