MRVPD Planning History
Origins of the Planning District
The history of the MRVPD, and of planning in the Valley, is the story of a community working together to create an identity amidst a changing landscape and economy.
With the advent of skiing (Mad River Glen in 1948 and Sugarbush Valley in 1958) came rapid changes to land use and development patterns in the Valley.
MRVPD was created in response to the planned rapid ski area-associated development around Sugarbush Resort.
The following photos show how Sugarbush brought both new life and economic activity to the Valley--and along with it, intense condo growth over a short period of time.
Ski Industry Creates a Strike-Point
There were two main reasons for creating a designated tri-town Planning District:
- More structure and organization was needed around land use planning related to Sugarbush than the three Valley Towns could accommodate individually.
- A process was needed to communicate and coordinate actions relating to resort growth that might have caused, or had the potential to cause, impacts to the social, economic, and environmental fabric of the community.
The following timeline shows how the history of Sugarbush Resort and many of the MRV's planning milestones happened in lockstep:
A Closer Look at the MOUs...
The Planning District Through The Decades
1980s
Executive Director: Brian Shupe (1986-94)
Focus Areas:
- Sugarbush
- Base area planning
- Snowmaking & water withdrawal
- Tri-Town Coordination
- MRV Regional Sewerage Study
- Formation of Recreation, Housing and Economic Development Committees
- Warren Town Plan
- Changes to Fayston Zoning Ordinance
- Rural Resource Protection
- Rural Resource Commission founded in 1987
1990s
Executive Directors: Brian Shupe (1986-94), Joanna Whitcomb (1994-97), Juli Beth Hoover (1997-2000)
Focus Areas:
- Town Planning
- Plan for 5 Town Solid Waste Alliance
- Fayston- zoning changes and town plan update
- Warren - zoning changes
- Waitsfield - Town Plan, zoning changes, work on commercial water extraction
- Irasville Master Planning project
- Three-Town Coordination
- Staff recreation district, housing coalition and economic development committee
- NODP grant for Warren Village Wastewater mgmt/Admin for Wastewater grant $10,000
- MRV regional wastewater strategy plan
- 3 Town grant for software to track permitting and development issues
- Recreation
- Assistance to Path Association/ VLT
- Friends of the Mad River
- Staff Assistance
- The Best River Ever
- Rural Resources/Historic Preservation
- Wait House Restoration, fundraising, planning committee $200,000
- Rural Resource Plan update/ Kicking Stones
- Sugarbush
- Economic Impact Study of Grand Summit Hotel
- 1998 MOU rewrite
- Completion of ACT 250 hotel process
- Data
- Data Book Project
- Transit
- Transit planning, lobbying & grant applications
2000s
Executive Director: Dee Pierce (2001-06), Linda Lloyd (2006-08), Joshua Schwartz (2008-Present)
Focus Areas:
- Irasville Planning
- Irasville Planning workshops
- Completion of Irasville master planning project
- Town Planning
- Completion of Fayston Town Plan
- Sugarbush Review
- Act 250 Review of Lodge at Lincoln Peak
- Sugarbush Village stormwater management project
- Transportation
- Transit planning, change of provider and local acquisition of buses
- Waitsfield Village Parking and Pedestrian Study
- Three-Town Coordination
- Staff CLG, Partnership, VEDA and TAC committees
- Valley Vision 2020 Forum
- Valley Selectboard Summit ; BOS joint budget planning session
- Review of local law enforcement services
- Recreation
- Phenn Basin Management Plan
- Assisted Path Association in securing easements and completing the Path
- Housing
- Valley Housing Committee and Housing Forum
- Three town affordable housing strategy
- Mad River Valley Housing Study
- Rural Resources
- Mad River Valley Barn Assessment
- Historic Landscape Management Plan
- Update of State Historic Building Survey for 3 towns
- Ancient Roads grants for Warren and Waitsfield
- Placemaking
- Route 100 Byway Initiative
- Natural Systems
- Waitsfield/Fayston Wildlife Habitat Assessment project
2010s
Focus Areas:
- Flood Resilience
- Post-Irene recovery
- Tri-Town Coordination
- Reconstitution of the MRV TAC, MRV Housing Coalition, MRV Rural Resources Commission
- Housing Demand & Market Analysis Report
- Valley Futures Network
- Economic Study
- Economic Summit & Community Picnic
- Vision & Vitality Workshop Series
- MRVPD adds a Community Planner position in 2015, in addition to the Executive Director
- Transportation
- Waitsfield West Sidewalk Project
- MRV Moves Active Transportation Plan
2020-2022
- Data
- MRV Community Dashboard
- MRV Wellbeing Survey
- Recreation
- VOREC/MRV Recreation Hub project
- Unified Trailhead Kiosk Signage
- stewardMRV
- Rural Resources
- Boyce Hill Town Forest
- Transportation
- Mad Bus service
- Pedestrian safety & connectivity
