September brought a mix of public safety, housing, transportation, and community-building to the City Council. We also continued work on some of the less visible infrastructure that keeps Essex Junction running.
Here are a few things that stood out to me.
TL;DR
Fire Department: Council approved a new command vehicle for the Essex Junction Fire Department. I have some thoughts about this purchase that deserve a little more explanation.
Housing: We continued work on the Land Development Code changes that will help determine how Essex Junction grows, including buildings of up to 10 stories.
Park Street: We approved the ordinance changes needed to implement the previously approved bike lanes.
Meet Me on Main: A great opportunity to bring the community together for a fun outdoor event.
Traffic calming: I attended a Bike/Walk Committee meeting as part of the City’s ongoing effort to slow traffic on our residential streets.
EJFD: A Command Vehicle, and a Bigger Budget Question
At our September 23 meeting, Council approved spending $82,912 on a new command vehicle and its associated equipment for the Essex Junction Fire Department.
There were some competing priorities behind this decision.
The City’s Rolling Stock Capital Fund is already underfunded relative to the projected $1.1M cost of a replacement fire engine. One way to help shore up that fund would have been to pass on the $82k command vehicle purchase and put that money toward the future engine.
I asked the Assistant Fire Chief a pretty direct question: If the choice were between getting the command vehicle now or delaying the replacement fire engine by two or three years, which would he choose?
His answer was the command vehicle.
That helped inform my vote. I supported the purchase, but I don’t consider the larger funding problem solved. My intention is to push for a discussion during our upcoming budget sessions about delaying the fire engine replacement by a few years, allowing us to rebuild the Rolling Stock Fund and better prepare for that substantial expense.
These are the kinds of tradeoffs we face in municipal budgeting. Sometimes the question isn’t whether something is needed, but how we prioritize competing needs and pay for them.
Housing: The “How” of Building Heights
Previously, the Council approved in principle the idea of 9 or 10 story buildings for housing in the Pearl St corridor. I wrote up why I supported that here: https://shelden4vt.org/building-heights-20260131
The issue before us this month was the “how” of that future. The process involves updates to the Land Development Code (LDC), and the Planning Commission is focusing on what's called “form-based code.” That's a bit of urban planning jargon that describes what these buildings will look like and how they'll function. Their presentation includes some nice graphics showing things like setbacks from the street, attractive building entrances, and how to take advantage of the proximity to existing transit corridors.
None of this means we’re about to see 10-story buildings popping up on every corner. The proposed rules apply to specific areas, and the economics and size of individual parcels will affect what actually gets built. And I think the planning commission is doing good work to make sure that any new buildings will not crowd the street the way they have in other communities.
We didn’t take a final vote on these changes in September. A technical omission in the version of the amendments before us needs to be corrected before we can move forward with the public hearing. These decisions will help shape the Junction for decades, and I want residents to understand what’s being proposed and have a chance to weigh in.
Park Street: Moving Toward Implementation
Back in April, Council approved the Park Street restriping project to add bike lanes. In September, we approved the corresponding changes to the City’s motor vehicle ordinance.
This is one of those less glamorous steps that has to happen to turn a Council decision into something that can actually be implemented.
Meet Me on Main: Bringing the Community Together
We had another string of good weather for four Saturday community events that turned Main Street into a street fair called “Meet Me on Main.” Nice work by Mark Brislin and his team at Recreation & Parks.
I love seeing events like Meet Me on Main bring people together for a fun outdoor event. There was food and drinks for everyone, a live band, games for the kids, and even an outdoor movie night.
There’s something special about getting people out of their homes, into downtown, and spending time with their neighbors. I will work to continue to find ways to make events like this part of what makes Essex Junction a great place to live.
Traffic Calming: Progress on Grove Street
I also attended a Bike/Walk Committee meeting at City Hall in September. This was part of the next step in developing and implementing the City’s new traffic-calming policy.
It’s nice to see progress being made, even if slowly, on the goal of getting traffic to move more slowly on our residential streets.
I was particularly encouraged with the community engagement at the meeting. Although the focus of this meeting was on Grove Street, North Street and Central Street residents were among those participating. They provided a good reminder that all of our streets connect. Traffic issues on one street don’t necessarily stop at the next intersection, and solutions need to consider the broader neighborhood.
Thank you to all the residents who participated.
Conclusion
Thanks for taking the time to stay informed and engaged with what’s happening in Essex Junction. Hearing from residents is one of the most rewarding parts of serving on Council, and your feedback helps me do a better job representing our community.
If there’s something you’d like me to explain or an issue you think Council should be paying more attention to, please let me know.
As always, this post reflects my personal opinions and not necessarily the opinions of the City nor the City Council.
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Brian Shelden
City Councilor
bshelden@essexjunction.org
(802) 879-7665
