'Worn Down by the Drama,' Developer Hall Says He's Selling NewVistas Land
Excerpt from the Valley News
By Matt Hongoltz-Hetling
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Sharon
- "Faced with stiffening opposition to his dream of founding a large sustainable community in the rural White River Valley, Utah engineer David Hall says it's time for him to "give in and get out of Vermont."
Hall announced on Wednesday morning that he now intends to sell the 1,500 acres that he began accumulating in 2015 with plans to establish a community near the birthplace of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith.
Activists who fought against Hall's vision said they were cheered by the news - if a bit mystified....
In announcing the sudden reversal, Hall cited the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which earlier this week placed the towns of Royalton, Sharon, Strafford and Tunbridge on its "watch status," a special designation that accompanies its annual list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The trust warned that Hall's development might permanently alter the "charming village centers and idyllic surrounding farms and forests" of the four towns..."
