Williston, Vermont: Planning and Zoning

Thanks everyone who participated in Green Up Day and stopped by Town Fair! The count is in: Williston collected 2.47 tons and 51 tires (up from 1.79 tons and 42 tires in 2023).

Thank you Healthy Living, Vermont Meat & Seafood Market, Green Mountain Bagels, Shaw, and REI for fueling our volunteers!

Thank you for participating in Town Fair: Williston Vermont Police Department Williston Fire Department Williston Recreation & Parks Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Williston Observer Friendly Lens Photobooths REI Rotary Club of Williston-Richmond, Vermont Habitat for Humanity

We have plenty of bags! Come on down to Town Fair.

We are “sold out” of bags for today. More available tomorrow starting at 9am on the Village Green.

The map is looking good, but many roads still remain unclaimed. Need ideas?
- Marshall Ave between Boyer Circle and Leroy Road
- South Road between Mud Pond Road and Beartown Lane
- Oak Hill Road from South Road to Hinesburg town line
- South Brownell Road from Boyer Circle to Van Sicklen Rd

Prefer to go out in a group? Join a meet up:
- Route 1: 9:30am, meet at South Ridge Road near Williston Road. Clean up Williston Road from South Ridge Road to Talcott Road. Led by Planning Commissioner Steve Shepard.
- Route 2: 9:30am, meet at upper right corner of Hannaford's parking lot. Clean up Marshall Ave from Trader Lane to South Brownell Road and Harvest Lane loop south of Marshall Ave. Led by Williston-Richmond Rotarians
- Route 3: 11am, meet at Oak Hill Road near Butternut Road. Clean up Oak Hill Road. Led by Shayla Livingston, co-chair of Williston Planning Commission.

Town of Williston, VT Williston Recreation & Parks Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Williston Town Fair on Green Up Day 2024

Join us at the library on Monday, April 29 from 6-8 PM for a showing of the film Communities and Consequences II. The film grapples with the issue of aging populations in Northern New England. Although the film focuses on five New Hampshire towns, it is equally relevant to Williston and other Vermont towns. Vermont is now the nation’s third-oldest state in median age. The number of elderly residents is growing, while the number of children is decreasing.

The result is fewer children in our schools, fewer students entering higher education, and widespread shortages of workers and community volunteers. This unbalancing has not been accidental, but the result of local development policies that have favored age 55+ housing and excluded low- and moderate-income families with children. This film looks at the ways in which we can rebalance our human ecology.

Where is positive change happening, and can it be replicated elsewhere? Research for the book and film found examples of people all around New Hampshire working to bring a greater diversity in housing for all ages and income levels and to
bust stubborn myths about school-tax costs and land-use policies. The results include rejuvenation of downtowns and the
creation of lively new businesses in restored historic buildings. Younger people are stepping up to leadership roles, and other groups are finding ways to work together to achieve their goals.

Please join us to watch the film and engage in lively discussion afterwards!

Not sure where to Green Up on May 4th? Here are some spots from last year. Download the app to claim your area! Call or stop by the Planning Office if you need help.

Bag station is now ready! We'll be restocking Monday-Friday through Green Up Day on May 4th. Please be fair to others: take all the bags you want, but fill what you take! Location: 7878 Williston Road.

We’re hiring! The Williston Planning & Zoning Department invites applications for the position of Planning Technician. Join our versatile team of planners addressing urban design, land conservation, historic preservation, sustainable transportation, water quality, energy efficiency, and more.
We seek candidates eager to gain valuable municipal planning experience within a supportive and stimulating environment. Applications due Monday, March 11, 2024.

www.town.williston.vt.us

Are you wild about Williston? Join the Conservation Commission and Sustainable Williston on Thursday December 7th to celebrate the town’s conservation successes.

There will be light refreshments, treats and an interactive presentation of our efforts. The event is being held in the Town Hall meeting room and starts at 7pm with doors at 6.45pm.

Please visit the event page for more information and to rsvp https://www.facebook.com/events/717936949754571/?ref=newsfeed

Why a picture of donuts? Because tomorrow’s Community Roundtable at the R.E.C. zone will have donut holes from halo donuts and coffee from Champion Comics and Coffee. Seats still available! Reserve yours now: https://www.williston2050.com/events

Trunk or treat until 4:30! Come say hello and get candy.

That was a blast! Thanks everyone who came to our first event! It's not too late to join in the fun and games - the next one is Oct 26 at Williston Woods. See you there?

Fall is here at Mud Pond Conservation Area! My picture doesn't do it justice - you have to get out and see it.

Fall also means it's time for Williston 2050 - your chance to get involved in Williston's new Town Plan. We are holding a series of events where you can share your experiences, values and hopes for the town. Chat with fellow Willistonians about conservation, housing, transport and much more!

Sign up for the events here: https://www.williston2050.com/events

Thanks to everyone who came to chat with Eric Howe and Laura Meyer from the Conservation Commission yesterday at Sucker Brook. It was a great night for a hike! We had some interesting conversations about the new Town Plan and what people value about Williston.

Gus also gave us his views - he wants a town plan goal of more treats in Williston. Stick availability is already sufficient.

Please sign up for the Williston 2050 workshops taking place in the fall: https://www.williston2050.com/events.

This will be a great opportunity to talk with your neighbors about the future of Williston and give your ideas for our to do list in the next Town Plan.

Come chat with Laura and Eric from the Conservation Commission on Wednesday September 27th between 4pm and 6pm at the Sucker Brook Hollow trail head!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on conservation, trails and what should be in the new Town Plan. Sucker Brook Hollow is a great example of what the town can achieve when working with local landowners to conserve their land and open it up for a trail!

Give us your thoughts and then go for a hike! Sucker Brook Hollow trail head is at 5035 St George Road.

Thanks to Williston Troop 692 for their work at Mud Pond Conservation Area today! The scouts put in the hours to clear invasive plants and maintain the view out to the pond. They also replaced some rotten decking on the viewing platform. We couldn’t keep our country parks in good shape without their volunteer hours!

Working with Sustainable Williston, the Town has secured a watershed grant from the State of Vermont!

This money will be used to install tree protection at Abazimenahanik. This is a new forest park being planted between Allen Brook School and the Fire Station.

Thanks to Chapin Kaynor for leading this initiative. Allen Brook School have been instrumental in bringing this project about and educating young Willistonians on the natural world.

Big thanks also to Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and Vermont Fish & Wildlife for the funds!

Chapin will be reaching out for volunteers to help install the new fencing some time in September – stay tuned!

The forestry management project is due to start this Friday September 1 at the Catamount Community Forest! Some trails will be closed in the north-west of the property during the work so please follow the trail closure signs (see map for the area of work).

This project has been through a lengthy process to get to this stage with lots of outreach with Ethan Tapper (the Chittenden County Forester) and planning by the Catamount Community Forest Committee working with the Outdoor Family Center.

There is more information including a link to frequently asked questions here: https://bit.ly/CatamountManagement2023

See Ethan Tapper's link tree for even more information: https://linktr.ee/CatamountCommunityForest

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Tapper (Chittenden County Forester) at 802-585-9099 or Simon Myles at the Town at 802-878-6704 ext5.

Bobolink update 2023 is out! The Town practices delayed haying on the bobolink field at the Catamount Community Forest to support grassland birds.

Get up to date on what happened in the 2023 nesting season with Carl Runge's annual report! More details on what landowners can do with their grasslands here:
https://www.bobolinkproject.com/