Waterbury Downtown October 29 2009

WATERBURY DOWNTOWN STUDY

Waterbury Downtown:
Present  Future
Public Workshop
Thursday, October 29,
2009
7:00 PM


Waterbury Downtown:
Present  Future
Revitalizing Waterbury
Waterbury Planning Commission
Waterbury Village/Town Staff
GMCR and Central Vermont Regional
Planning Commission
VHB Pioneer
Timothy Duff, Architect


Present  Future
 Completing the
Waterbury Downtown Study
• Connector roadway and rail crossing, from
Demeritt Place to Pilgrim Park
• Options for infill development
• Evaluation of the Stone Shed
• Financial Analysis
• Downtown Master Plan
 Tonight:
• Financing Options & Ideas
• Downtown Master Plan “Action List”


Tonight’s Agenda:

1. The 3-D View: GMCR & CVRPC
Sketch-Up Team
2. Downtown Master Plan
3. The Stone Shed: Options & Ideas
4. Financing Options & Approaches
5. Group Discussion: Action List


GMCR and Central VT Regional Planning Commission

SKETCH-UP MODEL


Downtown Master Plan
Overview


Master Plan: Key Elements

 Maintaining the residential, “leafy” character
of Main Street near Demeritt Place
 Drainage issues if infill development occurs


•Connect Pilgrim Park to Demeritt Place
with a new connector roadway

•Upgrade the railroad crossing and
Demeritt Place to handle tractor-trailers

•Relieve Park Row/Main Street intersection


 Consider infill
development on
Demeritt Place
site, behind
Batchelder Street
– Potential
options
for
housing


 Ways to make the
State offices more
of a community
amenity
• River access
• Community
garden on the
horseshoe
• Art walk/solar
installations along
river path



 Consider introducing some retail and service
uses into Pilgrim Park – potentially in Station
Lumber building (or on the site)
 Enhance visibility, friendliness of parking
 DRAW and LINK visitors to retail core


 Focus on Waterbury‟s
retail core!
 There is huge interest
in having more places
to shop locally
 Restaurants are a
great anchor
 Pursue
redevelopment
opportunities


Retail Core: CONTINUITY!
 Ground-floor rrontage in this
section of Main from Park
Row to Stowe St. potentially
should be mandatory retail
or restaurant
 Draw foot traffic through
 Enhance sidewalks
 Clean up & sign the parking!

No!

Retail Core: CONTINUITY!

 Idea to “link and
draw” pedestrians
from Park Row
and train station
up in and through
the retail core
 Untapped idea:
Sculpture contest
and art walk


Retail Core: Redevelopment

More of
this…
…less of
this.


Key Redevelopment Site:
Stone Shed & Bidwell Lane

 Public meeting:
THEATER/ gathering
space
 Support for Bidwell Ln.
Extension


STONE SHED – Existing Conditions
 The Stone Shed was most
likely constructed in the 19th
century supporting several
uses and many alterations over
the years.
 Former uses include
processing quarried stone and
as an iron foundry.
 Currently used as a
warehouse.
 The building is centrally
located within the village core
and adjacent to municipal
parking.


 The existing wood framed post and beam structure has numerous
alterations. Most likely much of the roof framing has been replaced
during the life of the structure.


 There are original portions of the building throughout including:


 Clearstory wall framing


• Clearstory wall framing
• Original wall framing and siding


• Clearstory wall framing
• Original wall framing and siding
• Framed window openings in exterior walls


STONE SHED –Potential for Reuse


STONE SHED – Potential for Reuse
 The building will require substantial amounts of work in
order to adapt it for reuse.
 Building Utilities:
• Existing 6” water service should be adequate for any use, but the
fire protection system is antiquated and will have to be replaced.


• 4” sewer service should support a variety of potential uses.


• The existing electrical service is too small and will not support
any adapted reuse.


• The existing electrical service is too small and will not support
any adapted reuse.
 Assembly uses will require a substantial upgrade to the
building structure.
 New exterior finish, thermal envelope, HVAC, plumbing and
electrical systems will be required.


 Lack of day lighting and egress access limits effective reuse
for residential uses.
 It is recommended that additions be removed back to the
original building form to create more functional, usable space
and reduce the amount of building square footage required to
be upgraded.


 Lack of day lighting and egress access limits effective reuse
for residential uses.
 It is recommended that additions be removed back to the
original building form to create more functional, usable space
and reduce the amount of building square footage required to
be upgraded.
 Current building footprint of over 12,000 square feet would
reduce to 8,200 square feet.


 Previous group discussions have centered on community uses
such as theater/performing arts.
 A potential for a 150 seat theater and adjacent multi-purpose
space.


COST ITEMS in the MASTER PLAN
 Connector Road (@$1.3 million)
 Drainage improvements behind Main St.
near Demeritt Place
 Redevelopment sites esp. Stone Shed

$  Community garden initiation
 Parking area spruce up and signage
 Sidewalk improvements
 “Art walk”/competition/installations
 River access

Dear Santa Claus,
We have been a very good town and village this year.

Cost Items Avenues
 INFRASTRUCTURE  CDBG, TIF, bonding
 PUBLIC FACILITY  USDA-RD
 ECONOMIC  BID, Local option
ENHANCEMENTS
 RECREATION  FISH „N CRITTER,
RECREATION
 COMMUNITY SOURCES
GARDEN  **ENERGY


Tax Increment Finance:
The Basics
 Allows the municipality to capture some
or all of the incremental increase in
taxable value in a specific geographic
area, and pledge that future revenue
towards the payments on a municipal
bond for infrastructure improvements
that are DIRECTLY RELATED to
enabling the increase in taxable value.
(got that?)


Town Tax Rate
2008 Grand List: $7,097,523
Taxes Necessary for General Fund & Highway: $1,853,455
Total Town & School Tax Rate
Homestead: 1.3674
Non-Residential: 1.5007

Village Tax Rate
2008 Grand List: $1,976,734
Taxes Necessary for General Fund: $323,260
Total School, Town Village Tax Rate
Homestead: $1.5498
Non-Residential: $1.6831


Tax Increment Finance: Issues
 Must apply to Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) for TIF
approval
 Requires formal authorization by the voters; not clear if Town or Village
or both would be bond issuing authority
 Must demonstrate that the new increment of growth would not happen
BUT FOR the infrastructure investment
 Must send 25% of the incremental tax revenue to Montpelier
 **Must reserve as much or more of the MUNICIPAL increment towards
the TIF as you do the Statewide
 Non-taxable properties don‟t pay their way (i.e. municipal buildings,
stone shed) unless space is leased from a taxable entity
 Annual audit and compliance costs


Tax Increment Finance:

WHAT’S THE POSSIBLE ‘I’?


Pilgrim Park

 Potentially 3 new
buildings
 Not clear what
timing will be
 Would be a
MAJOR
component of a
TIF.


Demeritt Place

Site plan done for @
20,000 SF office and
parking

Could also support office
with @ 14 units of housing

Neighborhood concerns

Drainage issues need to
be dealt with


Bidwell Lane/Stone Shed/Station
Lumber
Strong interest in redevelopment
that connects Waterbury Square to
the Stone Shed

All groups tended to have some
element of a gathering or
performance space/theater in this
area

Parking needs to be evaluated
carefully

Needs intensive economic
development plan/effort…but could
be worth it!


Mid-Downtown Site

Identified in public
workshop as good site
for offices, similar to
medical center

No discussion with
landowners

Access would need to be
worked out


Fire Station

ALL of the public meeting work
groups discussed redevelopment of
the Fire Station site; some included
land up to the Town Office.

Clearly, not consensus on this with
Village leadership.

Represents the “missing front tooth”
in the retail district from Park Row to
Stowe Street.

Stong case that this site needs to be
re-imagined as a key development
node.


Thoughts for Waterbury
Downtown:
 Redevelopment initiatives will require multiple and developer-
driven funding sources.
 Other projects are smaller, innovative…and more challenging to
fund through “regular” sources
 **Ideal scenario is an annual “force account” for small projects
like the parking, art walk, river access, etc.
 TIF is a possibility…but must be VERY SPECIFIC about what it‟s
for and the reasonable likelihood that the development will occur
 Also must balance against the cost and complexity of approval


Other Financing Thoughts:
Where money is today
 USDA Rural Development:
• Can a local business or consortium be
created that can take on the Stone Shed and
work with USDA through its
implementation grants?
 E N E R G Y:
• The big money today is in ENERGY!
• What are the opportunities for Waterbury to
make renewable energy part of the strategy
for funding the art walk?


Other Financing Thoughts:
 A local option (please put away the firearms)
would not be a bad way to develop a “force
account” for investments in the downtown,
which could be supplemented with grants.
 Some of the key competitive retail markets to
Waterbury already have a local option tax:
• Williston/Taft Corners but not Berlin
 Question…how do you work with Waterbury
Center, Ben & Jerry‟s, and the Shaw‟s, where
a lot of the retail sales are generated


Current taxable retail receipts in
Waterbury:
2008 taxable
retail
receipts:
$30,488,168

2007 taxable
retail
receipts:
$30,506,338


What are the “launch pads”
and who can take them on?

 CONNECTOR ROADWAY
 STONE SHED
For Discussion:  BIDWELL LANE
 PARKING IMPROVEMENTS
 ART WALK
 RIVER ACCESS/WALK
 COMMUNITY GARDEN
 FUTURE SITES
 FINANCING STRATEGIES
 RETAIL CONTINUITY/
RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER


Next Steps in the Study:

 Finalizing report
 Looking in detail and financing options
and how they would play out
 Incorporating your comments and
feedback from tonight
 Action items list for key initiatives

Waterbury Downtown October 29 2009

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