On December 16, 2025, the Waitsfield Planning Commission adopted the Irasville Village Master Plan. This two-year project was spearheaded by our chosen consultant, SE Group, in collaboration with the Planning Commission and a master plan steering committee. The steering committee consisted of AnnMarie Harmon (Chair), Mac Rood (Vice-Chair), Jonathan Ursprung, Sean Lawson, Joshua Schwartz (Mad River Valley Planning District), Kaziah Haviland, Brian Shupe, and Ira Shadis and Luke Foley (Freinds of the Mad River). The Town would like to thank these volunteers for their time and effort over the last two years.
The vision for Irasville did not emerge overnight - it is the product of many plans, community meetings, leaders, and lessons learned.
The early part of the planning process included a site visit, a thorough analysis of existing development, infrastructure, and natural resources, and a review of past plans, studies, and current land use regulations. The planning process included two key community open house events. An initial open house in November 2024 saw community members weigh in on overall project direction and goals. A subsequent open house in March 2025 provided an opportunity for members of the public to share input on initial vision, conceptual design ideas, and master plan recommendations. Individual interviews with key community organizations and stakeholders provided additional perspective on needs and opportunities to be addressed by the plan. The process was overseen by the Village Master Plan Steering Committee, which met over a dozen times during the process to shape the development of the Master Plan. Additionally, the project team coordinated extensively with Wetlands Program staff at the VT Department of Environmental Conservation at
key milestones in the planning process.
The project team used the key takeaways from research, analysis, and community engagement to prepare and revise draft conceptual designs and planning recommendations, forming the Irasville Village Master Plan.