Town eyes commercial use for new road
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By PATRICIA MINICHIELLO STAFF WRITER - Published: December 23, 2009
A new road that would alleviate traffic along Route 7 and potentially open the door to new development is in the early stages of planning in Rutland Town, according to officials.
Conceptualized by Town Administrator Joseph Zingale Jr. and Road Commissioner Byron Hathaway, the new road would run parallel to Route 7 from the intersection of Cold River Road on the west side, behind the Green Mountain Shopping Plaza, south to Farrell Road.
It would essentially serve a secondary means of moving between businesses without having to travel on Route 7, Zingale said Tuesday.
In part, the idea came about after two major developers applied for Act 250 permits, but continually faced obstacles based on traffic concerns along Route 7.
"Because of all the issues with IHOP and the Kalish project, I got to thinking, is there any possibilities of new roads. So we came up with this idea," Zingale said.
The new road would alleviate congestion along the west side of Route 7, particularly by the entrance to the Green Mountain Shopping Plaza by diverting traffic behind the plaza, Zingale said.
"If you were just passing through Rutland, this would do you no good, but if you were shopping at the Green Mountain Shopping Plaza or the (proposed) Rutland Commons it would allow you to move between the stores without traveling back onto Route 7."
He said if the town does not find a way to divert traffic off of Route 7, the Agency of Transportation would be in more of a position to deny Act 250 permits in the future.
Planning Commission Chairman William Matteson said the newly proposed road is an ideal way to reduce traffic on Route 7 from Curtis Avenue all the way to Diamond Run Mall.
"This is our commerce center of the town and it would be nice if we made it a lot more user-friendly," Matteson said.
In addition to alleviating traffic, the neighboring parcels of land would become prime real estate for development, Zingale said.
"Most of them are undeveloped now, but by putting this road there, we would open these places up to potential retail development with better access to water and sewer," he said.
During the latest Planning Commission meeting, Matteson asked Zingale which properties would be affected by the implementation of the new road, but Zingale said it is too early to disclose the information publicly. First, he said, he would like the Planning Commission to approach the landowners and get them on board with the idea.
"My thought was that the Planning Commission would discuss this with some of the landowners and ultimately offer these people contracts for the purchase of the land necessary to build this (road)," Zingale said.
At this time, Zingale said, there is potential funding out there for this project, but ultimately it would be up to the town to fund the road. There is also the prospect of stimulus money in Vermont to fund the project, he said.
The concept for the new road is now included in the Route 7 Corridor Study, which is funded by a grant from the state of Vermont through the Regional Planning Commission.
Resource Systems Group, the firm hired to conduct the study, has researched traffic patterns in Rutland Town and Clarendon for the better part of a year and held open meetings on the issue, attended by residents from other towns including West Rutland and Benson.
In the future, officials said the town might consider creating another new road that would link Diamond Run Mall to Cold River Road to reduce the number of vehicle trips at existing entry points to Route 7.
patricia.minichiello@rutlandherald.com
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