A 97-acre parcel of undeveloped land off Mountainview Road in Williston is home to a wetland, views of Camel’s Hump and Mount Mansfield, and most days, some horses out to pasture from a neighboring farm.
It is also the site of a conflict that is forcing one of Vermont’s fastest growing municipalities to reckon with the challenges of building new housing at a time of heightened demand and inadequate supply.
Jack and Caitlin Glaser have owned the land for the past 20 years, and they’re now looking to sell. But they want a buyer to strike a certain balance. They hope to retain what neighbors appreciate about the land — the view, the horse pasture — but also to build 93 units of sorely needed new housing.
Some in the community have pushed back on the proposal, arguing that it would lead to overcrowding and traffic. But Jack Glaser said that leaving the entire parcel undeveloped in a zone that’s designated for residential growth would be a missed opportunity.
“We think we have, in a sense, a responsibility to see that that property gets developed responsibly,” he said.
Because the Glasers say their plan would provide what’s known as a “substantial public benefit,” their proposal is subject to an unusual and lengthy review process. Discussions have surfaced questions about how the land should be used, and how quickly it should be allowed to change. If the proposal is scuttled, the end result could mean an even larger, denser development takes its place.
On this week’s podcast, Glaser, his neighbors and the town’s planners discuss the outlook for the Mountainview Road proposal — and what it means for Williston.
A plan for what’s left of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant
Edi Abeneto of Feeding Chittenden on fighting hunger and breaking down cultural barriers
How to raise emotionally intelligent kids
The star-studded history of a small island in Lake Bomoseen
Who is the University of Vermont for?
Synagogue sold — what happens when a historic house of worship becomes something else
‘It dominates anxiety’ — unpacking the process and impact of health insurance premium hikes
How flooding affects Vermont’s wildlife and ecosystems
‘I was in shock.’ — Reporters on the impact of Vermont’s catastrophic flooding
The fraught politics of Vermont’s motel housing program
A spate of deaths focuses attention on Vermont prisons and the Department of Corrections
A VTDigger reporter’s guide to the Statehouse
Deep in the forest, a patch of common ground
What’s happened at Vermont sheriffs’ departments
To go big, or go bigger, on child care
Noah Kahan on ‘existing in a place that you've just written about’
Leveling the funding field for small towns
What’s next for Montpelier’s water system?
What keeps Vermonters together across a widening income divide?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Before Your Time