Killington Village traffic study requirement questioned

By Josh O’Gorman
Staff Writer | October 09,2013

Rutland Herald

 

KILLINGTON — Some parties involved in the proposed Killington Village are celebrating that the project received permits, but a town official is questioning a permit requirement for a wide-ranging traffic study.

Killington-based developer SP Land Company received two Act 250 permits Monday from the District 1 Environmental Commission to build 193 residential units, a 32-unit subdivision, 31,622 square feet of commercial and retail space, and a 77,000-square-foot skier services building to replace the Ramshead and Snowshed base lodges.

The permits will also allow for construction of a 1,276-car parking lot and realignment of Killington Road and the parking lot of the Killington Grand Resort Hotel.

SP Land President Steven Selbo said Monday he was excited to receive the permit and was “cautiously optimistic” about the project going forward.

“I called Steve Selbo to congratulate him on getting the permit,” Select Board Chairman Chris Bianchi said Tuesday. “The Select Board has been unanimous in supporting the village project. I will continue to support SP Land on the board as a select person, and I hope the board will continue to support the village, because we need it.”

The Select Board expressed its support for the project in letters to the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, one of the parties in the permit process. Kris Hughes, executive director of the RRPC, also celebrated the issuance of the permit.

“We’re delighted the permit has been issued and it’s moving forward,” Hughes said. “I think good planning is a good idea but I wouldn’t want it to get in the way of the project. We need economic development in this area and it’s important this project goes forward.”

The RRPC made suggestions to the commission. One recommended that, upon completion of the first phase, SP Land conduct a corridor study looking at the traffic impact on Killington Road, and as well as on Route 4 and Route 103 as far as I-89 and I-91, respectively.

The other planning groups with party status — the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission and the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission — suggested to the District 1 Environmental Commission that the corridor study be required. In fact, the corridor study was made a condition of the permit.

Tom Kennedy, executive director of the SWRPC, said the corridor study — which was opposed by SP Land throughout the Act 250 process — has been part of permits for similar projects in the past.

“We have a precedent for this,” he said “We started this back in the 1990s with the expansion of Killington and Okemo. It’s a process where the parties need to sit down and see what needs to be done.”

Kennedy added. “I’m a skier and I ski at Killington and I think everyone wants to see Killington succeed in what they’re trying to do.”

David Rosenblum, chairman of the Killington Planning Commission, expressed satisfaction that the permit was issued, but was less than thrilled by the corridor study requirement.

“I’m very happy to see it was issued, and for the most part it seems workable,” Rosenblum said. “I still don’t think a developer should be burdened with a traffic study.”

Calling a traffic study the “domain” of the state Agency of Transportation, he also suggested the study covers a larger geographical area than is needed.

“How much traffic SP Land’s project creates from Killington Road down to Route 4 seems appropriate, but the scope of this study seems too broad,” he said.

Rosenblum also noted that it took 20 months for the permit to be issued.

“I’m embarrassed it took so long and people should probably look at why it took as long as it did,” he said.

josh.ogorman