Densmore Mountain Parcel

Farm Description

The Parcels are situated in the town of Middlesex in the north-central part of Vermont. A defining landmark of the town is the Worcester Range, running north-south, whose southern peaks tower over each parcel, creating the fine views from each property. The largest of these peaks is Hunger Mountain which is a popular day hike whose trailhead is nearby. This part of the Worcester Range divides Middlesex from the Waterbury/Stowe area, which is located just over the range to the west.

Middlesex is primarily a bedroom community for Montpelier, Barre, Waterbury and larger employers in the Burlington region. The hilly town is defined by the north-south Route 12 corridor that runs along its eastern border and the east-west Route 2 corridor along its southern border. Much of the town is forested, with homes dotting the back roads and a few farms along the Winooski River and scattered in the hills. The business center of town lies on Route 2, 5 miles from the properties, where there is a popular local bakery, a few small shops and the Exit 9 interchange on Interstate 89. Three miles from the property is the local elementary school with a playground, sports fields, tennis courts and a gazebo where outdoor concerts are enjoyed during the summer. This area is the heart of the community.

Montpelier, Vermont's capital, is 7 miles to the southeast. Burlington, Vermont's largest city, is a 40-minute drive to the northwest, while Boston and Montreal are within a 3-hour drive to the southeast and northwest respectively. New York City is a 5-hour drive to the south. Interstate 89, 3.5 miles to the south of the parcels, allows for easy commutes to regional destinations, as well as northeastern metropolitan areas.

The parcel has ±2,100' of road frontage along town-maintained South Bear Swamp Road, where electric power is roadside. Most of the frontage is gently sloping, with two existing driveway cuts into the parcel's meadow.

A ±20-Acre, gently-sloping meadow sits at the land's southern end along the town road frontage. The meadow slopes downhill away from the road, ending at a stream that originates just to the north. Along this small stream and adjacent to the meadow is an open-water beaver pond created by an active beaver population.

Various potential home sites within the meadow would provide fine views of the nearby valley and ridgetops, including Chases Mountain and Densmore Mountain; the upper ridge of Densmore Mountain is entirely on the land. The meadow offers a westerly exposure and full southerly sun year round. While no soil test pits for septic have been dug, soils in the meadow are largely high and dry.

The land covers a range of ecological ecosystems due to a 1,000' gap in elevation. The lowest point on the property, at 1,320' ASL (above sea level), is in the meadow where the stream leaves the property, while the upper slopes rise to 2,320' ASL where a semi-alpine ecosystem exists. Within the lower elevations and more gentle slopes of the land, historic uses were mostly agricultural.

The forest management plan identifies four forest stands with forest operations last occurring ±35-40 years ago. Sugar maple is a common species and, at the lower slopes, a stand was previously used as a sugarbush.

A well-developed woods trail leads from the back of the meadow to the upper mid-slopes of the land; this trail is used by Vast.

An old barn is situated along the road frontage in the meadow and is in need of significant repair.