East Charlotte Village development – is this what you envisioned?
To the editor:
The land use regulation changes planned for public hearing at the Selectboard on Friday, and potential ballot item in March, stem largely from a three-meeting East Charlotte Village informal study done a decade ago.
At one of these meetings, they asked the participants what they wanted the East Charlotte Village to look like in 20 years. The answers were summed up on page 16 as:
“Many want the village to remain much like it is today, with some carefully planned commercial infill and minimal residential growth. Maintaining open space and agricultural enterprise was a common theme.”
Does this sound like what’s being proposed for land use regulation changes? Doesn’t really feel that way.
It seems the East Charlotte Village District already allows for relatively dense development. Do we really need more? Here’s the comparative analysis done by the Planning Commission.
Did you participate in the study back in 2009? Is this what you imagined it’d lead to?
As a small experiment in public sentiment, I copied the questions from the 2009 study and put them in a Google form here. Let me know what you think! I’ll happily share the results.
It’s not as exciting as a skate park, but hell, it’s a pretty big deal. And as one of the few residents who lives in the thick of it, I’m concerned about the effect these changes may have on the character of the area…and if this is what we as a community really want.
Fill out the form before Friday’s public hearing at the Selectboard…or just come to the hearing and use the questions as discussion points. Thanks!