Northwest Citizens for Responsible Growth (NWCRG) advocate planned growth of the Franklin and Grand Isle region. NWCRG respects the enviroment, the standard of living, and the quality of life of all persons in these counties and opposes development that does not meet these goals.

FAMILY BUSINESSES
MATTER AS MUCH AS
FAMILY FARMS

The Citizens are persons from Franklin and Grand Isle Counties of Northwestern Vermont who are working to educate, organize and mobilize Vermonters about the dangers of out-of-scale, un-thought out, too rapid, big box development. New Big-Box stores are being discussed for the communities of St. Albans, Rutland, Bennington, St. Johnsbury, Middlebury, Morrisville, Derby. At every location, real estate owners and developers are planning to develop what is between Exit 12 and Taft’s Corners.

HOW WILL WE GROW?

Responsible Growth is growth that preserves the characters of the cities, towns and hamlets of Vermont. It is growth that makes all of our Vermont communities more prosperous. It makes best use of the exisiting roads, water supplies, sewage handling, educational and other public investments. It conserves prime farmland. It reduces pollution of the air, water and soil around it without an increases of noise, unnatural light and pollutants. It respects the living conditions of persons living near the growth. It is proportaional to the growth of the resident population and its spendable wealth.

Responsible Growth is Prosperous Growth

You can help the Citizens to cause big boxes to fit into our environment and economic future with down-sized, downtown locations, justice and livable wages for workers and protection for Vermont’s environment. Become a Citizen. Contribute to our work.

SHOP LOCAL, BUY LOCAL

Make your voice heard.
Find out why Big-Boxes are a threat to Vermont’s values and what you can do to help control the Big-Box invasion. If retail comes to Vermont, let’s make sure it fits in.

Make Big Boxes Get Small & Go Downtown
VNRC is advocating that big box stores downsize and go downtown, drastically reducing the dangers of sprawl to our land and water, and supporting instead of destroying our historic and vibrant downtown communities.

What would a downtown Wal-Mart look like?
A proposal developed by Preservation Trust of Vermont would place a downsized Wal-Mart in St. Albans. Their computer renditions show a Main Street pedestrian entrance to a (side graphic) 80,000 square foot store on Lake Street.

Set Building Caps In Your Town
St. Albans passed a zoning change that would limit buildings to 50,000 square feet. Immediately after Wal-Mart applied for a permit, they removed it. Proactively insure that your town is safe from 200,000 square foot big boxes. Damariscotta, ME, has adopted a 35,000 square foor cap.