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(Feb.2000) - From
a distance, the historic village of Williston looks like a Currier
& Ives scene with its white steepled church flanked by homes
and country stores... mountains and pastures in the background.
With its picturesque open land; proximity to interstate, Burlington
and IBM; postcard Vermont village center and excellent schools,
Williston is in demand.
With a current population of about 7000, Williston is one of
the fastest growing towns in Chittenden county. "Williston
attracts young families," says Michael Munson, Williston's
Town Planner. "Newcomers to the town are predominantly parents
with pre-school or kindergarten aged children."
"Williston has great schools," says Tom Vieth, who
formerly taught third and fourth grades in Williston. "There
are very few schools in the country that have the technology
level that Williston has. But more importantly, there is a real
emphasis on personalized learning -- a genuine effort to meet
the needs of every child. We have great teachers as well as phenomenol
administrators; principals that know the students by name and
spend time in the classrooms."
Since 1995, roughly 150 students have been added to grades K-8.
"The school board is beginning to think about building a
new school," says Sid Gause, Administrative Assistant at
Williston Central School. As recent as 1997, Williston built
a new school, Allen Brook School, to accommodate its growing
student body from grades K-4. Williston Central School, which
is located next to the town library in the village center, continues
to serve grades K - 8. Williston high school students attend
Champlain Valley Union in Hinesburg.
Willston's annual rate of growth averaged 4% from 1985- 1995,
while the last four years have seen a hike to 4.3%. The town
is attempting to control growth by limiting the number of newly
constructed homes to less than 80 per year (which would slow
down the rate of growth to less than 4%), and zoning to encourage
new development in growth center areas, while "working hard
to keep the numbers low" in the rural districts. In essence,
the aim is to avoid unchecked suburbanization by encouraging
compact settlements and the conservation of resource lands, while
"seeking to ensure the rate of growth is consistent with
the town's ability to provide services."
"We're continuing with a smart growth plan, one which fosters
'efficient' growth," says Munson. Roughly speaking, the
growth center is anything within walking distance of Taft Corners
- located at the junction of Routes 2 & 2A. A mid-tier growth
center exists closer to the village center, where developments
such as South Ridge have suburbanized the open land. The rest,
such the Oak Hill region and North Williston , are considered
rural districts.
Williston
is still predominantly rural. Approximately 7000 of its 19,700
acres surveyed have been "built-up", or developed for
residential or commercial use. Roughly 4000 acres remain farm
land, and much of the remaining acreage is forested.
Taft Corners, located on one corner of Williston, has been the
focus of commercial growth, and controversy, over the past fifteen
years. Located just off exit 12 of I-89, its easy access to the
interstate has lured banks, retail stores, corporate offices,
and business services such as UPS, away from Burlington. In addition,
several "big box" stores have established themselves
there: Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Pet Smart, Bed Bath
& Beyond, Home Depot , and the supermarket Hannafords.
Historically, a commercial center such as Tafts Corners benefitted
its town by keeping property taxes low. Williston enjoyed low
taxes until Act 60 was enacted in 1998, but has since seen taxes
rising. "Act 60 completely rearranged the tax base structure,"
saysVieth, who is a Selectboard member. "Now the tax revenue
from commercial properties is shared with the state."
Coincidentally, two recent proposals for additional large retail
stores were denied by the Selectboard."The (town) plan for
Tafts Corners has never changed," says Vieth. "Things
were allowed to happen, however, that weren't part of the plan.
Currently we're working on zoning regulations that more clearly
reflect that plan."
Fred Nye, Williston resident for 19 years, is happy with the
way Williston is handling the growth: "As a business owner,
I believe in free enterprise. I wouldn't want to see Williston
village changed, but darn it, Tafts Corners is more than two
miles away -- and what's wrong with that being developed? I think
the town's doing a great job with (developing) it, and really
paying attention to keeping the people of Williston happy."
In spring of 2000, Maple Tree Place is expected to break ground
in Tafts Corners. Maple Tree will have a village green and mixed-use
neighborhoods with retail, office and convenience stores, even
a cinema, all within walking distance of housing. The tract of
land to be developed is adjacent to, and behind, the State Police
station just off exit 12.
Williston has always been farm country, since the land was first
settled in the late 1700's. In fact, the original charter stated
that the land must be cultivated or owners would forfeit their
rights to ownership. By 1850, 15,406 acres of the almost 23,000
acres comprising the town were being farmed.
Indians were responsible for luring Colonel Thomas Chittenden,
Williston's first citizen and forefather of our state, to the
area. Legend has it that the Colonel led a pursuit of indians
who had taken captives and booty up the Connecticut and Brown
Rivers to the mouth of the Winooski, where they were apprehended
and the captives freed. Col. Chittenden was impressed with the
beauty of the valley and mountains of what is now northern Williston,
and ten years later purchased a grant for the land from New Hampshire
(as well as land that is now Jericho). He was in his early 40's
when he moved his wife and ten children to the log cabin he had
built.
The town and state owe much to this pioneer and natural born
leader. If it weren't for him, Vermont would probably still be
part of New Hampshire, or New York. When an indian attack on
the Williston settlement prompted the forty or so families to
leave their farms and head south, on foot, to more populated
and safe towns, Thomas Chittenden became involved with the troubles
of the settlers there. Both New Hampshire and New York, and even
Britain, claimed the right to the land grants, with New York
repeatedly trying to eject the settlers from the land they had
obtained from land grants sold by New Hampshire. Thomas Chittenden
favored declaring Vermont a free and independent state as being
the only practical method of settling the dispute, and led the
fight to do so.
The political (and occasionally physical) battles that ensued
lasted 26 years until finally, in 1791, Vermont was declared
an independent state of the American Union. Thomas Chittenden
was the state's first governor, and held the office for 18 years.
He returned to his Williston log house in 1787 and replaced it
with a brick one (which burned around 1920).
Today the farm on Gov. Chittenden's homestead site is owned by
Wright Clark. You can visit the home that Gov. Chittenden built
in 1796 for his son, Giles, at Catamount Family Center, located
on Governor Chittenden Rd. Catamount Family Center was established
in 1978 as an outdoor family recreation center. There are approximately
20 miles of trails used for cross-country skiing in the winter,
and for walking and dirt- biking in the summer. Catamount also
offers ice skating, snowshoeing, and sledding in the winter.
Williston's community park, located behind Allen Brook School,
has an ice skating rink as well.
During the warmer months, Williston offers an additional 4 to
5 miles of hiking trails for public use on conservation land.
Lake Iroquois has a wonderful beach that is perfect for swimmers
young and old, complete with picnic area, snack bar, and playground.
Canoeists and boaters also enjoy the picturesque lake which borders
Williston, St. George, Hinesburg , and Richmond. Williston Country
Club has an 18-hole golf course complete with restaurant, lounge
& pro shop. Williston has 2 driving ranges -- one on Rte.
2 by Tafts Corners, and the other at Marty Keen's Family Golf
World, a 9-hole golf course off Mountain View Rd.
"I really like the convenience Williston offers," says
Scott Goddard, Williston resident for 9 years, "...being
close to the interstate, Burlington, and everything you need
for shopping is within 1-2 miles of your home. Other than to
go to work, I rarely have to leave Williston."
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Williston Town Hall
Williston Central School, serving grades K-8,
is located at the historic village center, adjacent to the town
library. Williston schools continue to attract families with
young children to the town
Cluster develop-ment, like South Ridge, above, helps preserve
land.
Tafts Corners big box stores
can be seen in the distance. Tafts Corners has become the commercial
center of Chittenden county
Williston's Methodist Church is in historic Williston
Village
The Oak Hill and Northern Williston regions are
still primarily farmland and wooded forest. Views such as this,
taken from Oak Hill, show the beauty of Williston's countryside.
This monument dedicated to Gov. Thomas Chittenden
was erected in 1896.
Williston Country Club, located off North Williston
Rd.
Iroquois Lake borders Williston, St. George,
Richmond and Hinesburg. The beach is located in Williston, off
Oak Hill Rd.
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