2020 Fayston Town Plan Prepared by the Fayston Planning Commission Fayston, Vermont Carol Chamberlin Douglas Day Karl Klein Peter Ludlow Donald Simonini The Fayston Planning Commission sincerely thanks Waitsfield and Champlain Telecom for allowing us to quote from and re-use sections of their history publications related to the Town of Fayston. For more enjoyable reading about history in the Mad River Valley, go to WCVT.com/history. February 2020 Fayston Town Plan 2020 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5 1.2 Purpose of the Town Plan ....................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 2019 Fayston Town Survey ...................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities .............................................................................................. 6 1.5 Plan and Format. ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2: History and Historic Resources ........................................................................................................ 8 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 History of Fayston .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Charter and Settlement ........................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 19th Century Mills and Farms ................................................................................................................... 9 2.5 Early Government and Education ............................................................................................................ 9 2.6 Religion .................................................................................................................................................. 10 2.7 Decline of Agriculture and Population .................................................................................................. 11 2.8 The Ski Industry Arrives ......................................................................................................................... 11 2.9 Historic and Agricultural Resources ....................................................................................................... 13 2.10 Preserving Fayston’s History ............................................................................................................... 16 2.11 Town of Fayston .................................................................................................................................. 17 2.12 Incentives and Regulations for Historic Preservation ......................................................................... 17 2.13 Mad River Valley Hill Farm Research Project ...................................................................................... 17 2.14 History Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 3: Fayston’s Ecology ........................................................................................................................... 19 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Climate ................................................................................................................................................... 19 3.3 Natural Setting ....................................................................................................................................... 20 3.4 Geology .................................................................................................................................................. 21 3.5 Soils ........................................................................................................................................................ 23 3.6 Wildlife and Habitat ............................................................................................................................... 28 3.7 Natural Communities ............................................................................................................................. 31 3.8 Deer Wintering Habitat ......................................................................................................................... 32 3.9 Mast Stands ........................................................................................................................................... 32 3.10 Connecting Habitats ............................................................................................................................ 32 3.11 Riparian Habitats ................................................................................................................................. 34 3.12 Invasive Species ................................................................................................................................... 34 3.13 Hunting ................................................................................................................................................ 34 3.14 Fayston’s Waters ................................................................................................................................. 35 3.15 Stormwater Runoff .............................................................................................................................. 42 3.16 Flood Resilience Planning .................................................................................................................... 44 3.17 Ecology Goals and Objectives .............................................................................................................. 49 Chapter 4: Community Profile ......................................................................................................................... 55 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 55 4.2 Full-Time Population .............................................................................................................................. 55 4.3 Household Composition ........................................................................................................................ 56 4.4 Length of Residency and States Moved From ....................................................................................... 57 2 Fayston Town Plan 2020 4.5 Educational Attainment ......................................................................................................................... 58 4.6 Household Income ................................................................................................................................. 58 4.7 Part-Time Residents............................................................................................................................... 59 4.8 Resident Attitudes on Growth ............................................................................................................... 60 4.9 Community Profile Goals and Objectives .............................................................................................. 61 Chapter 5: Land Use ........................................................................................................................................ 63 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 63 5.2 Current Land Use ................................................................................................................................... 63 5.3 Conserved Lands .................................................................................................................................... 64 5.4 Scenic Quality ........................................................................................................................................ 66 5.5 Agricultural Lands .................................................................................................................................. 67 5.6 Silviculture ............................................................................................................................................. 68 5.7 Development Regulations ..................................................................................................................... 69 5.8 Planning Considerations ........................................................................................................................ 69 5.9 Future Land Use ..................................................................................................................................... 70 5.10 Zoning Districts