In terms of the rate of economic development in the town 42 percent of
respondents thought it was too slow and 35 percent felt it was just
right. A majority of those who responded supported the idea of
Irasville becoming more like a downtown although written comments
reflect diverse opinions about the future of Irasville.
When asked about support for large-scale wind power, a majority of
respondents would support a wind farm project. Eighty-five percent of
respondents favor efforts to extend and connect the Mad River Path --
the highest level of consensus on any issue in the survey.
In response to a question about what the town can do to address
affordable housing, almost half of respondents supported providing
municipal wastewater in the Waitsfield Village/Irasville area and/or
offering density bonuses for affordable housing.
Those surveys voiced strong support for widening local roads to provide
bike lanes (53 percent) while 48 percent favored building sidewalks and
43 percent favor creating one or more park-and-ride lots. Thirty-seven
percent favor promoting higher density, mixed used development in the
Waitsfield/Irasville area, 29 percent favor building off-road,
multi-use paths and 24 percent favor paying some $20,000 for public bus
service.
Most of the respondents to the survey have lived in the town for over
20 years (37 percent). Twenty-two percent have lived in the town for 0
to 19 years, and 22 percent have lived here 5 to 9 years. Sixteen
percent of respondents have lived here less than five years.
The survey provides a wealth of other demographic data as well as a
great deal of very specific data, opinions and suggestions for planners
as the Town Plan is revised. Look for this data to be the topic of much
discussion at the local level in the months to come.
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