Diversity is reflected in the demographics of the Town boards and staff.
Chapter 1
Williston's People
Introduction
Planning, at its core, is about people. The purpose of writing a Town Plan is to help create the conditions that help all of Williston's people reach their full personal and professional potential. Over the course of thousands of years and well into the most recent decades, people have made this place their home because it is a place that supports, sustains, educates, connects, and inspires them.
In 2022, Williston adopted a Town Values Policy1 which describes the Town's commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Anti-Racism. The Town is fully committed to this policy, a commitment which is expressed comprehensively throughout the 2025 Town Plan.
The Town is also committed to the principles and practices of the American Planning Association Planning for Equity Policy Guide2, which staff have utilized throughout the development and implementation of the Williston 2025 Town Plan. The guide provides specific policy guidance from an equity-based perspective, creating a framework for an 'equity in all policies' approach.
The Town Values Policy recognizes that a diverse population contributes to a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant community. The policy embraces diversity in all aspects of community life and civic engagement. It acknowledges that some community members may need more in some ways than others and commits the town to meet each community member on their own terms. It commits the town to identify and eliminate barriers that limit community engagement by creating equal opportunity and access for all.3
The objectives and strategies called for in this chapter and throughout this Plan are rooted in a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. To that end, objectives and strategies in this chapter call for taking specific actions to implement the Town Values Policy.
Now, let's turn our attention to how we got here.
Town of Williston, Vermont. Town Values Policy. Adopted by the Williston Selectboard on November 1, 2022. Accessed 5/16/2024 at https://willistonvt.govoffice3.com/vertical/Sites/%7BF506B13C-605B-4878-8062-87E5927E49F0%7D/uploads/Town_Values_Policy_-_Adopted_11.01.2022.pdf
American Planning Association. Planning for Equity Policy Guide. Ratified by APA Board of Directors, May 14, 2019. Accessed 5/16/24 at https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/publication/download_pdf/Planning-for-Equity-Policy-Guide-rev.pdf.
Town of Williston, Vermont. Town Values Policy. Adopted by the Williston Selectboard on November 1, 2022. Accessed 5/16/2024 at https://willistonvt.govoffice3.com/vertical/Sites/%7BF506B13C-605B-4878-8062-87E5927E49F0%7D/uploads/Town_Values_Policy_-_Adopted_11.01.2022.pdf.
Goals: In 2050, Williston is...
»»
Livable
...because we create a strong, inalienable sense of belonging for everyone— we welcome all. We are sociable and kind. We recognize that a diversity of people contributes to a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant community. We create opportunities for all to participate and engage.
»»
Resilient
...because different cultures approach problem-solving in diverse ways, and that diversity has an enriching effect on the town's innovation and resilience. We will therefore take steps to not only make our committees and boards more diverse, but we will create protocols that encourage innovative approaches to problem-solving, scenario planning, and conflict resolution.
»»
Equitable
...because we are strong, resilient, diverse, tolerant, and balanced community. We are growing, expanding and becoming richer as a community because of this approach, offering abundant and diverse services for all. This Town Plan calls for implementing strategies and actions that further its commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity and anti-racism. One of the most powerful and impactful ways to do this is by taking steps to achieve a diverse representation among leadership positions including Town Boards, Committees, and staff.
Three Things to Know
1
WILLISTON IS GROWING AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW
Williston has grown from the rural community of 1,484 it once was in 1960 to a town of 10,103 and an economic employment hub of greater Chittenden County.
2
WILLISTON'S PEOPLE ARE GETTING OLDER AND LIVING IN SMALLER HOUSEHOLDS.
The demographic makeup of Williston has shifted and people aged 55 and older now make up 40% of the population. This demographic shift is reflected in smaller households.
3
WILLISTON IS BECOMING MORE DIVERSE, IN MULTIPLE WAYS
While still predominantly white, Williston is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Diversity encompasses other characteristics such as economics and physical/mental/social capacities.
Three Things Public Engagement Told Us
1
WILLISTON'S PEOPLE VALUE ONE ANOTHER AND THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN THE TOWN
When people were asked what they valued most about "Williston's Homes and People," the greatest percentage of our survey respondents noted "community," the sense of community, its close-knit nature, the quality of community engagement in the town, and its friendliness to families and lack of "gated" communities.
2
WILLISTON'S PEOPLE VALUE THE UNIQUE QUALITIES OF THE TOWN
Williston is centrally located, and offers a range of stores and restaurants, with convenient access to Burlington and to a range of retail businesses. They also place value on Williston's effort to balance recreational access to its rural and natural qualities against the reality of needed commercial and residential development.
3
WILLISTON'S PEOPLE WANT ADDITIONAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR A DIVERSIFYING POPULATION
To meet the demands of a shifting, diversifying population that includes all people, Williston needs more homes and more types of homes. Over half of the participants in the Town's 2023 "Williston 2050" public engagement process identified Affordable Housing as their first priority in the "Homes and People" category.
Williston is Growing and Will Continue to Grow
Figure 1: Williston Village Circa 1907-1915 with Federated Church and Williston Road in foreground. Credit: UVM Landscape Change Program (https://landscape.uvm.edu)
Since the 1960s, Williston has experienced prolonged periods of population and employment growth. It is no longer the sleepy rural community depicted at left. The town is now a vibrant and important element. Williston's population more than doubled in the 1960s, grew steadily in the 1970s and 1980's, and grew more rapidly in the 1990's. Since 2000, Williston has resumed a rate of population growth that is significantly slower than any of the four preceding decades.4 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Williston's population in 2020 was 10,103. 5 At a growth rate of 16% per decade, Williston's population could approach 15,000 by the year 2050. At a growth rate of 16% per decade, Williston's population could approach 15,000 by the year 2050.
United States Census Bureau. Williston town, Chittenden County, Vermont: 2020 Census. Distributed by the United States Census Bureau, 2020. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile/Williston_town,_Chittenden_County,_Vermont?g=0600000US5000784475
Population and Population Growth of Williston Since 1960 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | |
Williston | 1,484 | 3,187 | 3,873 | 4,887 | 7,650 | 8,698 | 10,103 |
10-year rate of change | - | 115% | 22% | 26% | 57% | 13.70% | 16.15% |
Chittenden County | 74,425 | 99,121 | 115,534 | 131,761 | 146,571 | 156,545 | 168,323 |
10-year rate of change | - | 33% | 17% | 14% | 11% | 6.80% | 7.52% |
Vermont | 389,811 | 444,732 | 511,456 | 562,758 | 608,827 | 625,741 | 643,077 |
10-year rate of change | - | 14% | 15% | 10% | 8% | 2.80% | 2.77% |
Growth is a form of change, and as is the case with any force that affects a community, it must be managed. In Williston, management of growth is the job of Williston's Planning Commission, in collaboration with the Development Review Board and Selectboard Williston has managed growth by developing and implementing zoning that requires it to be "Smart Growth."6
What Is Smart Growth? Smart Growth America, 2025. Washington, D.C. Accessed on 3/25/2025 at https://smartgrowthamerica.org/what-is-smart-growth/.
Growth is also a powerful indicator of a town's desirability, economic viability, and vibrancy. Growth implies that people want to live in a place, and by doing so, they help to stitch together a fabric of economic resiliency and community diversity that makes the town more vibrant, resilient, and livable. Consider the alternative that so many towns in Vermont and across the country have had to confront -- negative growth and its dire economic and social implications.
Williston's People are Getting Older and Living in Smaller Households
The proportion of people in Williston over the age of 55 has doubled since 2000, from 20% of Williston's population to over 40% of Williston's population (see figure below). While this demographic trend reflects national and statewide patterns, it also shows Williston's evolution, as the buyers of the wave of single-family homes developed predominantly in the 1980's and 1990's have aged out of their child-rearing years and become empty nesters. The size of the average household in Williston is expected to decrease from 2.36 people per household (2022) to 2.12 by 2050.7
New Homes and People: 5-Year Outlook – Predicted Residential and Commercial Growth FY26-30. Memorandum from Williston Planning Staff to Williston Selectboard. November 19, 2024. Accessed 2/28/2025 at Agenda Packet - November 19, 2024 - Selectboard Meetings 2024 - Town of Williston, Vermont
The implications of this projected decline are significant for those looking to build in town and those looking to buy. In the 1950s, the American Dream emphasized home ownership. And in keeping with the family culture of the time, that home was typically a single-family dwelling, and it stayed that way through the 1990s and into the Aughts. Hence the presence of developments in Williston like Brennan Woods and South Ridge, which are exclusively single-family home neighborhoods, built during the years when, largely, people were looking to buy a house for their families. Now a days, smaller households are driving a demand for smaller homes, and more homes will be required to house the same number of people. This exacerbates the housing shortage is one factor that drives up the cost of housing.
Even with the anticipated slowdown of the birth rate, in-migration will contribute to population growth. The Williston 2024 Growth Report predicts that the town will have a population of about 11,784 by the end of FY2030, which is an annual growth rate of about 1.7%.8
Ibid.
Williston is Becoming More Diverse, in Multiple Ways
Diversity, a measure of heterogeneity, comes in many forms: economic, professional, political, personal interests, abilities, ethnicity, gender, race, and family history. A diverse town is an interesting town, a town that's filled with the qualities that make it livable, resilient, equitable, and ultimately, not boring! In biology, a genetically diverse species is said to have hybrid vigor: the more genetically diverse an organism is, the more survivable and dynamic it is—and the same can be said for towns.
Historically, Williston's population has been homogeneous with respect to race.
Race/Ethnicity | Population | % of Population |
One Race | 9,594 | 94.96% |
White | 8,989 | 88.97% |
Black/African American | 149 | 1.47% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 16 | 0.16% |
Asian | 356 | 3.52% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.03% |
Other | 81 | 0.80% |
Population of Two or More Races | 509 | 5.04% |
Hispanic or Latino | 223 | 2.21% |
Not Hispanic or Latino | 9,880 | 97.79% |
Total Population | 10,103 |
Clearly, the bulk of the town's population is white— 88.9 percent overall. However, as illustrated in the graphic to the right, there is exciting news on the horizon: racial and ethnic diversity have increased by several percentage points over the last two decades, with people who identify as two or more races at 5.04 percent and Asian at 3.52 percent of the population. In 2000, Caucasians represented 97.45 percent of the population.9 Williston's racial and ethnic population trends mirror county and statewide trends, with Chittenden County being slightly more racially diverse (85.69% white) and Vermont slightly less racially diverse (89.84% white) than Williston as of 2020. In Williston, there are about 4,348 households, 6.4 percent of which speak a language other than English at home: 56 of them speak Spanish, 114 speak Indo-European languages, and 101 speak Asian and Pacific Island languages.10
Diversity, which often means ethnic, racial, or gender-based population statistics, is measured in other ways, as well. For example, economic diversity is an important measure. Williston's median income is $105,490, whereas Vermont median income is $81,211 11 That said, 3.9 percent of Williston's households with children receive some form of Social Security Insurance or other public assistance, 12 and 4.6 percent of the town's population live below the poverty level.13 In a town of roughly 10,000 people, that's 400 members of the community—a number worth paying attention to.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2020). HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE. Decennial Census, DEC Demographic and Housing Characteristics, Table P9. Accessed 5/16/2024 at https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDHC2020.P9?q=Race and Ethnicity&g=060XX00US5000784475.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Limited English-Speaking Households. American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1602. Retrieved 3/25/2025 from https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1602?q=S1602.
U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, "Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months," 2023. American Community Survey, ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1701, 2023, accessed on March 25, 2025, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2023.S1701?q=poverty+level&g=060XX00US5000784475&y=2023.
Additionally, diversity is represented by people in the community that are differently abled. Approximately 13.1 percent of Williston's community members have some form of physical or mental disability. 3.2 percent are hearing impaired, 2.6 percent are visually impaired, 3.9 percent have cognitive challenges, 7 percent have ambulatory challenges, 2.3 percent have self-care challenges, and 6.1 percent of Williston's community members are not able to live independently for a variety of reasons.14 On top of those challenges, many of these are young adults who live with aging parents who are dealing with the challenge of finding permanent, stable accommodations for their adult children.
Diversity has many measures and is a powerful indicator of the degree to which a community is livable, resilient, and equitable. These concepts are measured by the way a community accepts its diversity as a strength rather than a liability, and the manner in which it helps those whose challenges make it more difficult for them to engage in daily life.
Disability Characteristics. Williston, VT. U.S. Census Bureau. 2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Accessed 3/25/2025 at https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1810?q=S1810.
Objectives, Strategies and Actions
Objectives
1.A
1.B
All have equal opportunity and access to engage and participate in community activities, regardless of race, gender, financial circumstances, age, ability or any other identity defining characteristics.
1.C
The town integrates equity in all planning and policy implementation.
1.D
Williston's people are informed, engaged, and actively participating in building community.
Strategies
1.1
Identify and eliminate barriers to participation on Town Boards, Committees, and other volunteer opportunities
1.1.1
Evaluate and identify existing barriers to participation and determine how to best address those barriers in consultation with the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission.
1.1.2
Maintain accessible meeting spaces and hybrid meeting options.
1.1.3
Evaluate the need for and feasibility of providing accessibility to public meetings via provision of translation services, stipends for participants, and transportation.
1.1.4
Maintain standardized practices for all Boards and Committees for electing chairs, rotating responsibilities, and lengths of terms.
1.1.5
Evaluate the time and location of public meetings annually in consultation with Board and Committee members to confirm that the time and place of meetings continue to be accessible for regular attendance.
1.1.6
Evaluate strategies to broaden the publicity of community events and volunteer opportunities sponsored by the Town, with a specific emphasis on reaching people who are underrepresented in participation on Town boards and committees and in town activities.
1.1.7
Develop a volunteer policy and program system to implement the goals of this town plan, such as "Weed Warriors" invasive plant management, tree nursery, park spaces, and youth volunteering opportunities.
1.2
Seek broad representation on Town Boards and Committees by engaging and encouraging participation from individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
1.2.1
Develop ways to publicize volunteer Board and Committee positions to networks that are connected to historically marginalized groups.
1.2.2
Prioritize diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives when making appointments to Town Boards and Committees.
1.2.3
Develop a robust onboarding and maintenance training program for town staff, volunteer boards and Committees that includes diversity, equity and inclusion.
1.3
Ensure inclusive hiring practices that promote broad representation across backgrounds and experiences.
1.3.1
Evaluate ways to publicize staff positions to networks that are connected to historically marginalized groups.
1.3.2
Evaluate ways to create and operate regular anti-bias workshops or training for Town staff to help foster a more welcoming and inclusive environment.
1.3.3
Evaluate how to attract a diverse pool of qualified candidates when hiring for Town staff positions.