We have had another busy and eventful year. So many changes. Just as we were getting settled into our house in Morrisville we became aware that the people who owned the land adjacent to our property were planning to start operating a sawmill and firewood processing business across the street from our house and gardens in a zoned residential neighborhood in the village of Morrisville. To our amazement, this plan was being enabled by the town and zoning administration by a spot zoning action they were engaged in through changing the town bylaws. It was only through an organized effort by us and our neighborhood, as well as the support of a village trustee who also owned a large parcel of land adjacent to ours that this plan was stopped.
We then spent the rest of the year attending town meetings and researching the town plan and bylaws in order to understand how at risk the investment in our home was in. Our findings were clear. Morrisville, like many rural communities in Vermont, was more business friendly than resident friendly, and as such businesses were very likely to find town zoning bylaws and zoning administrators very receptive to permitting businesses in residential zones. The only relief homeowners can seek is through civil lawsuits which are expensive and pit neighbors against each other. Given the reality of the situation we decided to move to the Burlington area.
It was a hard decision, but one we do not regret. We were able to sell our house for our asking price the day we put it on the market, and we moved to a charming little house in the southeastern suburbs of Burlington. The lifestyle is very different than what we are used to, but we live in a community of people who value their families, their environment, and their neighbors. Our neighborhood has a homeowner’s association and reasonable bylaws. Our town, Williston, also has a reasonble town plan and bylaws that they appear to enforce for the most part. This is no guarantee of property value protection, but at least we have the traction of like-minded folks who are as invested in the community as we are.
One of the biggest changes we are adapting to is the size of our garden. Technically, we own a perimeter of five feet surrounding our house. Add to that the fact that the HOA, which is currently being run by the neighborhood developer (more on that in future posts), takes care of the exterior common areas and landscaping, we have the option of not gardening at all. Of course not gardening is not really an option for me, so we are carving out the garden areas that we want to maintain. The previous owner had already put in a nice patio in the back of house with a border of low maintenance shrubs.
Back Porch Patio Area
The beds in the front of the house are currently being planted and maintained by the landscape maintenance company that the developers have contracted. We will probably take over maintenance of these beds next year after we see how snow is being managed on our street.
Front Flower Beds
Being close to Lake Champlain and the Adirondack mountains gives us some very colorful sunsets!
Early Blooming Purple Iris
Hope you are having a lovely summer. More postings to follow.