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The final Belmont Village Plan is now available.
Use our feedback form to tell us what you think
Overview
In 2021, the Town of Mount Holly applied for and received a Municipal Planning Grant from the State of Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. The Select Board contracted with Community Roots, LLC, led by Melissa Levy, to identify and understand community concerns related to housing, economic development, and public infrastructure.
A number of community members have volunteered to help guide the project and are chipping in to help keep costs down. Jeff Chase is the Municipal Authorizing Official for the Select Board. Jon McCann, the Chair of the Planning Commission, is helping with administration. Deeply engaged local citizens Andy Bolalek, Russ Garrow, Anna Hanson, Kevin Hollebeek, Lisa Kelley, David Martin, Jessica Metcalfe, and Faith Tempest have volunteered to share their expertise and help guide the project.
Community Vision Survey
The first task was to engage the community to help steer the grant objectives. A survey was conducted from November 1–30, 2022, via an online survey and a hard copy print survey. The online survey was hosted by Google Forms and linked from the Town website. The link to the survey was additionally distributed on the Newsflash email list each week, and a QR code was published in the November edition of the Chit Chat. Individuals shared the link in various other local community forums and on Facebook. Hardcopies were available for pickup and return at both the Town Office and the Town Library.
The response from you, the community, has been overwhelming! We received 172 responses, which is nearly 20% of the adult population. For comparison, many surveys are lucky if they get a 10% response rate. This is clear evidence of how deeply we care about our community.
Belmont Village Plan
Analysis of the survey results indicated that, of the two areas of interest for infrastructure planning improvements (Belmont Village and the Municipal Center), there was a more immediate benefit to focusing on a plan for the Village. The Town hopes to pursue funding for improvements to the Municipal Center next. The Town has enlisted the services of Michael Allen, from Regrowth Planning, to help us draft a vision and infrastructure plan for Belmont Village.
Belmont Village Planning Workshop
As a first step, Michael Allen led a public informational workshop on Wednesday, May 24th at 5:30 pm at the Community Center in Belmont Village. Michael presented the results and findings of the 2022 Community Vision Survey and facilitated a discussion on the issues, potential solutions, and conceptual ideas that could improve the village center. Topics of discussion included business and economic development, water and sewer needs, protection of local water resources, tourism, parking, pedestrian sidewalks and trails, and visual enhancements to the village such as landscaping and signage. The public input collected at this meeting was used to create the first draft of the Belmont Village Plan.
Draft Plan Presentation Meeting
On Wednesday, August 16th at 5:00 pm at the Community Center in Belmont Village, Michael Allen led a presentation and discussion of the Draft Belmont Village Plan.
Next Steps
We are collecting feedback on the draft plan and from the latest presentation.
Use our new feedback form to tell us what you think
The working group will be working with Michael to analyze feedback and make updates to the draft plan. We hope to have a second version of the plan available within a few weeks.
Other Information
Presentation from Lynnette Claudon: Case Studies in Community Wastewater for Belmont
Comments, Suggestions, and Feedback
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