Town of Hinesburg

Planning Commission Meeting

July 28, 2010

Approved August 11, 2010

Members Present: Carrie Fenn, Will Patten, Bob Linck, Tim Clancy, Johanna White, Tom Ayer, Ray Mainer (arrived at 8:45pm)

Members Absent: Joe Iadanza, Jean Isham

Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Director of Planning/Zoning), David & Barbara Lyman, Doug Nedde, John Roos, Cathy Hill, Ezra Pouech, Dorothy Pellet

Carrie called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm.

Saputo Area Rezoning:

Will Patten introduced Doug Nedde who is an owner of Redstone, which is a Burlington-based commercial real estate, development, and property management group. Doug said that Redstone has made an offer to purchase the Saputo property, and has approximately 40 days left to complete its due diligence. In addition to on-the-ground site assessment, Redstone is interested in discussing the Town’s vision for the property as well as future land use and zoning strategies. Will explained that the Planning Commission is very interested in hearing about Redstone’s ideas, and what the current and upcoming market might be saying about redevelopment of the property.

Will reiterated the vision developed by the Saputo Redevelopment Steering Committee – e.g., light industrial with a mix of other uses (residential, retail, restaurant, office/commercial) especially on the eastern side of the property. There was quite a lot of discussion about whether the Town had an interest in keeping the area near Route 116 as open, greenspace – as recommended by the Saputo Redevelopment Steering Committee. Doug didn’t anticipate the need for new structures along the Route 116 frontage in the short term (or even mid-term for that matter), so this area would probably stay open and green for some time if Redstone purchases the property. Doug said he needed clarity from the Town on this aspect because it will be necessary to help inform the master plan they would develop for the property.

Carrie said that there is still ongoing municipal discussion about whether a Town greenspace is needed and/or feasible on the Saputo property. She said that the Town already owns land a bit further north (next to the Police and Fire Stations), which has a lot of potential for community uses including: Town green/common, larger Farmers Market venue, park and ride and CCTA bus stop/shelter, possible fire station expansion for co-located police/fire public safety building with a community room. She explained that a committee is evaluating options for this town-owned land. Alex said that as a rural town, Hinesburg has limited resources to develop and maintain public spaces, so any public use on the Saputo property would have to be fleshed out and fill a defined need. Will explained that the Saputo property presents a rare opportunity for the Town to secure additional greenspace in the heart of the village. He said it shouldn’t be an either/or decision between the 2 greenspace areas being discussed. He would prefer that the Town work with the future landowner of the Saputo property to ensure that a reasonably sized public greenspace along the Route 116 frontage is preserved.

Doug indicated that the most likely uses for the main portion of the building would be food processors. Doug said that the approx. 10,000 sq ft of refrigeration space in the facility makes it unique and especially desirable. He said we would be likely to see about 6 different businesses in the main portion of the building. No deals have been struck, but possible tenants that have expressed interest include: Organic Creamery, Magic Hat (not for production, just for storage and some packaging), VT Smoke & Cure. He asked if these types of uses would be consistent with the Town’s vision given that they are not likely to create that many jobs. Will said these types of businesses were still very consistent with the current vision. Doug said that if Redstone purchases the property, he anticipates seeking development review approval for the first business by this fall.

There was also a lot of discussion about possible uses for the eastern side of the property – between the main building and Route 116. Doug said both the milk loading building (5-6,000 sq ft) and the smaller building closest to Route 116 have real value and could be re-purposed. Various restaurant, retail, and civic uses were discussed for these buildings. Ezra Pouech made a number of recommendations for possible uses on the eastern side of the property. He suggested a skate park, a bike/skate shop in the northeastern most building, as well as other indoor and outdoor recreational uses that would benefit the community. Cathy Hill explained that Hinesburg is a destination community for bicyclists (both mountain cyclists and on-road cyclists) due in part to all the available trails on Town Forest land. She thought that a bike shop might be a valuable and viable use for one of the buildings on the eastern side of the property. John Roos mentioned that the area where the 2008 fire occurred has a brick/cobblestone surface and might make a nice area for outdoor seating for a restaurant and civic uses.

Doug said that Redstone does not create markets, and must work with the types of businesses and uses that the current market allows for. He said that it will be easier to attract businesses to the Saputo site if the regulatory hurdles are few. He suggested designating most of the eventual allowed uses as permitted rather than conditional to help in this regard. Doug offered to work with Planning & Zoning staff to help flesh out types of uses that make sense for the site and the current market. The PC will continue work on permanent zoning for this area, and will continue to be in touch with Redstone to share ideas and expectations.

Tim explained what he felt were the 2 compelling municipal interests for the eastern portion of the property:

Keep area along/near Route 116 frontage open so as not to close the door on future community space/use. In the short term this area could remain in private ownership.

Obtain ownership or rights to the Canal for a variety of uses/values (e.g., scenic, link to historic industrial uses, fire protection, stormwater treatment).

There was also discussion about making sure that the eastern portion of the property eventually provides for uses that encourage pedestrian use and provide destinations for community members (e.g., restaurant, small scale retail, civic space, etc.).

Other Business:

Minutes of July 14, 2010 - Alex recommended that the Commission hold off on approving the July 14 meeting minutes as he had some corrections to give Mary. The Commission agreed to deal with these minutes at the next meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 9:30pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Alex Weinhagen

(Director of Planning & Zoning)

Next Scheduled Meeting: August 11, 2010