District, housing reps take questions ahead of Oct. 24 vote on 51 South Main St.

Oct. 22, 2022  |  By Meghan Hessler  |  Community News Service 

Signs for and against selling 51 S. Main Street outnumber general election campaign signs in downtown Waterbury last week. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

An informational meeting to address lingering questions and concerns regarding the upcoming vote on whether to sell the property at 51 South Main Street attracted approximately 100  village residents on Tuesday. 

Voting will take place at a special in-person meeting of the Edward Farrar Utility District this Monday, Oct. 24, at the downtown fire station, at 43 South Main Street. Parking is not allowed behind the station. Registered voters who live in the district – essentially the area that previously was Waterbury Village – may participate in the vote. Anyone unsure whether they are eligible may call the Waterbury town clerk to check. 

The question before voters is whether to sell the lot to Downstreet Housing & Community Development for $138,000. If the sale is approved, Downstreet plans to construct a three-story affordable housing development there with 24 to 26 units beginning in early 2024. 

The purpose of Tuesday’s almost two-and-a-half hour meeting, according to board Chair P. Howard “Skip” Flanders, was to “present factual information about the vote you are going to take.” State Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, facilitated the meeting. 

The district’s commissioners presented new materials and information and addressed some of the questions and concerns that have come up since the proposal was announced this summer.

The fact that Waterbury’s downtown has 0% housing vacancies was addressed. Former Select Board Chair Mark Frier,  who also is an owner of the Reservoir restaurant, brought up concerns surrounding businesses’ ability to attract employees if there is so little available and affordable housing in the downtown. Frier looked to Burlington as an example of “building up.” In reference to constructing affordable housing, he noted that it’s “not a solution, but it helps.”

The property in question is the former longtime site of the Waterbury town offices and former village police department. The building sustained extensive damage from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and was torn down in 2019. Since then, it’s been used as a parking lot. 

Another question addressed at the meeting was whether there would be adequate parking should that lot be taken away. District commissioners recently asked that a 2016 study of downtown parking capacity be updated. The study reviewed changes in available parking in private lots and along the street in recent years. They shared details of that update that concluded there will still be adequate parking with the loss of the lot at 51 South Main Street.

The update concludes that eliminating the 27 spaces at 51 S. Main would result in “a tolerable impact on the public parking supply.” 

Another pressing issue addressed at the meeting was the design of the potential building. Nicola Anderson, Director of Real Estate Development at Downstreet stated that “community input is a priority.” With that in mind, Downstreet last week shared preliminary designs for the building showing retail space on the front ground level. Residents at a presentation in August urged Downstreet to include streetfront commercial space in the project. 

Anderson emphasized that these designs are conceptual. “These are preliminary sketches,” Anderson said. “These are not the final design. This can and may change. We really want the community’s input throughout this whole process – that is a priority for us.” 

Although EFUD commissioners approved funding to help draft the sketches, Downstreet covered the cost of the drawings, Flanders said.

Monday’s meeting will begin with time for discussion before the vote. Being a public meeting, any community member may attend, but only those registered to vote who live in the utility district may vote. Liz Schlegel, chair of the Waterbury Board of Civil Authority, said that it is expected that someone will call for the vote to be taken by paper ballot. Everyone on the voter checklist for the utility district can receive a ballot, Town Clerk Karen Petrovic said. There is no exact time that discussion would end and the vote be taken, so those eligible and interested in voting should be there as close to the start time as possible.

A special note for families with young children: Two former teachers from Brookside Primary School are offering child care during the meeting time. Sally Kulis and MK Monley will be at the primary school starting at 6 p.m. in The Children's Room. They will accept 25 children. To reserve a spot, contact Kulis at sallyekulis@gmail.com.

Background materials prepared for the Oct. 24 vote including details about the Downstreet proposal, the history of 51 S. Main, previous presentations, etc. are posted online on the town website, WaterburyVt.com. ORCA Media recorded Tuesday's informational meeting. However, as of Saturday morning, it was not yet posted online. A link to the recording will be added here when it becomes available. 

A map in this earlier post shows the boundaries of EFUD. Voters residing in the district are eligible to vote at this meeting.

Community News Service is a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.