Earlier this year, Waitsfield appointed a task force to determine the highest and best use of the 12.5-acre Munn site. The town purchased the property in 2000 after it was determined that it has great wastewater capacity due to great gravel.
The task force evaluated possible uses including gravel, agricultural and recreational, as well as housing and wastewater. Ultimately the task force concluded that it was premature to try to determine the highest and best use of the parcel until after the Waitsfield Planning Commission completes an update of the Town Plan.
And that makes sense. As the task force pointed out, the carrying costs of the parcel are minimal for the town particularly compared to its potential value for wastewater, affordable housing, recreation and river access.
Those uses are not mutually exclusive of each other and, in fact, the recreational uses it could provide for hiking, biking and river access are particularly noteworthy.
The report from the Munn field task force notes that the parcel could be “a keystone for expanding the Mad River Path in both directions and onto other properties.”
Keystone indeed. This could/should be a light bulb moment for all of us. Since its inception well over two decades ago, the goal of the Mad River Path has been to create a path network that connects our towns.
Allowing the path to create a new section on the Munn site would be a significant game changer in terms of connecting pieces of the path and helping encourage other landowners to allow path access.
Recreation in The Valley is frequently and correctly linked to economic vitality. Flat paths for people to hike and walk and bike and run are just as important as our popular mountain biking trails.
Kudos to the members of the task force for recognizing the value of this particular piece of property and golf claps to them for pointing out the potential that using this piece of land to expand the Mad River Path could have for residents and visitors alike.
