Table of Contents
Currently the main highways providing automobile transportation to and through Barton are U.S. Route #5 and Interstate #91. These roads are the primary links with Orleans Village, Newport and Canada to the north, Lyndonville and St. Johnsbury to the south. State Highway #16 runs east/west and provides access to the state capital of Montpelier. State Highway #58 connects Barton with Irasburg and Brownington (Municipal Development Plan, draft 1995). In Barton Village, both pedestrian and automobile traffic converge at the intersection of Routes #5 and #16. This intersection is defined by a triangular section of land. Containing nearly 1000 square feet, the grass covered common was once the central feature of the village. There are no stoplights in Barton Village.
Route #5 enters Barton from the south along the western shore of Crystal Lake and continues northward along the Barton River valley. Routes #5 and #16 are considered major collectors, meaning that they are designed to handle standard commercial travel and support normal traffic flow between counties and towns (Municipal Development Plan, draft 1995). Town Highway #2 and Roaring Brook Road are classified as minor collectors. These routes are designed to link local roads with the major collectors. These routes also tie the major collectors to the smaller, settled neighborhoods and rural hinterlands. Interstate #91 offers Barton both efficient means for transporting commercial goods in and out of town as well as access for automobile based tourism. Interstate #91 has also impacted the town by relieving the congestion of through traffic. The effects of this can be seen as both positive and negative: while alleviating the ill effects of traffic congestion, the interstate has also reduced the potential of new commerce.
Interstate #91 has altered Barton's transportation status from being a village along a major thoroughfare to a destination stop. There is now a high percentage of vehicles that are coming to and from Barton for residential, recreational, and commercial purposes. Ideally, the amount of available parking spaces should be able to accommodate the demand, but this can be achieved in a variety of ways other than individual paved parking lots. Other possibilities includes shared lots, street side parking, and alleviating the number of car trips that need to be made. There are parking lots in front of the supermarket, the village offices, the bank, the Barton Graded School and the Post Office that would make ideal shared lots. There is also public street parking throughout town. The large lot associated with Crystal Lake State Park is only available from dawn to dusk during the summer. There is a stated need for large tourist bus parking which could be accommodated by using school parking during the summer and church or state park parking during the fall.
The automobile has greatly impacted the built environment of nearly all towns, large and small. In Barton, like most villages built before the advent of the automobile, the construction of facilities to accommodate vehicles has left little in the way of space allocated to pedestrian traffic. The balance of walkways within and between residential districts, commercial areas and parking lots is important to the livelihood of a place. In Barton there are established sidewalks along the most heavily foot traveled corridors, for example along the west side of Route #5 and in front of the main row of commercial shops adjacent to the Village Green. However, along most roads there only a dirt shoulder between the white lines of the streets and private properties. There are few clearly established crosswalks. There is also a lack of clearly defined foot travel routes to and around Crystal Lake and Barton River, Barton's main recreational attractions.
In the woodlands immediately surrounding Barton there exists an extensive network of trails both public and private. These trails are used for a variety of recreational and commercial purposes. The woodland roads and paths are used for access to forest land for timber, pulpwood, sugaring and firewood, snowmobiling, hunting, cross-country skiing, and hiking. The majority of the trails are maintained and cleared by VAST, (the Vermont Association of Snowmobile Travelers), while forestry roads are typically maintained by private property owners.
There is one set of railroad tracks that run through the Village of Barton. These rails are used for freight trains alone, not for passenger trains. The railway runs a similar course to that of U.S. Route #5; coming into town from the south along the western shore of Crystal Lake and follows the Barton River to the north. The freight trains do not play as important a role today as they once did in Barton's economic history. For future development and conservation, the land on which the railroad runs is some of the most valuable in the town. Today, a majority of that land is still under the ownership of the railroad company.
The Barton Town Offices are located on the second floor of the Howard Bank Building. The Village of Barton has a centrally located municipal building that houses village offices on the first floor along with a kitchen and smaller meeting area. There is also a 400 seat auditorium with a stage and movie facilities. On the second floor of the municipal building there is an American Legion Hall with kitchen facilities. The ground floor provides storage space and parking spaces for village vehicles.
There is a two story fire house located on Route #5 between Crystal Lake at the upper part of the village and the central business district. The village sewage treatment plant is located at the end of Elm Street.
Included is a summary of the various land uses in the Town of Barton and their locations geographically as they relate to the village. While more study is warranted on the preservation and protection of certain aspects of these lands, this visual analysis only attempted to register the current use of the land and to take into account the relationship between the permitted zoning and the actual use.
The zoning bylaws in a town dictate the kinds of development allowed in a particular area. Definitions of the various zones are provided in Appendix A. The areas which comprise the various zones in Barton are described in the following section.
1. REMOTE LAND
The remote land district includes a majority of the town's wildlife habitat,
forestry resources, and well head protection zones, including head waters
of high quality streams and brooks. This comprises most of the southeastern
part of the town, including the steeply sloped land along U.S. Highway
#5, some areas along Crystal Lake's northeastern shore, the May Hill-Wheeler
Mountain area, Barton Mountain, and the Stillwater Swamp.
2. LOW DENSITY
The low density district is the largest category of land use in the Town
of Barton. It includes most of the central, western, and northern areas
with the exclusion of Orleans Village, the Barton River area, and Barton
Mountain.
3. MEDIUM DENSITY
Medium density districts are limited to parts of the village as this area
is the only area served by existing municipal sewer and water. (See Appendix
A for clarification) In general, land immediately surrounding the high
density and central business area of the village is included in this category.
4. HIGH DENSITY
High density areas are designated for the most intense level of development
in the town. The areas designated as high density are located adjacent
to the commercial areas and main roads near the center of Barton Village.
5.COMMERCIAL 1
Commercial 1 areas include the existing central business district along
Main Street, School Street, and Church Street near the Village Green and
along Route #5 near the Crystal Lake outlet in Barton Village.
6. COMMERCIAL 2
There is no land classified as commercial 2 in Barton Village; however
along the Barton River between Orleans and Barton Village, some land is
classified as commercial 2. In addition, land southwest of Barton Village
along Route #16 to the Glover Town line is designated as commercial 2.
7. INDUSTRIAL
An industrial area is located just outside of Barton Village, southeast
of the Interstate 91 interchange with State Highway #16. This district
was designated industrial due to its use for the servicing of State Highway
Department vehicles.
8. SHORE LAND
As these areas generally follow the shoreline, this zoning district tends
to form long but relatively narrow strip zones with the shoreline forming
one boundary of this zone. The shoreline areas of Crystal Lake, May Pond,
Baker Pond, and Wheeler Pond are included in this category. It is noted
that significant federally protected wetland areas may exist within this
district.
9. FLOOD HAZARD AREAS
The flood hazard area classification refers to lands designated flood hazard
areas on current floodplain maps. (Refer to the National Flood Insurance
Program maps)
10. WETLANDS
A number of wetland areas in the Town of Barton are on the National Wetlands
Inventory Mapping. The Army Corps of Engineers has control over discharge
of dredged or fill material into certain designated wetlands under their
jurisdiction. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources has control of Class
I and Class II wetlands including 100 and 50 foot buffer zones along their
defined perimeters. Class III wetlands are unprotected wetlands and have
not been determined to have sufficient value for protection under Classes
I or II. A class III wetland may be petitioned for reclassification under
specific procedures for upgrades. The town plan proposes no additional
protection to wetlands beyond that provided by the State and Federal Regulatory
Agencies.
Comments to: crs@uvm.edu Reviewed on 3/28/97