In 2000, TCE assisted Taft Corners Associates (TCA) and Four Seasons Garden Center with survey, design and permitting of a new retail/commercial garden center with a 17,050 square foot main building, 8,640 square foot greenhouse, and 3.44 acres of plant stock and display areas. The aesthetically pleasing project was to be built on two lots within the Taft Corners Commercial Park, in Williston, Vermont. TCE has been the lead site/civil consultant for TCA within this large commercial retail and business park near Exit 12.

At the time of this proposal the State of Vermont was underway with pivotal changes in treatment of stormwater runoff and the stormwater regulations were turned upside down based on opposition by environmental groups to the State’s stormwater rules. This made obtaining permits very difficult. Through a collaborative effort with the client and the State, innovative stormwater management ideas such as recycling the irrigation water, construction of a vegetative marsh (bio retention) and a series of wet ponds aided in obtaining a stormwater permit during a time when permits were issued with great scrutiny by the State of Vermont.

Ultimately Four Seasons sold the operation to Gardeners Supply and continues to be a successful local business. The project is a good example of TCE’s forward thinking and determination to resolve regulatory roadblocks and obtain the necessary approvals during difficult times.