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Projects:
Montpelier Town Meeting, Sept 24, 2002
See the Notes - Summary Table Reports -
The following are transcribed from the table groups' flip charts.
Table Themes -- back to top
- Annual venue for conversations - importance of ongoing conversation
- Impact of role and presence of drugs in the community
- Enhance vitality of downtown while maintaining integrity
- Youth have a larger place in town government and having a say - skateboarding,
community center
- Traffic and jobs and housing and open space. Maintain small town character,
viable downtown, invest in downtown to reduce sprawl.
- Downtown more pedestrian friendly. Skateboard park and affordable
housing.
- Less car-oriented development in downtown. More people oriented
- Need for affordable housing
- Places to live downtown and close to downtown - use of 2nd and
3rd floors
- Maintain character of city. Improve local economy. Make room for
visitors and more residents.
- Need for public space, arts, gym with swimming, river access
- Keep river as open and beautiful as possible.
- Attitudes toward youth shifted
- Cultural diversity. Cultural events - recognition of other holidays,
diversity orientation in schools, cultural exchanges in communities and schools
- Youth access to State House. Sensible, smart growth. Accessibility
to town. Utilize existing before new. Representative town meeting.
- Socio-economic issues. Increase tax base but retain sustainable development.
- Affordability issue for housing. Improve tax base. Protect
and nurture kids.
- Maintain quality of life. Explore local tax options. Small
business incubators. Flexible parking and traffic management.
All with citizen input. Clear plan for business growth/adequate
services for diverse population. Build tax base to support schools.
Real representative town meeting. More direct citizen involvement in
decisions
- Work to get businesses back to where they've been. Tax incentives
to keep land open. More housing could negatively affect taxes,
schools, services.
- Encourage small businesses, adequate services. Incentives
to landowners to keep land open
- Affordable wide range of goods and services.
- Keep downtown viable. Empower public forums, 3rd floor apartments,
downtown development corporation, pedestrian friendly downtown.
- Toll booth on the interstate. Parking garage downtown, Extend
bike path north. Are police and fire staffing appropriate? Keep
New England Culinary Institute (NECI) and National Life here. Increase Payment
in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT).
- Work and live in town. Schools-alternative funding-connections with
youth, greater economic accessibility (can’t afford to buy/live).
- Everything is connected. Have to take care of all the parts. Look at mixed
use.
- Encourage greater community involvement with our kids. Economic
diversity.
- More fun. More $$. Economic vitality, support building owners, open
space, recreational facilities, art facility. Create incubator space.
- What kind and how much growth. More large forums. Representative
town meeting. Interactive website for the city. Need attitude
shift toward youth - change how we view youth.
- 3 elements of livable downtown - focus on river, preservation of
trees, encouragement of walking
- Infill business. More walking. Elderly housing. Park
outside town and use transportation shuttles.
- Planned and thoughtful response. All inter-related. Contain development
downtown (fewer cars/more walking), do away with existing zoning,
rehabbing European-style (closer buildings), more beer at meetings
- Affordable housing and diverse housing
- Preserve what we have. Limit residential growth while preserving
and maintaining economic diversity. Grossman’s parking lot with train to downtown.
- Expand tax base. Preserve green environment. Manufacturing
possibilities. Link between conservation and commerce.
- Community forums. Improved networking for newcomers. Publicize
volunteer opportunities, More celebrations of city, celebrations
of youth, skating on Winooski River, youth involvement in city government.
- More housing opportunity, business retention. Look for economies
in school and city government regionalization.
- Affordable housing, open space, government accessibility
for elderly and immigrants, youth, handicapped.
- Balance limits of physical space with need to welcome new residents
Lower taxes. Work on perception that Montpelier is not business friendly.
Create business-friendly regulations and permitting/affordable housing/parking
- More affordable housing and better parking. Public transportation
for elderly and to reduce pollution in convenient locations.
- Surrounding towns coordination with Montpelier for shopping/working/downtown
activities
- Food security
- Volunteer database - So many needs unmet - create city database -
list needs and resources, then match.
- City government and community - enhance vitality of downtown while
maintaining character.
- Affordable housing, increase tax base, protect and nurture
our kids.
Miscellaneous
1-pagers, etc.
-- back to top
Things not noted elsewhere or said succinctly or eloquently.
- How can we increase the tax base without destroying the things we love?
- I envision a city government that does not allow blatant conflict of interest, that will respect democracy in which it was elected; that when 3 referenda votes are telling them to preserve a bridge in town, they listen.
- Stabilization of the tax burden including state government paying fair share
- Support small manufacturing type businesses to replace Vermont Plastics, Reddy Co. etc.
- Respect the historical attributes of Montpelier
- More innovative/creative thinking for school system: Do we really need 3 buildings and 3 sets of administration
- Is the strategic plan (schools) still being implemented?
- Park space - including dog park
- Parades at Halloween, Christmas, and maybe May Day, too
- Return of Midsummer Festival
- Collaborative effort to save Sabin's pasture
- Public / private partnerships
- Avoid costs of new infrastructure
- Have schools share resources
- Why do we have to grow? Smart growth
- Be the center of life for this area
- Healthful, peaceful, affordable, diverse for the future.
For More Information
Contact:
City of Montpelier
Department of Planning and Community Development
39 Main Street, City Hall
Montpelier, VT 05062-2950
(802) 223-9506
planning@montpelier-vt.org
Updated April 13, 2006
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