Williston
ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
DECEMBER 5, 2024
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Boots, Bob’s and a Firehouse
Christmas Tree Shops left Williston in 2023. The space will be portioned into two units with Boot Barn and Bob’s Discount Furniture set to move in next year. OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
National chains to break into Vermont at vacant Maple Tree Place spaces BY JASON STARR Observer staff Three national chains with thousands of stores in dozens of states will open their first Vermont locations at Williston’s Maple Tree Place in 2025.
The closure of the Christmas Tree Shops store in the summer of 2023 left a large vacancy for Maple Tree Place’s new owners — Acadia Realty Trust purchased the 64-acre property this past January — to try and fill. It’s taken nearly 12 months, but the spot will be full by the first half of next year, according to property manager Justin Kelley. The space will be divided in two, Kelley said, with Boot Barn taking a smaller footprint and Bob’s Discount Furniture opening a
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
location in the larger section of the building. Founded in Connecticut in 1991, Bob’s has 189 locations in 24 states. Boot Barn, a Westernthemed footwear and clothing outfitter founded in 1978 and headquartered in Kansas, has 420 locations in 46 states. “Both companies have been looking to emerge into this market,” said Kelley, adding that Acadia hosts both as tenants in other shopping centers it owns. “We’re happy to be able to get that space repurposed, and we’re very excited to be able to have them here. We feel like it’s going to be a big lift, not just for the other tenants, but for Williston as a whole.” Boot Barn is set to open by the end of winter, Kelley said. Bob’s Discount Furniture is aiming for late spring. Meanwhile, on the other side of Maple Tree Place, the owner of the shuttered I Heart Mac and Cheese restaurant plans to pivot to Firehouse Subs, a Florida-based chain with a firefighter theme and nearly 1,500 locations nationwide, but none yet in Vermont. The sub shop is planning to be open in January, Kelley said. Kelley declined to comment on the number of current vacancies in the plaza, but the ground floor around the central green has several “for lease” signs. A portion of the second floor office space is occupied by the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Liquor license granted to Majestic 10 cinema The Majestic 10 movie theater in Williston plans to start serving beer and wine for movie-goers with a liquor license approved Tuesday by the Williston Selectboard. Theater owner Merrill Jarvis phoned in to the board’s Tuesday meeting, saying the introduction of alcohol sales has become a trend in movie theaters nationwide. “The theater business has been really bad for the last four years,” said Jarvis, who earlier this year closed a movie theater in Burlington and before that another in South Burlington. Adding alcohol sales, he hopes, will
help the Maple Tree Place theater avoid the same fate. “We need money over there,” he told the board. “I’ll try whatever I can to generate more cash for the business so it doesn’t fail … I would hate to lose this one. I’m doing all I can to keep it going.” The board’s approval was for consumption only in the lobby, but Jarvis envisions patrons drinking in-theater while watching movies. Town Manager Erik Wells said he wants to check in with the police department before bringing the question of in-theater consumption back to the board. The board hopes to hold a
vote on in-theater consumption during a special meeting this Saturday. “It’s not a party,” Jarvis said. “It won’t be rowdy.” Alcohol sales would end around 9:30 p.m., he said. “It’s a trend all around the country, and I want to get in on that train,” said Jarvis. Selectboard chair Ted Kenney noted that the board approved a liquor license for the theater in the past, but that was for a separate restaurant in the space. The restaurant did not last long, Jarvis said.
Chicken & Waffles Sandwich AVAILABLE FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER
Crispy Chicken, Bacon, Apple, Maple Mayo & Belgian Waffle Bun
DINE-IN / TAKE OUT / ONLINE ORDERING
— Jason Starr
Town budget draft shows 5.9% increase BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Town administrators on Tuesday unveiled their first draft of a budget for the upcoming fiscal year — a $15.9 million plan that would increase spending by $890,000 (5.9 percent) over the current fiscal year and increase the municipal tax rate by an estimated $39 for every $100,000 of property value (10.9 percent).
“It’s the biggest piece of public policy the selectboard decides on each year.” Erik Wells Williston Town Manager
The selectboard plans a series of deliberative meetings in the coming weeks before finalizing a proposal in mid-January to put up for voter consideration at Town Meeting Day in March. Last March, Williston voters defeated the board’s initial proposal before approving a reduced annual budget in May. The proposed budget would add one new position to town government — a director of human resources — but would otherwise carry forward only the town’s current level of service through June 2026, according to Town Manager Erik Wells. The HR position was part of the budget voters rejected last March, and was cut from the budget approved in May. The bulk of the $890,000 spending increase results from increases in staff salaries and benefits, Wells said, including a $125,000 increase in the cost of employee health insurance. In total, staff salaries and benefits are expected to increase by see BUDGET page 3
Shelburne Road, S. Burlington Maple Tree Place, Williston
GetBlissBee.com @getblissbee