The Beat Goes On . . .

It appears that Housing Vermont has pulled out of the contract to buy the Agway parcel and develop it for affordable housing due to contingency problems. This means the property is back on the market and the idea of a significant affordable housing development on that property is now effectively dead.

I was actually an opponent of the Agway project. For one, I think large residential developments of any kind belong nearer where there are services to support them. Otherwise, we're simply extending development sprawl and another isolated subdivision -- in this instance one with a defined income range. Similarly, I objected to the special amendment to our zoning regulations specifically permitting the Agway development as our existing zoning would not permit such a large evelopment in that area.

Instead, I argued for a land swap which would have seen the town's emergency services relocated to a new structure on the quasi-industrial Agway parcel and the vacated fire and police locations redeveloped -- together with Norwich Senior Housing -- into a more dense cluster of mixed-income and senior housing which would allow residents an easy walk to school and services in the village center -- placing dense development where our town plan and regulations say it belongs. The land swap idea never gained any traction.

The collapse of the Agway affordable housing effort and the recent discussions regarding new emergency services facilities would seem to provide an ideal opportunity to reopen this discussion and prompt people to begin researching our options. As a first step, I encourage you to contact the Selectboard, Planning Commission and Affordable Housing Committee asking them to investigate the idea of relocating the town's emergency facilities to the Agway parcel while there's still time to acquire that parcel.