Woodstock Town began in the second half of the
18th century. In 1836, the Town petitioned the
Vermont Legislature to charter what was then called
the north village as an independent municipality and
Woodstock Village came into being. Since then there
have been several attempts to merge the Town and
Village together again, most recently in 1957 and
1981. In 1957 the Village voted down the merger
and in 1981 the Town voted the merger down.
Development (VCRD) to visit our community. The VCRD is a group which seeks to help
Vermont towns and villages identify local problems and possible solutions and chose
Woodstock as one of two communities to visit. The VCRD team met with local residents on
several occasions, where we took hundreds of items of interest and whittled them down to
twenty seven. Of that twenty seven, residents voted on the four of greatest interest with the
merger being one of those final four items
The following is an excerpt from the "Woodstock Community Visit Report and Action Plan", written
by the Vermont Council on Rural Development:
For many Vermonters and visitors to Vermont, Woodstock is and has long been an archetypal
postcard image of bucolic splendor and village charm. Woodstock's history and character give
it a unique place in the state. Woodstock has a brand identity and tremendous strengths to
draw visitors and attract residents. The Woodstock Community Visit provided a picture
window on the strengths of the town, especially of the tremendous human capacity and
engagement of its residents, but also looked at perplexing questions about the future identity,
prosperity, and diversity of the community. The Vermont Council on Rural Development
commends Woodstock residents for their courage in addressing these hard questions, and for
their passion for the community and its future.
Is Woodstock a retreat from the world or a forward-looking, creative cultural and economic
center? In an age challenged by escalating real estate values and global economic changes, how
does the community define it's future? Does Woodstock welcome diversity? Will it ensure
opportunities and accommodation to people with a variety of lifestyles, employments, and
economic means? How will the community attract, support, and retain youth and young
adults? What is the appropriate balance between development and conservation that preserves
heritage while successfully responding to economic opportunities? Where does the deep
history of Woodstock lead,and what is Woodstock's role as a regional center in the future?
questions. Many were surprised by these choices. We believe that they represent strong
strategic thinking by participating residents who looked at gaps, at foundation questions,and at
points for implementation in deciding the tasks immediately ahead. Instead of establishing
committees to consider economic development or housing per se, two clear areas of deep
concern and challenge, participants centered their decision on making this happen in the East
End. Instead of setting a task force to evaluate leadership challenges in the community in the
abstract, Woodstock established a Merger Task Force. Issues of conservation were matched
with pro-active plans to develop hiking and walking trails as a long-time priority that should
move toward implementation. And overarching all issues of housing, economic development,
tourism, youth, and the creative economy,resident chose to build a task force to work with the
full community to develop a consensus Woodstock identity statement, or vision, that will
serve as ground for the new Town Plan and, through a gap analysis, may go from planning to
implementation tocatalyze work in several of these other areas.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development, along with members of the Community Visit
Resource Team, was tremendously impressed by the opportunities before Woodstock and the
capacity and skill of Woodstock residents. We appreciate the deep regard the people of
Woodstock have for their community, and the thoughtful, sometimes passionate, engagement
of residents as they took a hard look at the future of their home.
