Waitsfield is asking the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for clearer direction on wetlands permitting requirements tied to the development of its Irasville Village Master Plan. In a letter to Shannon Morrison of the DEC's Wetlands Management Division, Waitsfield zoning administrator JB Weir raised concerns that shifting expectations from the state could jeopardize vital infrastructure and housing projects central to the town’s growth strategy.
The letter, dated August 22, follows months of meetings and correspondence between the town, state officials, and local stakeholders. “We are still missing critical clarity from you that will allow us to move this planning process forward in a productive direction,” Weir wrote.
The Waitsfield Select Board was briefed on the letter at its August 25 meeting as part of an update on the Irasville Master Planning process.
Irasville, the commercial core of Waitsfield, is envisioned as a growth center for the Mad River Valley. Town officials note that recent initiatives – including a $15 million wastewater project and the new Mad River Valley Recreation Hub – demonstrate momentum toward a walkable, vibrant village center. Those initiatives are being supported by state and federal funding, including American Rescue Plan Act dollars and a municipal planning grant from the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
Per the letter wetlands permitting is emerging as a sticking point. Morrison had previously indicated that DEC would not consider permit applications for any individual development in Irasville until an area-wide wetlands master plan was complete. Waitsfield has since launched such a plan – with public input, consultant support, and draft scenarios already underway – and yet, Weir pointed out, that the town is now being asked to go further.
According to the town’s letter, Morrison proposed that after the current planning effort, multiple property owners in Irasville collectively develop a new “master agreement” outlining all potential future projects, identifying mitigation work, and implementing those efforts before any construction begins.
“For this project, which would likely be developed in phases by multiple different property owners, you expressed your preference for the development of a subsequent master agreement (following the completion of this current planning process) between multiple property owners that would identify all potential projects with wetlands impacts, identify wetlands mitigation projects, and implement these mitigation projects, all before any development moves forward,” Weir wrote.
“This was new information to us,” Weir wrote, calling the proposed requirement “a significant additional burden” that could stall critical infrastructure timelines and imperil funding for projects like the wastewater system. “We are also concerned that, by agreeing to this request, there would be an indefinite extension of the current ‘pause’ on wetlands permit applications. The town is now requesting that DEC confirm whether the goals and strategies outlined in its draft plan are sufficient for wetlands permits to begin moving forward.
Among the proposed wetlands protections in the Irasville masterplanning effort:
- Permanent conservation of all higher-function wetlands in Irasville, as defined by a 2021 assessment by Arrowwood Environmental.
- At least 85% of all wetlands in Irasville would be protected from development.
- Restoration of lower-function wetlands to enhance flood resilience.
- No net loss of wetlands’ flood mitigation capacity for the Mad River.
Conservation would be pursued through easements, development conditions, or outright property acquisition, with support from Friends of the Mad River and others. The town also plans further watershed modeling to identify additional upstream mitigation opportunities.
“We feel that these goals and recommendations represent a significant commitment on behalf of the Town and its partners to protecting wetland function while advancing our community and economic development goals,” Weir wrote.
The town now awaits DEC’s formal response to determine whether its approach is acceptable – or whether additional delays are ahead.
