STANLEY WASSON
“When it came time to rebuild, protecting the complex against future floods was a top priority. This meant designing for resilience, a set of practices that helps buildings and landscapes bounce back quickly when disaster strikes.”
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Stanley Wasson is not vacant land.
Stanley Wasson is part of a vibrant neighborhood.
Stanley Wasson is a historical site. The ghosts of its buildings still linger—a quiet echo of the Vermont State Hospital era and the people who lived and worked here. For many, this land holds difficult memories of how patients were once treated and forgotten.
Stanley Wasson's past should be preserved, not built over. This land already carries a quiet purpose: it protects our town from floods and holds the weight of its past. We have an opportunity to let it do both—with reverence and respect.
LAND USE FAQ
The Stanley-Wasson property is not vacant land. It was restored to open green space under Act 250 permits 5W0431-12 and 5W1012-3, and now serves as active flood storage that helped protect nearby homes during the July 2023 floods. Any attempt to build high-density housing here would increase flood risk to existing residents, contradict Vermont floodplain guidance, and violate both Town policy and the site’s last approved Act 250 intent. This isn’t a question of construction style — elevated or “flood-resistant” buildings don’t stop flooding; they simply push floodwaters into neighboring streets and homes. Public safety must be the first obligation of any development decision, and no project should knowingly increase risk to existing homes and families. Safety begins with location—not engineering promises.
We support the Randall Meadow project and what it represents for Waterbury’s flood resilience. But it’s still in a concept phase, with final modeling and results still underdetermined. It should not be used as a talking point to justify the development of homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area.
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There are existing Act 250 permits for the Stanley-Wasson lot. Any subdivision or new development on this property requires a new Act 250 permit, and recent designations, legislative acts, or executive orders do not override existing Act 250 approvals.
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Justification for Demolition (State of Vermont, 2021)
“The State of Vermont Buildings and General Services proposes the demolition and removal of Wasson Hall. At this time no new structure is proposed; the site will be landscaped as part of the flood mitigation plan for the campus.” This language makes clear that redevelopment was not part of the approved demolition plan. -
The Commissioner may transfer the Randall Meadow property only once: (1) the parcel has been subdivided to reflect stormwater management needs of the Waterbury State Office Complex to the satisfaction of the Commissioner; (2) any permits required for transfer have been obtained; and (3) the Commissioner and the Town of Waterbury have created a plan to align the transfer with the current lease for the parcel.
The studies and design for Randall Meadow to support implementation are NOT complete yet (as of 10/25) and the Town is actively seeking grants to fund the research needed to complete the project.
Photo: July 10th by Vermont Air National Guard.
For reference, the flood waters continued to rise well into the early morning of July 11th. The flow of the water can be seen via video on our home page.
“When you look at the aerial imagery, you’ll see both the road and the parking lots were inundated with water — but the buildings were fine,” said Jennifer Fitch, the state’s commissioner of buildings and general services, in a Vermont Digger article a day after the flood.
And by Tuesday evening the parking lots and roads on the Waterbury campus were mostly dry, thanks to innovative site and landscape improvements that allowed floodwaters to quickly drain back into the Winooski River.
The village of Waterbury likely benefited from improvements at the State Complex, too. Slightly more rain fell on Waterbury on July 9th and 10th (5.04 inches) compared to Montpelier, which recorded 4.72 inches of rain. The impact of that precipitation in Montpelier was devastating because the water had nowhere else to go but over city streets. In Waterbury, improvements made post-Irene allowed the river to spread out and slow down, resulting in lower water levels and much less flood damage overall.
— Freeman French Freeman - citing Vermont Digger, August 9, 2023