Turn Down That Light

The Vermont Environmental Board has insisted that Best Buy and other stores in Maple Tree Place (Williston, Vt.) make their signs less bright and otherwise change their facades to fit in with the town's historic aesthetic.

The environmental board has ordered Starwood Ceruzzi (Fairfield, Conn.) — manager of the 71-acre, 199,000-square-foot mixed use development — to overhaul Best Buy's illuminated sign, make a new entrance facing the town green and lowering the facade as much as nine feet in some places. Also, the board said, the roof on a Chili's restaurant should be more steeply sloped.

When the project was being developed, Williston (A suburb of Burlington) insisted that a modest patch of land be set aside as a “town green” and that other aesthetic imperatives be maintained.

The board has threatened fines and even criminal charges. Starwood said it will comply.

“We have really tried to adhere to the specifics and to the intent of what the town wanted, to make this a vibrant part of Williston, to give it a downtown feel,” said Stephen Berini, an executive vp of Starwood Ceruzzi.

In addition to Best Buy and Chili's, the center includes Staples, Dick's Sporting Goods, Linens-N-Things and a Shaw's Supermarket.

A spokesman for Citizens for Responsible Growth, said, “We're in a mode of keeping a close eye on what they're doing, that they don't get the advantages of the big boxes they want and not provide the [town with a] town center.”