letter to GOVERNOR

Governor James Douglas
Governor’s office
Montpelier,
Vermont

June 10, 2007

Dear Governor:

Re: Opportunity for Vermont to lead the nation in sustainable communities.

The following is a logic path that I have devised with other Vermonters over that past 5 years as a result of participating in planning, teaching and developing strategies nationwide for sensible growth options within the State of Vermont.

These ideas have not been publicly presented as yet.
I want your office to see and comment on these ideas and visions in advance of pubic presentations.

I am an Architect and Planner practicing in Vermont since 1970. (see attached resume).




Current situation:
1. Vermont has not been strangled by overwhelming suburban sprawl.
2. There is a significant need for affordable housing in Vermont.
3. The agriculture character of Vermont is threatened by high land prices and poor growth controls. (controlled by local zoning).
4. There is a need for additional jobs throughout the state.
5. The cost of energy per capita in Vermont is among the highest in the nation due to high fuel costs and the need for frequent inefficient private transportation.
6. There is an emerging interest and investment in locally grown agriculture products
7. Vermont has been a birthing room for numerous businesses and products that sustain the environment (I founded Northern Power, Vermont Castings and others and see the creative and energetic nature of Vermonters.
8. There are more Artists per capita in Vermont than any other state ( I was a trustee of the Vermont Council on the Arts for 4 years and saw it first hand).

Add to this the following:
1. Vermont has a rail infrastructure unparalleled in any other state. Each major city and most towns are on existing rail lines and most have been planned and laid out for a rail based urban/town center. From Burlington, Montpelier, Rutland, and Brattleboro to Essex Junction, St. J, even Waterbury and south Royalton. (and all the rest).
2. National interest in Passenger light rail is emerging in numerous parts of the US (Japan, England, Europe, and most of the developed world are basing their growth on efficient and convenient passenger rail). “RAILVOLUTION’ conferences in the US are expanding exponentially.
3. It is well documented that The US auto manufacturers and oil companies destroyed the rail in the US. From Trollies to commuter rail.

Proposal for reducing dependence on oil, adding affordable housing in efficient new villages, preserving and activating thousands of acres of agriculture land, providing thousands of good paying jobs, activating an efficient passenger rail system on existing rail lines in Vermont.

The strategy is based on the following:

1. Development of 6 new pedestrian oriented villages along the existing rail line from Burlington to Rutland.
2. Each will have 1000 housing units in various configurations
3. Each village will secure substantial agriculture land in immediate proximity to control the farming business, open space and Vermont traditions. Between 500 and 2000 acres per village. Sustainable yield forest land will be requied as well for wood chip power generation.
4. Each village will be organized similar to the historic and traditional villages in America; however the basis of connection will be new.
A: The traditional villages were based on power, (hydro-plants), ports or transportation hubs.
B. The village of the future (note: there is an international search for lasting configurations of settlement) will be based on a limit to size. Not only in physical boundary, but social optimization.
C. Small family size, need for healthy living with regular exercise, art and community based social exchange, locally and individual gardens,
D. Pedestrian domenance with small streets, back alleys, dense commercial space
E. The town center will be connected to the rail stop, and indoor station where the trains enter (similar to the Disney hotels) the interior of the spaces.

Rail Town (Bike town), Eco-Village,
From: “SPRAWL-FREE VERMONT
David Sellers, Cynthia Clayton, Javin Pierce and others
July 18 2007

“If we don’t change our direction, we will end up where we are headed” a sign at a Ben and Jerry’s festival.

1. The current situation
a. The evolution of development in Vermont is auto centric. In that the infrastructure for efficient and sustainable configurations doesn’t exist and is not encouraged.
b. Agriculturally viable land in Vermont is available near most growth centers.
c. There is a need for jobs and employment throughout the state
d. Many jobs in larger sectors are leaving the state.
e. Vermont has more artists per capita than any other state.
f. Vermont has existing rail beds in good conditions connecting most of the major cities and towns.
g. There is no passenger rail service connecting communities in Vermont
h. Some rail tracks have been removed in Vermont recently
i. The emerging dependence on foreign oil and goods is crippling the Vermont economy.
j. There are countless creative, capable and enthusiastic residents of Vermont who are ready for change.
2. Bike town
a. The Bike Town concept is a compact village of up to 2000 people in walking distance (3 minutes) of a town center that is based on a totally new vision for human settlement . One that has evolved beyond the traditional and historic patterns that have emerged in the US over 300 years.

These new town concepts are dependent on the following features:
b. A reliable and frequent passenger rail connection to neighboring villages and existing centers. (Passenger rail fails most of the time due to lack of understanding the essence and true value of the service-)
c. The village core of 200 acres will own and lease adjacent agriculture property of at least 1500 – 5000 acres.
d. A net-zero carbon footprint for the entire town, all buildings and transit system is a fundamental foundation of each village. This means battery powered electric vehicles including trains.
e. The entire village will be based on town-meeting democratic leadership, market driven ownership and exchange of goods and services etc.
3. If successful, what will the impact be?
a. A successful series of villages on the existing rail line in VERMONT that connects Burlington to Rutland will see an investment in permanence and commitment to sustainablilty that may well be a beacon to the entire US. And, will demonstrate that citizens can live gently on the land in a civil society with all and more of the expected assets and conveniences that modern and proven historic technology can offer. The reduction of unnecessary travel, efficiencies of communication and proximity to production will offer shorter workweeks with more discretionary time and financial resources than the current sprawl configurations spreading across the nation.
b. Financially, 6 new villages of 1000-1500 homes each at an average market price of $200,000 has a cash flow investment in Vermont of $1,500,000,000 over 10 years. The commercial and industrial investment will likely be equal to that.

4. What will make it successful?
a. Access to the State owned rail right of way, use of the track and support of the Federal government for safety and maintenance of the infrastructure.
b. Entirely new rail vehicles that are zero-carbon based, i.e.: battery powered.
c. A network of charging stations at each village, indoor stops at each town center.
d. Zoning and development regulations that support and encourage this in enterprise zones voted for and passed in each target town.
e. Statues that encourage and provide legal structure for each village to become financially self-sufficient and tax independent.
f. Bonding support for each village to finance the engineering design and infrastructure.
5. What is needed now to get started.
a. $250,000 of grant money to identify the village sites, (3 are currently identified, one is under design study), and develop the necessary communication packages for each town center to be established in their respective towns.
Support from the State Rail Board for guaranteed rail use as needed for the success of the village network

rail towns

rail towns in Vermont are emerging as major solutions to sprawl. dave