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Council votes to form three-member subcommittee to revisit Country Club Road concept plan
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about how granular the Country Club Road concept plan should be, the council voted to appoint a three-member subcommittee to develop a concept to present to the full council.
The Montpelier City Council voted to form a three-member subcommittee to develop a concept plan for the Country Club Road site after weeks of debate over how specific the city should be in a concept plan used for grant and TIF work.
Consultants from VHB, led by Mike Willard and Mark Hamlin, briefed the council on options to revise a master plan created in 2023. Willard told the council that the central decision is how to route a primary road up the former golf course: “There are really 2 ways of getting up the hill,” he said, and that decision affects where housing and recreation might go.
Why it matters: Councilors differed about the level of detail the city should include in an actionable plan. Some members urged a more general conceptual statement that would leave flexibility for developers and future design changes; others, and staff, said grant programs and a future TIF application require enough specificity for cost estimates and infrastructure design.
What the council decided: After discussion and several amendments, council members approved a motion to form a subcommittee of no more than three council members “to develop a concept to present to the council.” Councilors Ben (surname not specified), Jack (not specified) and Adrian volunteered; the chair confirmed the subcommittee size aligns with the motion’s limit. The council also discussed potential funding sources for a facilitated process, including $35,000 previously held in Country Club Road due-diligence funding and the city’s housing trust fund.
Details and context: Planning staff said the existing master plan was accepted two years ago and that a more detailed “phase 2” design process was intended to follow. Staff and consultants warned that if the city finalizes 90% construction documents before decisions about the road or building locations, later changes would require costly revisions. VHB proposed a two-step process: a facilitated workshop for council to reach consensus, then follow-up detailed design if needed.
Ending: The council directed staff to proceed with formation of the subcommittee and to coordinate next steps and scheduling with VHB and other consultants. The subcommittee will report back to the full council.
