By Katy Savage
A second Act 250 hearing for the Base Camp at Bear Mountain housing development project lasted just 20 minutes and generated almost no questions on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
“We will make a decision as quickly as we possibly can,” Act 250 board member Devon Fuller said at the meeting.
The applicants, Ottauquechee Realty Advisors, propose building a 102-unit residential housing development at Bear Mountain offering ski on-ski off units with a mix of single family homes, multi-family homes and duplexes with garage parking, a gated entrance and mountain views. Prices for the new homes start at just over $2 million each.
The applicants submitted several documents prior to the hearing, including a traffic study from Corey Mack of Wall Consultant Group that found there would be as many as 35 vehicles per hour on a weekday and up to 69 vehicles per hour on Saturday.
A prehearing conference was held last April where Peter Frederiksen, who owns an adjoining piece of land, requested traffic enhancements to the Bear Mountain Road.
In response, the applicants installed a solar powered caution sign on the uphill traffic lane indicating near the hairpin turn, a warning sign at the entrance to the Bear Mountain Road requiring snow tires and or chains from Nov. 15 to April 15 and the Bear Mountain Road has been double yellow striped.
Ottauquechee Realty also agreed to contribute maintenance funds to Bear Mountain Road along with Killington Resort and Sunrise Village. Ottauquechee Realty will contribute $85,000 to the existing road maintenance fund within 90 days of its receipt of its first construction financing loan. Beginning in January 2024, Ottauquechee Realty will contribute $15,000 a year into the fund.
The hearing is currently in recess until the Act 250 board makes a decision. After that, there will be a 30-day waiting period for more public comment before the permit becomes effective.
“Once we are notified the 30 day period has started, no one’s going to object after that,” Ottauquechee Realty principal Richard Saunders said.
