The Waitsfield Planning Commission and Irasville Village Master Plan Steering Committee invite Mad River Valley residents to attend the second community open house for the Irasville Village Master Plan on Wednesday, March 19th.

The open house will be held at the Village Meeting House at Waitsfield United Church of Christ, located at 4355 Main St, Waitsfield, VT 05733. The event will open at 4:00 PM; you may come by at any time between 4:00 and 7:00 PM. Families are encouraged to attend – childcare will be provided by staff from Neck of the Woods, and there will kid-oriented community planning exercises so that attendees of all ages can participate.

The Irasville Village Master Plan aims to provide an actionable, pragmatic, and forward-looking vision and roadmap for a vibrant village center. This planning process builds off recent progress in Irasville, including a successful bond to fund the development of a municipal wastewater system and recent updates to zoning bylaws for Waitsfield’s villages. At this open house event, participants will share their thoughts on potential village center development scenarios for the future of Irasville. This input will be critical shaping the recommendations of the Irasville Village Master Plan, including strategies for promoting housing, local businesses, pedestrian and bicycle access, community facilities, outdoor recreation opportunities, and natural resource conservation.

This open house event builds off the feedback provided by attendees at the first open house on November 18th, 2024. Some of the key takeaways from the first open house included:
• Attendees were both excited and concerned about the future of Irasville. The recent loss of businesses and community services Irasville was top of mind for many participants. At the same time, many expressed that Irasville holds great potential as a vibrant village center for Waitsfield and the Mad River Valley.
• Attendees were supportive of an infill development approach for future redevelopment in Irasville, with a focus on housing, local-serving businesses, and mixed-use development.
• Attendees were supportive of a balanced approach to wetlands in Irasville that preserves critical wetland functions while considering possible impacts to low-functioning wetlands if those impacts result in significant community benefit.
• Attendees were supportive of exploring potential transportation infrastructure improvements to enhance and facilitate walkable development in Irasville, such as improved pedestrian connections and possible new roadways to create village blocks.
• Attendees want this planning process to explore enhanced recreational and community facilities, such as a year-round recreation or community center and community gathering spaces.
• Attendees were supportive of exploring a mix of building heights for future development, with a minimum building height of two stories.

Irasville is where the Mad River Valley comes to shop, dine, gather, and play. This village area has long been envisioned as a vibrant community hub, with a thoughtful mix of homes, local businesses, services, and recreational amenities. For years this vision has been held in check, challenged by insufficient infrastructure, natural resource constraints, and a lack of planning progress. Thanks to sustained efforts by local and regional partners, the time is ripe to reestablish an actionable, pragmatic, and forward-looking vision and roadmap for Irasville.

For more information, please visit the Town’s website.

Contact: JB Weir, Planning & Zoning Administrator | pza@gmavt.net | (802) 496-2218 ext. 4