A tale of many proposed malls: Looking back at contested development in Taft Corners

Williston's Taft Corners that Vermonters know today was just a rural crossroads only 85 years ago.

Less than a century later, the area has transformed into a shopping hub known for its big box stores and has drawn recent attention as Williston envisions a different, more urban future for it. But if you ask long-time Williston residents about the area, the recent discussions and debates about Taft Corners are not new.

The town has fought over what should be built in the area since the Interstate 89 exit was built in 1962.

More:No more box stores: Proposed zoning code would drastically change Williston's Taft Corners

Here are the most significant of these battles, dug up from the Free Press archives and Williston's town website:

1975: A mall concept

Arlen Shopping Centers Co., a Tennessee-based developer, submitted drawings of a nearly 632,000-square-foot mall to the town of Williston in 1975. The mall was drawn to be just off the I-89 exit on Vermont 2A, across from Sunoco Gas Station. According to the town website, there is no record of the Planning Commission ever reviewing a proposal of the mall which means the idea never moved past the concept drawing.

1978: Pyramid Mall approved, then blocked by Act 250

A New York developer Pyramid Co. proposed a 80-store mall in 1978 that would have been the largest retail development ever proposed in Vermont. After debates that "divided the town right in two," according to one Williston resident in a 1982 article, the Planning Commission approved the plan. But the District 4 Environmental Commission blocked the plan shortly after, saying the project would overburden the region's roads and would take business away from local shops in surrounding communities. The project then went to court but ultimately was tabled until Maple Tree Place was proposed in the 80s.

1987-1997: Maple Tree Place negotiated and approved

This time, a Vermont developer proposed the mall that eventually was approved 10 years later. Stowe-based developer Ben Frank was the head developer but Pyramid Co. partnered with him, taking on a smaller role than their last attempt at building a mall. It took 10 years of negotiations among the town, a group called Citizens for Responsible Growth and Burlington officials for the project to be approved. The biggest points of contention were around design, amount of parking and the inclusion of housing. The result was a development that looked less like the box stores and strip malls around it and more like a village center. But some were still strongly against it. Former Free Press columnist Sam Hemingway said the project was "one more slip down the slope toward a Vermont recast as Anytown, U.S.A."

More:This new retail development off Maple Tree Place is coming alive. Here's what to expect.

1994: Walmart approved

While the Williston Walmart was not built until roads could be built to make it possible, the Environmental Board granted Walmart their Act 250 permit in 1994 to build near Taft Corners. The debate over whether a Walmart should be built in Williston again divided the town according to Free Press reporting, and influenced following select board elections and debates on who should sit on the Conservation Committee and Planning Commission.

More:Four new businesses are coming to Finney Crossing. Here's what to look forward to.

"It has been the underling of everything that has happened the past few years. People are paranoid about even mentioning the thing anymore,'' said then town manager Bert Moffatt in 1994. "This has been a capital letter project."

2011: Target considered, not approved

Target proposed its first store in Vermont for the land that is now Cottonwood Crossing, but the plan did not move forward. The land was not zoned to allow for a large box store and instead called for the mixed-use that is being built there today.

Target opened its first Vermont store at the University Mall in South Burlington in 2018.

Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang