Commission backs Killington project

June 19,2013

Rutland Herald

 

Due to recent articles and letters to the editor, it is important to clarify for the public the Rutland Regional Planning Commission position regarding the Killington Village Plan.

As vice chairman, I can state with certainty that the RRPC’s priority for the region is responsible and effective economic growth. We fully support economic development in the Rutland region in all its forms, and have strongly supported the Killington Village Plan. This project represents a very large commitment to Killington and is a significant and critical investment in the future of our region. Throughout our state-mandated review process the commission has unanimously endorsed this project and the benefits it promises.

It is the commission’s legal obligation to review projects and to comment in order to insure that the goals of the region and towns are fully addressed. This is especially true for projects with regional and statewide impact — even when these impacts are enormously positive.

The Rutland Regional Planning Commission is not a “roadblock” in this process. We serve to inform the public and assist developers in traversing what is often a highly complex and difficult path toward approval. The commission is composed of committed volunteer officials from every municipality in the region. We seek to serve the public interest to the very highest standards. The commission continues to be highly supportive of the Killington project and wants it to move forward as quickly as it can, in a way that benefits all Vermonters.

Killington/Pico is the finest ski resort in the East and the addition of a project like the Killington Village will make it even more attractive for skiers and winter enthusiasts from around the world.

We are deeply saddened that despite this commission’s efforts to recommend highly favorable conditions and opportunities for the developer, SP Land continues to represent that it feels blindsided. The commission and its staff have worked with SP Land over many months in an effort to provide the desired support and framework for a successful review and approvals. We have attempted to make every appropriate accommodation.

We understand that SP Land and its affiliate E2M (www.e2mpartners.com/) remain concerned about a sentence in our letter that simply states workforce housing needs to be considered when dealing with such a large project. Our letter does not require the building of workforce housing. There are many ways to accommodate the opportunity for housing that this project presents, from innovative design within the project, to provision of housing from the existing underutilized housing stock in the town of Killington and surrounding areas. Our letter is simply an observation of a very real circumstance related to this project.

Housing is one of many legitimate concerns for our region. It is simply disingenuous for SP Land to behave as if they haven’t already considered the amount of housing necessary for the workers for this project. In fact, the prior owners of this project offered substantial contributions toward addressing the need for housing to mitigate these impacts. The commission letter simply pointed out the obvious.

We all agree — this is a great project for the Rutland region and want it to move forward to great success. The Rutland Regional Planning Commission letter submitted to the Environmental Commission, if incorporated into the final order, clears the path for SP Land to move forward. A successful Killington can only benefit the Rutland region and the state of Vermont.

I will state it as clearly as possible: I support the Killington project and want it to move forward.

WILLIAM TRACY CARRIS

(Vice chairman,

Rutland Regional

Planning Commission)

Rutland

 

Comment:

Thanks Bill for clarifying your stance regarding the Killington Ski Village. Having been witness to the proceedings regarding the commission's recommendations to the Act 250 commission and your participation in the Regional Issues Committee and the full commission discussions regarding same, I can confidently state that you are sincere in your support of the Ski Village and the economic health of the Rutland region.
However by the same token, I believe other, more vociferous (and thus by my estimation, more influential) members of the commission were working towards intractable demands upon SP Land, such as making them responsible for fixing "adverse and unsafe conditions" in the Rte 4/100/103 corridor from Killington to routes 89 and 91. That is 133 miles of road and 17 major intersections. That demand once exposed to the full commission was removed, thank heavens.
The housing requirement that you allude to was brought up at the last minute without even going through the Regional Issues committee, with no public or applicant comment allowed before a vote on it in the full committee.
Add to that after the vote, when public comment was allowed, Chris Bianchi, chairmen of the Killington Selectboard stated there was plenty of housing available in Kilington already. Nevermind the glut of empty homes in the surrounding area.
And, to boot, the original recommendation letter (which ended up being rescinded by the RRPC after it was considered by the full committee) was never seen, discussed or approved by the full commission.
There are forces at work behind the scenes within your commission which are trying to side step full commission consideration for their own agendas, whether to quash development entirely or to extract every last pound of flesh from the developer.
While I respect your stance and word on YOUR commitment I cannot accept your stating the same on behalf of the whole commission