STOWE, Vt. (WCAX) A pared-down plan for an overflow parking lot at one of Vermont’s busiest ski resorts has gotten an initial greenlight.
The Stowe Mountain Resort, the town and concerned neighbors were able to come to an agreement that reduces the size of the parking lot, but would still mean potentially more spots for skiers next season.
“Obviously, they need to do something,” said Bobby Torney, who’s building a home on what locals call Harlow Hill in Stowe, just off the Mountain Road.
Torney knows about the parking problems and traffic at the mountain but is concerned a new lot may not be the answer.
“Something definitely has to be done but I think there are better alternatives, whether it’s Stowe moving some infrastructure over to that meadow where they are trying to put the parking lot in, increasing the investment on the other side,” he said. “Our worry is that they are going to do this project, then, halfway through the winter they say it actually made the traffic worse.”
Others believe anything will help the traffic trouble.
“I definitely think that mountain traffic affects just getting around town, both directions, because there is a couple ways to get there. But, I think it would help if they had the parking lot there,” said Charlotte Tims of Stowe.
We told you about the original parking proposal— 280 spots off Harlow Hill. Some neighbors opposed the plan and challenged it in court. Town zoning officials denied the resort’s request for a new lot, which led to an appeal in the state’s environmental court.
After a few years of inactivity, the parties came to an agreement in March: a 150-space lot.
Stowe Town Manager Charles Safford says moving forward the town and resort must work together to achieve accessibility for residents and visitors.
“You know, what they do affects us, and what we do affects them, right? And we want to maintain the character of Stowe, also maintaining mobility so people can get around. So, it is important that we sit down and talk and come into alignment,” Safford said.
Despite the agreement, the project still has to go through the Act 250 process.
We reached out to Stowe Mountain Resort for comment but did not hear back before this story was published.
