COLCHESTER — On a warm Thursday evening, a group of residents gathered at Bayside Park with signs they used to protest a hotel and resort proposal at a recent Development Review Board meeting.
They pointed out a long marina in the bay and two parcels of private property at 166 and 180 West Lakeshore Drive that were largely hidden by a cluster of large trees.
They imagined what the area would look like when the majority of those old trees are removed. That’s part of the plan proposed by Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation, which is seeking to combine the two lots and to construct five large buildings into the slope overlooking the bay.
The plan envisions a $8 million hotel comprising five “cottage-style” buildings for “a 20-room inn” with a restaurant and event space at the lakefront site of a former motel.
“The town should protect us and the bay,” said Phyllis Bryden, who bought a house on East Lakeshore Drive nine years ago and has been disappointed with overcrowding of the area, the diminished water quality and increased traffic on the scenic stretch of Malletts Bay.
Marilyn Sowles, a resident of Porters Point Road and a former selectboard member, is concerned about diminished views — both from the lake and the road.
She held up a photo of what the shoreline now looks like as taken from a boat on the bay. It looks like a verdant stretch of green on the sloping shore. The project renderings replace it with five shiny glassfront buildings as proposed by consultants Scott Homsted from the engineering firm Krebs and Lansing, and Benjamin Avery of Greenfield Growth Consulting LLC, formerly a developer with Black Rock.
“There is no way to build that huge monstrosity on this skinny piece of land and maintain the views from the lake,” she said at a packed Development Review Board hearing on July 23 that ran almost four hours, like the previous June 11 hearing.
Residents, including those gathered last week, continue to protest the $8 million project. At both hearings, they reiterated concerns about environmental and traffic impacts, and with setting a development precedent for the Malletts Bay shorefront.
Between the two hearings about 20 concerned residents hired Brice Simon, a lawyer in Stowe, who sent a letter to town officials July 21 reiterating a litany of concerns. These range from the project’s lack of stormwater and runoff treatment to its adverse scenic impacts.
“I hope that the DRB will deny the application,” said Simon, who outlined how and why the proposal does not meet the definition of an inn, as the developers call it. He said it is a hotel, which is not allowed in the area according to the Colchester Town Plan.
“The site plan approval is not appropriate for a project that is so out of conformance with the surrounding area, and which would cause such undue adverse effects on the surrounding ecological, scenic, state and municipal resources,” he wrote in an email.
Simon also submitted a petition at the last development review board meeting signed by more than 50 residents opposed to the project.
Town officials declined to comment.
The board is expected to issue a written decision on the project in September, 45 days from the last hearing, according to Zachary Maia, development manager in the town’s planning and zoning office. He confirmed Simon’s letter was received as testimony by the Development Review Board.
Many of the residents who gathered at the waterfront last week shared views on why they believe the project is out-of-character in the bay.
Longtime resident Jerry Allyn said he is concerned about added water pollution it could bring. A big project without a stormwater runoff plan is irresponsible, he said. And with most of the 98 parking spots proposed across the street, drop-off and crossings would create a major traffic hazard, he added.
“When I first came here there was one traffic light in town. Now West Lakeshore Drive is one of the busiest sections in town,” he said referring to the traffic. It has been exacerbated since the Malletts Bay sewer project began.
Nancy Cloutier of Church Road, who has been living in Colchester for 22 years, said she and her husband are “appalled” the town would consider such a large project that would “destroy the view,” affect traffic and does not meet the Town Plan’s guidelines.
“The aesthetics are horrible,” she said.
Cloutier said she has a background in event planning and takes issue with the proposed capacity numbers presented by the developer. What is projected to be a 40-person capacity restaurant can hold much more, she said, if tables and chairs are removed for an event. She shared her concern at the last hearing.
“I feel that the board and the planning and zoning commission have been given enough testimony and information from citizens to reject this permit out-of-pocket on very good, solid ground,” said resident Jeanne Welch, who commutes daily and is concerned about the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and that the development could circumvent local regulations.
The developers and consultants did not respond to comment.
Meanwhile, all await the town board’s decision.
As the rays of the setting sun dappled through the trees at Bayside Park, the residents lowered their signs and walked slowly up the hill to head home.
