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Residents split on Long Point court; calls to delay echo on NextDoor and at hearing
Summary
Public commenters at the Ferrisburgh ZBA meeting urged delay or withdrawal of the Long Point basketball court permit, citing process concerns after a NextDoor post and asking for an annual-meeting vote; supporters countered that recreation is broadly used.
Several Long Point residents told the Zoning Board they felt the basketball-court proposal had not been discussed widely inside the community and urged the ZBA to delay action until Long Point Corporation's annual meeting.
Brian Farrell read aloud a copy of a NextDoor post and said the post had generated immediate, split responses online. He urged the board that "the application should be withdrawn until after next month's Long Point annual meeting," arguing the project appeared to be driven by a small number of residents and that neighbors had not had adequate notice or discussion.
Opponents raised safety and liability concerns, noting the proximity of the pad to a road that already carries fast traffic. A recurring worry was runaway balls reaching the roadway and the absence of a planned fence; Board members acknowledged the hazard and asked about mitigation options. Supporters, speaking during the same hearing, said recreation is important to park users. "Almost everyone at Long Point supports recreation and wants more activities available for visitors," said resident David Carpenter, who also described familiarity with the site's maintenance.
Zoning Administrator Katie Hill later clarified that the NextDoor posting was a repost of correspondence to the Long Point board and that internal Long Point governance procedures do not change the ZBA's obligation to apply local zoning criteria.
