Fairlee
Officials hope suggestions garnered from Thursday’s meeting will help shape this year’s Town Plan update and be included in a state grant application, according to Selectboard Chairwoman Cathy McGrath.
Fairlee could use the funding for a feasibility study for a future village septic system officials say is important to foster housing and business growth.
The town — whose population of 1,029 balloons each summer with seasonal residents on and around Lake Morey — has seen year-round population growth of about 1 percent per year since 2010, according to Zoning Administrator Chris Brimmer. Thirty-four percent of those new residents are in the 18-34 age demographic.
“How do we move forward with that energy?” McGrath said in an interview just prior to Thursday’s planning party, which drew about 21 residents. “There is a buzz about Fairlee being a place that people want to go to, not only because of the lake but because of the restaurants and other amenities that we have here. So how do we get more people to begin thinking about Fairlee as a place where they want to live or develop a business?”
A more aesthetically pleasing village center, seeking land for a river access and better marketing of recreational activities were some of the popular talking points as planning party attendees split into small discussion groups to brainstorm themes involving economic development, transportation and recreation.
Residents said sidewalks, streetlights and other visual elements such as flower hangings would help slow traffic through the town’s busy Route 5 village corridor and encourage motorists to stop at businesses more often.
Improving bicycle and foot travel on the narrow roads surrounding Lake Morey also prompted discussion, as did better utilization and improved scheduling for the Stagecoach public transportation service.
“We don’t need a Hannaford here, but maybe Stagecoach could bring people from Fairlee to the one in Bradford at certain times of day, and if they wanted to go to Walmart (in Woodsville), they could get there on the same ride,” McGrath said.
As for bringing more businesses to Fairlee, Danielle Allen, co-owner of Root 5 Farm, suggested developing “flexible spaces” that might allow prospective merchants to test the market before committing to buying or leasing property.
“I think it would be great if there were some kind of program where someone had the opportunity to set up here, make sure their service is viable and get over the hump,” Allen said. “It takes a lot to start a business. It’s tough.”
Recreation enhancement ideas centered on ways to improve access to the Connecticut, such as seeking land for a riverside park or an entertainment destination such as a brewpub on the river. Organizing a winter carnival and better mapping and promotion of the town’s public conservation lands and trail systems also were popular topics.
There are more than 35 miles of public trails in Fairlee, according to the Friends of Fairlee Forests, a group that has mapped them, yet even some year-round residents aren’t familiar with scenic trails to vistas such as the Palisades cliffs, Sawyer Mountain and Bald Top Mountain.
“This town is gorgeous,” Planning Commission member Susanne Pacilio said while presenting the results of discussion at the recreation table. “Every time I drive through it I think of how beautiful it is and how lucky we are to live here.”
McGrath is hopeful a future septic system will help spawn growth for both market price and affordable housing, the latter of which lost 14 units on Main Street when the two-story Colby Block burned in 2007. That building also included retail space, and numerous officials on Thursday suggested the village lost part of its lifeblood when it perished.
The lack of a municipal sewer system has been a roadblock for the development of similar housing as well as for market-price housing in the village, McGrath said.
Last summer, Selectboard members met with various regional and economic development organizations to begin brainstorming ways to spur growth.
“We know that (the Upper Valley) is growing, and there is a buzz about Fairlee among potential developers,” McGrath said. “Increased density in the village will only help that buzz, so let’s tap into the energy that’s in this community right now.”
McGrath said the application deadline for funding from the Better Connections Grant Program is Jan. 31 and that, if awarded, the money would be issued in March. The program is funded through the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
Fairlee’s Planning Commission is charged with updating the Town Plan to steer community goals for the next eight years. An update is due in September and must be approved by voters, according to Planning Commission Chairman Miranda Clemson.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.