GREENSBORO – The Save Town Hall Coalition retained the law office of Stackpole French, whose Counsel, Edward B. French, Jr., Esq. has presented the select board with an August 13 letter sharing concerns about a proposed Town Hall redevelopment project by Rural Edge, a Northeast Kingdom affordable housing developer.
The letter indicates more than 180 year-round and seasonal residents “feel as though the Selectboard has moved forward with the project without proper outreach and without considering the potential impacts of the project on the community.”
The correspondence identifies “valid and serious concerns” which it asks the select board to give immediate consideration to. Those include “Lack of public engagement and education,” “Inadequate project planning,” “Transparency Problems” and “Procedural Concerns.”
With each item, the letter details concerns of the coalition, ending with a request for the select board’s thoughtful consideration and a written response by August 30.
It closes, “Furthermore, we all look forward to a [sic] the Selectboard setting up a public meeting the discuss these issues in more detail.”
Soon after the August 14 select board meeting, which was attended by a large group of concerned citizens, a special informational meeting was announced “on Town Hall Redevelopment and the Rural Edge project” for August 19 at 6 p.m; in Fellowship Hall with Moderator Tim Nisbet. The warning indicated “Representatives of Vermont housing funding agencies and Rural Edge have been invited to the meeting to answer any questions that pertain to them.” The meeting was preceded by a potluck dessert gathering at 5:30 p.m. to which attendees were asked to bring their favorite finger food to share.
A preliminary proposal for the project presented to the select board by RuralEdge envisions a 20-unit apartment building, with eight units in the current town hall and a 12-unit addition added to the rear of the historic structure. The proposed redevelopment would include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
Concerns identified by French’s letter begin by noting that a letter of intent for the sale of the Town Hall property to RuralEdge was entered into without public education about the details and scope of the project. It further claims that the select board’s lack of response and hostility to valid and reasonable questions is unacceptable.
Throughout the letter, questions are posed to the select board about the process that has been followed, asking first whether the Town has polled the community about appropriate development as part of a Town Plan rewrite being undertaken, or about use of the Town Hall in particular.
Additional concerns are expressed about the advisability of any project of the proposed type and size being located in Greensboro.
An architectural rendering of the Greensboro Village School Apartments proposed by RuralEdge shows an addition extending into the parking lot to the rear of the building now housing Greensboro’s Town offices. RuralEdge Executive Director Patrick Shattuck says these are preliminary drawings, “subject to modifications.”
Further, the letter suggests transparency has not been adequately prioritized and reminds the select board that compliance with the Vermont Open Meeting Law is required.
A timeline for the project and plans to present any plan to a vote at a special meeting, or at the 2025 Town Meeting, are identified, adding, “Throughout our initial review of the Selectboard’s procedural process, we have identified several significant legal concerns that need to be addressed.”
A list of 11 questions which counsel for the coalition asks the select board to consider and offer responses to includes those about whether and when plans for a sale of the Town Hall property to RuralEdge will be put to a vote, whether a project impact analysis will be done prior to execution of a purchase and sale agreement, what will happen to the town office, what are the project’s tax implications, whether it fits in with overall objectives of the Town Plan, how much the property will be sold for, what will the proceeds be used for and, in bold type, “Is RuralEdge willing to share their Vermont Housing and Conservation Board Grant Submission Package as a matter of transparency.”
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
