Select Board OKs demolition application filing, asks town staff to circulate Act 250 municipal-impact questionnaire

The Rutland Town Select Board voted unanimously June 3 to approve the demolition permit application for a portion of the former Diamond Run Mall and directed Town Administrator Bill Sweet to circulate the municipal-impact questionnaire among town department heads so it can be filed with the Act 250 District Commission.

The Planning Commission previously found the demolition project “consistent with the town plan,” and project representatives told the select board they had filed an Act 250 application and would submit supplemental exhibits. David Grama, the applicant, said the demolition is intended to clear the site ahead of a proposed Walmart application that would be a separate review later.

Town and contractor representatives described a security plan for the demolition period that relies on perimeter fencing, four gated access points, contractor check-in, cameras, and on-site barricades. Justin Belden, president of Belden Construction, said “all individuals on-site will be required to check‑in upon arrival” and that fencing would limit vehicle access during demolition. Craig, the project engineer from MSK Engineers, told the board the property’s loop road and the Spartan arena parking area would remain accessible while the fenced demolition zone would block most of the former mall footprint.

Board members and department heads pressed project staff about emergency access, hydrants, and utilities. Craig said water mains and the sewer pump station serving the site will remain in place and that no hydrants are proposed to be abandoned during demolition. Highway Commissioner Dave Sears asked about buried infrastructure under slabs; the applicant said the demolition will remove slabs but major mains will be left in place and any encountered service connections will be abandoned or removed as required.

Security arrangements drew extended discussion. Project counsel and the contractor said they plan camera-equipped, trailer-mounted, solar-powered units and on-site monitoring; they described the cameras as an alert/monitoring tool rather than an automated police dispatch system. The applicants said private security and the property owner would handle nonviolent trespass and illegal dumping, while law enforcement would be called for criminal activity. “If someone is engaged in criminal activity or is armed … there’s going to need to be response by law enforcement,” the applicant said.

Select board members and the applicant agreed that the Act 250 demolition permit should preserve existing permit conditions related to security so those conditions remain on the land if a future redevelopment application is filed. The applicant asked that demolition permit conditions not create undue obstacles for a later Walmart application, and the town’s attorney will review any wording changes.

Procedural timeline provided by the applicant: Act 250 staff will determine completeness (estimated about three weeks), then either schedule a prehearing/hearing within 40 days or circulate a draft permit as a minor amendment under Board Rule 51. If a draft permit is issued, statutory parties (including Rutland Town) have a minimum 20-day comment period before the permit can be finalized or a request for hearing must be adjudicated.

The board voted to approve the demolition application and to have the municipal-impact questionnaire circulated for department-head signoff so the form can be filed with the District 2 Act 250 Commission. The motion passed 5-0.

Board Chair Mary Ashcroft (first reference: Select Board Chair Mary Ashcroft) said she would have Administrator Sweet circulate the questionnaire and asked department heads to notify the town immediately if any additional issues arise.

The applicants said they will file the demolition exhibits with Act 250 and return to the town with the later Walmart application, which will contain a separate, broader security plan and site access proposals.