Williston's Planning History 

1975- A Different Mall Proposed at Exit 12

Pyramid Mall's developers were not the only ones interested in Williston. In 1975, a sketch plan for a mall at the northwest corner (across Route 2A from the Sunoco Gas Station) was submitted to the Town. There is no record that this idea was ever more than a concept or was ever reviewed by the Planning Commission. 

1978- Williston's Future Land Use Map

Williston's Future Land Use Map from 1976. Note that many boundaries and designations (Commercial at Taft corners, Medium-Density Residential South of Mountain View Road to I-89, Low-Density Residential South of I-89 and North of Mountain View, Town Center in the Village, etc.) are very close to the designations and zoning districts in the current Town Plan.  

1982- Pyramid Mall in Court

Following the 1978 approval of the Pyramid Mall by the Williston Planning Commission and the subsequent denial of the project by the District 4 (Act 250) Environmental Commission, the project was headed to the Vermont Supreme Court. The Burlington Free Press checked back in with Williston residents and others who had been involved in the contentious local dialogue about the project.  

1983- 500+ Dwelling Units Proposed at Old Stage and Mountain View Roads-  Public Meeting Held

Applicant Douglas Littlefield presented a concept plan to build over 500 dwelling units on both sides of Old Stage road South of Mountain View Road. At the meeting, citizens complained of the prospect of more cars, children, and dogs, and of the project creating a "shanty town." One woman in the audience shouted out that "we ought to take up a collection and buy the whole damn farm!" Click on the links above to see the concept plan and a Burlington Free press article about the meeting. No subsequent meeting appears to have been held and portions of the lands in the concept plan remain open to this day, while others have become part of the Old Stage Estates, Southridge, and Northridge subdivisions.  

1990- Comprehensive Plan

Williston's Comprehensive Plan for 1990.  

1993-1994- Forging an Agreement to Build Maple Tree Place

After lengthy negotiations, representatives from Maple Tree Place, the Town, and Citizens for Responsible Growth signed this agreement, allowing Maple Tree Place to move forward under a specific set of conditions limiting the amount of parking, requiring the project to have a residential component, and requiring the development, originally conceived as an enclosed mall surrounded by parking, to have a central green.  

1999- Creating a Community at Taft Corners, Vermont

This is the document produced following a visioning exercise in 1999 sponsored by the Vermont Section of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and hosted by the Williston Selectboard. Multiple teams created visions for the Taft Corners area, with a focus on the northwest corner. 

2006 - Comprehensive Plan 

Williston's Comprehensive Plan for 2006. 

2011 - Comprehensive Plan 

Williston's Comprehensive Plan for 2011. 

2011- A Target Store in Williston? 

In 2011 and 2012, the town considered a proposal for a "big box" Target store on the site that is now under construction as Cottonwood Crossing. The zoning at the time would not have allowed a stand-alone store of that size (over 100,000 square feet) and instead called for a mixed-use project with a small retail and office uses combined with apartments, townhomes, and carriage homes. Ultimately, target did not move forward with their proposal, and ended up locating a smaller store in existing space in the University Mall in South Burlington instead.