Why the River Park site in West Lebanon is unique.
Since I was a student at Dartmouth in the late 60’s, I have been driving past the former Bailey Bros. site. As a parent of two hockey players, I have shopped at Stateline Sports on a regular basis, each time driving past the former auto parts business on Route 10 without realizing that behind the old commercial building was over 38 acres and frontage on the Connecticut River! It is amazing how many residents of West Lebanon are equally unfamiliar with the property.
It wasn’t until the site was put up for sale in 2007 that I gained a full appreciation of the land and the potential for an intelligent, mixed-use complement to the village of West Lebanon.
The topography of the site is what really makes the site unique—it can accommodate higher density buildings without impacting the adjacent neighbors, existing trees, or steep slopes. In layman’s terms, instead of chopping up the land into 10,000 SF single family house lots sprawled across the 38 acres, Lyme Properties can cluster fewer buildings on a smaller footprint, leaving more than 50% of the site as open space. I have also agreed to protect the river frontage from building sites and to allow public access, something my neighbors identified as their number one priority.
My goal is to make River Park the best example of smart growth and sustainable practices in the Upper Valley. Come see for yourself. Lyme will open the site on Saturday afternoons (12 Noon-4:00 PM) starting February 13 until March 6 to allow residents to view the scale model of the River Park Master Plan and the surrounding neighborhood.
Bring your hiking boots, snowshoes or cross country skis and tour the entire site. I am willing to bet that you will immediately understand the potential for River Park to help in the current revitalization of West Lebanon.
If you have any questions about the project, post them as a “Comment” on this blog, or email me at info@riverparkwestlebanon.com.
It wasn’t until the site was put up for sale in 2007 that I gained a full appreciation of the land and the potential for an intelligent, mixed-use complement to the village of West Lebanon.
The topography of the site is what really makes the site unique—it can accommodate higher density buildings without impacting the adjacent neighbors, existing trees, or steep slopes. In layman’s terms, instead of chopping up the land into 10,000 SF single family house lots sprawled across the 38 acres, Lyme Properties can cluster fewer buildings on a smaller footprint, leaving more than 50% of the site as open space. I have also agreed to protect the river frontage from building sites and to allow public access, something my neighbors identified as their number one priority.
My goal is to make River Park the best example of smart growth and sustainable practices in the Upper Valley. Come see for yourself. Lyme will open the site on Saturday afternoons (12 Noon-4:00 PM) starting February 13 until March 6 to allow residents to view the scale model of the River Park Master Plan and the surrounding neighborhood.
Bring your hiking boots, snowshoes or cross country skis and tour the entire site. I am willing to bet that you will immediately understand the potential for River Park to help in the current revitalization of West Lebanon.
If you have any questions about the project, post them as a “Comment” on this blog, or email me at info@riverparkwestlebanon.com.
