HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Planning Commission - 05/23/2023South Burlington Planning Commission
180 Market Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
(802) 846-4106
www.southburlingtonvt.gov
Meeting Tuesday, May 23, 2023
City Hall, 180 Market Street, Room 301
7:00 pm
Members of the public may attend in person or digitally via Zoom. Participation Options:
In Person: City Hall, Room 301, 180 Market Street
Interactive Online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89549517589
Phone: (929) 205 6099; Meeting ID: 895 4951 7589
AGENDA:
1. Welcome, instructions on exiting the building in the event of an emergency (7:00 pm)
2. Agenda: Additions, deletions, or changes in order of agenda items (7:02 pm)
3. Open to the public for items not related to the agenda (7:03 pm)
4. Announcements and staff report (7:05 pm)
5. *City Plan 2024: Updated Sections (7:10 pm)
a. Community Services
b. Energy & Climate
c. Economy
d. Water & Utilities
6. *City Plan 2024: Draft Future Land Use Types (7:40 pm)
7. *Initial discussion of FY 2024 PC Policy Priorities proposals to Council (8:20 pm)
8. *Minutes: April 25, 2023 (8:50 pm)
9. Other Business (8:55 pm)
a. *Town of Essex Planning Commission Public Hearing on proposed amendments to Official Zoning
Bylaws and Official Subdivision Bylaws, May 25, 2023, 6 pm
10. Adjourn (9:00 pm)
Respectfully submitted,
Kelsey Peterson, City Planner
* item has attachments
South Burlington Planning Commission Virtual Meeting Public Participation Guidelines
1. The Planning Commission Chair presents these guidelines for the public attending Planning Commission meetings to ensure
that everyone has a chance to speak and that meetings proceed smoothly.
2. In general, keep your video off and microphone on mute. Commission members, staff, and visitors currently presenting /
commenting will have their video on.
3. Initial discussion on an agenda item will generally be conducted by the Commission. As this is our opportunity to engage with
the subject, we would like to hear from all commissioners first. After the Commission has discussed an item, the Chair will ask
for public comment.
4. Please raise your hand identify yourself to be recognized to speak and the Chair will try to call on each participant in sequence.
To identify yourself, turn on your video and raise your hand, if participating by phone you may unmute yourself and verbally
state your interest in commenting, or type a message in the chat.
5. Once recognized by the Chair, please identify yourself to the Commission.
6. If the Commission suggests time limits, please respect them. Time limits will be used when they can aid in making sure
everyone is heard and sufficient time is available for Commission to complete the agenda.
7. Please address the Chair. Please do not address other participants or staff or presenters and please do not interrupt others
when they are speaking.
8. Make every effort not to repeat the points made by others. You may indicate that you support a similar viewpoint. Indications
of support are most efficiently added to the chat.
9. The Chair will make reasonable efforts to allow all participants who are interested in speaking to speak once to allow other
participants to address the Commission before addressing the Commission for a second time.
10. The Planning Commission desires to be as open and informal as possible within the construct that the Planning Commission
meeting is an opportunity for commissioners to discuss, debate and decide upon policy matters. Regular Planning Commission
meetings are not “town meetings”. A warned public hearing is a fuller opportunity to explore an issue, provide input and
influence public opinion on the matter.
11. Comments may be submitted before, during or after the meeting to the Planning and Zoning Department. All written
comments will be circulated to the Planning Commission and kept as part of the City Planner's official records of meetings.
Comments must include your first and last name and a contact (e-mail, phone, address) to be included in the record. Email
submissions are most efficient and should be addressed to the Director of Planning and Zoning at pconner@sburl.com and
Chair at jlouisos@sburl.com.
12. The Chat message feature is new to the virtual meeting platform. The chat should only be used for items specifically related to
the agenda item under discussion. The chat should not be used to private message Commissioners or staff on policy items, as
this pulls people away from the main conversation underway. Messages on technical issues are welcome at any time. The Vice-
Chair will monitor the chat and bring to the attention of Commissioners comments or questions relevant to the discussion. Chat
messages will be part of the official meeting minutes.
13. In general discussions will follow the order presented in the agenda or as modified by the Commission.
14. The Chair, with assistance from staff, will give verbal cues as to where in the packet the discussion is currently focused to help
guide participants.
15. The Commission will try to keep items within the suggested timing published on the agenda, although published timing is a
guideline only. The Commission will make an effort to identify partway through a meeting if agenda items scheduled later in
the meeting are likely not be covered and communicate with meeting participants any expected change in the extent of the
agenda. There are times when meeting agendas include items at the end that will be covered “if time allows”.
MEMORANDUM
TO: South Burlington Planning Commission
FROM: Kelsey Peterson, City Planner
Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning
SUBJECT: Planning Commission Meeting Memo
DATE: For May 23, 2023 Planning Commission meeting
1. Welcome, instructions on exiting the building in the event of an emergency
2. Agenda: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items
3. Open to the public for items not related to the agenda
4. Announcements and staff report
5. *City Plan 2024: Updated Sections
This is the second review of four of the sections of the City Plan that have been reviewed by the
Planning Commission in recent months. These updated drafts reflect the comments from the first review by
Planning Commission, review by relevant South Burlington advisory committees, and City of South Burlington
staff (indicated below by section). The objectives have been updated to reflect feedback, but are not final and
some do not include measurable metrics.
At the strategies (action items) level, this plan departs from the previous by taking the discussion a level
higher. We have received feedback from many groups that additional, subject- or area-specific planning is
needed, in addition to statements made at the City Plan level. These include a parks master plan, bike/ped
maste plan, housing needs assessment, economic development/health assessment or plan, plans or updated
plans for specific geographic areas, and a cultural/arts plan. Where appropriate, additional plans and
implementation plans that are needed have been listed. Many strategies that were included in the 2016 Plan
would now fall under the framework of being discussed and implemented under these additional holistic
planning processes. There are many implementation and operations items, both from 2016 and from feedback
we’ve received for 2024 so far, that would support meeting the objectives but fall below the detail level of this
Plan. There are other 2016 strategies that will come into the 2024 Plan and we plan to further comb through
and find those for the full draft in June.
a. Community Services – reviewed by the City Manager, Department of Public Works Staff, the Fire
Department, and the Police Department.
b. Energy & Climate – reviewed by the Energy Committee and the City Manager
c. Economy – reviewed by the Economic Development Committee.
d. Water & Utilities – reviewed by Department of Public Works, including staff in stormwater, water,
and public works overall
These sections remain drafts. It is still possible that objectives or other policy statements made here
may land in another section in the final compiled document or that objectives that currently are in other
sections may fit here. Those organizational questions can be reviewed and answered during review of the full
document, but please do note any that you believe may fit better elsewhere.
2
Please review these sections and provide any further feedback.
6. *City Plan 2024: Draft Future Land Use Types
See attached memo.
7. *Initial discussion of FY 2024 PC Policy Priorities proposals to Council
As the Commission did for FY2023 last summer, the Planning Commission has the opportunity to provide
suggestions and recommendations to the City Council as to what the Commission’s policy priorities should be for
the coming fiscal year. This work is framed both as a work plan for the Planning Commission and as a part of the
broader City Council plan for all of the City’s work in the coming fiscal year. It is couched in the 2016
Comprehensive Plan and is informed by the work that the Commission and Council have done in recent years to
meet the objectives of the 2016 plan. The City Council will review the recommendations of the Planning
Commission alongside recommendations from other committees and staff departments to knit together a
functional, intentional set of policy priorities for FY 2024. That review process will likely occur in mid-June to July
2023.
Quick note – we have included a lot of reasonably time-consuming tasks in this draft list. As the fiscal
year begins in July, the Commission will be using almost all of July and August meeting time to review and
finalize the City Plan. This leaves approximately ten months of FY 2024. If there are items that should not be
considered on this list, please let us know, but this is also not a list that must be completed by end of FY 2024 –
items can continue into FY 2025 and beyond. We’ve erred on the side of over-inclusion than under, for that
reason and to allow flexibility in the coming year.
With the Commission’s timeline and the Council’s review timeline, we recommend that the Commission
review this list of policy priorities at this meeting. You have the option to either approve it for submission to the
Council at this meeting (May 23) or, if you have feedback to be integrated, that it is discussed again on June 13
for approval and submission.
8. *Minutes: April 25, 2023
9. Other Business
10. Adjourn
1
COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES
The core services provided by the City of South Burlington represent the long-term priorities of our
residents to meet the needs of our community, its inhabitants, its businesses, its visitors, and its natural
resources. The City invests in services that are professional, customer-oriented, innovative, and in
partnership with our surrounding municipalities and partner service providers. These services support
social connection, resiliency, and neighborhood-level community.
Services, and the processes used to identify and meet changing needs of the community, must be
accessible, inclusive, and equitably provided to all members of our community.
This Plan also centers the climate-mitigation goals in the Climate Action Plan in our municipal decision-
making and sets the goal to ensure that our services, policy, facilities, and equipment limit the impacts
of climate change and increase our community’s climate resilience.
Providing an environment of safety, welfare, and basic needs that the City can address through its
departments, outside partnerships, and with the school district are core functions of the City.
OBJECTIVES:
• Rigorously invite engagement for all in the governance of the City
• Provide City Services accessible to and equitably serving the needs all residents and users of the
City
• Orient Public Safety services to providing just and equitable first response
• Provide quality indoor and outdoor public facilities and services, identified through collaborative
strategic planning, that meet present-day needs and are anticipated to meet needs at least
twenty years into the future
STRATEGIES
• Fully integrate the Community Justice Center into municipal operations
• Promote community through increasing usage of the Library circulation, public space
reservation, and provision of varied and inclusive programming
• Integrate cemeteries into greater community planning as facility, open space, and recreational
asset
• Account for both the long-term and accurate impacts of climate change in the development and
implementation of the City’s All-Hazards Mitigation Plan
• Lead and collaborate with our partner municipalities on providing shared municipal services
• Be an active and equal participant in mutual aid partnerships for first response
• Seek opportunities to improve response and services for mental health and social service needs,
and access to shelter and food
• Seek opportunities to increase engagement and participation in governance, committees, and
programming offered by the City
• Identify long-term, stable funding to ensure that the Community Justice Center and the City’s
commitment to inclusivity, fairness, and justice are able to be realized
• Review and adjust fire/life safety ordinances and resources to meet the evolving needs of the
community
2
• Coordinate closely with the South Burlington School District to identify and track changes in
student populations and engage in planning for school capital needs.
INVENTORY, ANALYSIS, & CHALLENGES
Public Safety, Community Justice, & Social Services
The City recognizes that the community is stronger when our community members feel safe and
are safe in the community and in their homes. Law enforcement and emergency response can
strengthen our community through fair and impartial response, transparency, and building
relationships. We can also strengthen our community by orienting ourselves to community-justice
outside (or in addition to) traditional court proceedings. Community safety is further bolstered by robust
fire prevention
Our community has seen an increasing need, or increasing visibility of the need, for mental
health, substance misuse, and other social services. This includes acute mental health crises, non-acute
social services support, connection to other partner programs and services, and support for community
members struggling with meeting their basic needs. These issues may be exacerbated by climate
change, with changing weather events, changing stability in the food system, and changing
temperatures over time. They may also be exacerbated by an increasing wealth divide that is taking
place at a national scale and is reflected in our community to some extent. The City is exploring new and
creative approaches to meeting these increasing needs and possibly providing additional or different
types of support for our community members.
Historically, law enforcement and emergency response has been the primarily responsibility of
the South Burlington Police Department and South Burlington Fire Department, with collateral support
between mutual aid partners. More recently, the Community Justice Center has been established to
meet some of the community justice needs of our community. South Burlington has also established a
partnership with five neighboring municipalities and the Howard Center for a Community Outreach
Team and the City will continue the commitment to this partnership. We continue to look for flexible
solutions to support public safety in our community.
Police. The primary role of the Police Department in the City is for law enforcement and emergency
response. The Police Department provides primary law enforcement services (except at Burlington
International Airport, served by the Burlington Police Department), participates in mutual aid and
collaboration with other agencies, and operates community outreach programs.
The Police Department has the potential to provide community outreach, education, and non-patrol
activities, which can improve public safety and the perception of policing in the community. The Police
Department values community partnerships and collaboration and plans to enrich these partnerships as
operationally possible.
Community Justice Center. The South Burlington Community Justice Center (“CJC”) hosts reparative
panels, provides mediation services, and assists with offender re-entry through Circles of Support and
3
Accountability. The CJC is currently funded by grants from the State Department of Corrections, which
leaves the program in a tenuous position with financial stability lying outside of South Burlington.
Fire and Rescue. The South Burlington Fire Department (“SBFD”) provides primary fire, medical and
specialized rescue response. It serves the civilian buildings at the Burlington International Airport. SBFD
supports and is supported by surrounding communities and the Air National Guard Fire Department as
part of mutual aid agreements. The SBFD is staffed with full-time professional personnel. Two fire
engines and one ambulance are staffed 24 hours per day, with support from additional call-outs.
SBFD operates from two fire stations:
◆ Station #1 is located on Dorset Street. This is the primary fire station for the City.
◆ Station #2 is located on Holmes Road, west of Shelburne Road. This station reduces response
times to the southwestern end of the City, an area with a significant volume of emergency incidents.
The Air National Guard Fire Department’s primary mission is to serve the airfield and non-civilian
portions of the Airport; in recent years and in close partnership with the City it has expanded its mission
to provide first response to the northern portion of the City. The City continues to strive for a more
diverse firefighting and civilian staff, which will require some renovations to both stations to provide for
additional bunkhouse space for non-male firefighters, additional shower and bathroom space, and
overall updates. Physical changes are a step toward a goal of being a welcoming and supportive
department.
Fire safety relies on response, but it begins with planning and protection. Currently, building inspections,
new construction, electrical inspection, and fire code enforcement are provided by the South Burlington
Fire Marshal’s Office and the State of Vermont Division of Fire Safety, using the Vermont fire safety
standards. The SBFD also annually inspects all businesses that apply for a liquor license and assists
residents with safety equipment and information. As the City population continues to grow, City Center
continues to be built out more densely, and commercial businesses continue to develop commercial
areas, we recognize that the needs for this kind of fire protection will continue to increase and safety in
our multi-family and rental housing will continue to be a City priority.
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Preparation for and response to emergencies is a core government service provided by the City
of South Burlington. The City actively embraces a four-phase strategy of emergency preparedness and
response: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
Mitigation. Mitigation links emergency management, infrastructure maintenance, and land use
planning. The City approaches mitigation as a multi-faceted issue. True mitigation starts with the
development or redevelopment of land, design of buildings, location of emergency services, and
collaboration with other agencies. It is also affected by climate change and increasing storm frequency
and severity. The City has a current All-Hazards Mitigation Plan (“AHMP”) that identifies potential risks
with likelihood and scale of damage. The AHMP presents actions for the City, its residents, and its
4
businesses to lessen the risk of future incidents. The AHMP identifies severe winter storms, gas and/or
electric service loss, and flooding as hazards that warrant the greatest attention.
The Department of Planning & Zoning, the Planning commission, and the Development Review Board
are all involved in writing and assuring compliance with regulations that mitigate risk. The South
Burlington Fire and Rescue Department and Department of Public Works regularly provide input
regarding the location and access of buildings, roadways, and other safety-related issues in local
development review through participation at the Development Review Board.
Preparedness. Emergency preparedness and response in South Burlington are coordinated through the
Fire Department and Police Department. In addition to ongoing training, the City regularly works with
the School District, senior housing groups, and local organizations such as the Red Cross to enhance
public preparedness. South Burlington has also been an active participant in the Chittenden County
Local Emergency Planning Committee, a regional organization responsible for coordinating emergency
preparedness.
The City maintains an Emergency Operations Plan with public emergency alert strategies and
responsibility of various departments. It identifies several potential shelter locations, including schools,
churches, and other large community buildings, approved by the American Red Cross to use in the event
of an emergency. The City also maintains an Emergency Operations Center at the Public Works facility.
Response. The Police Department and Fire Department are primarily responsible for emergency
response in South Burlington, supported by the Department of Public Works, the Vermont Agency of
Transportation, and mutual aid response partners and other support partners. Emergency dispatch is
managed through the Police Department, and systems are redundant to Burlington.
Recovery. Recoveries from large-scale incidents in the City have generally been related to flooding.
South Burlington has worked diligently, through its Stormwater Division, to address the causes of wide-
scale flooding incidents.
Flood resiliency. Improving flood resilience reduces the community vulnerability to flooding and to
support recovery, especially in the face of climate change. Due to its geography and elevation, South
Burlington doesn’t face the same level of flood risk as many Vermont communities. The City has and
shall continue to work to improve flood resiliency. The City has restricted development to natural land
uses within wetlands, habitat blocks, river and stream corridor buffers and setbacks, and mapped flood
plains. The City has Low Impact Development stormwater standards and the state’s first Stormwater
Utility, a watershed approach to surface water and stormwater management, landscaping requirements
and cyclical assessments of tree canopy, smart growth approaches including a designated New Town
Center, coordination with neighboring communities, and active participation in the regional All Hazards
Mitigation Plan.
Municipal Governance
5
The role of municipal government in South Burlington is broad and is based on principles of good
governance and decision-making. It supports both the basic needs of the community and the quality of
life and work in the City. The City is committed to providing services to the community professionally,
equitably, and customer-focused, while maintaining an efficient government that spends our tax dollars
effectively. This leads to community trust in the City government, more participation in City governance
processes, and hopefully for a greater sense of community and civic pride. We recognize that the City
has a way to go in appropriately interacting with and communicating with members of different groups
in our community and we will continue to strive for better outreach and participation for all community
members.
The City of South Burlington has established a government that provides core municipal services
including running elections, maintaining land and vital records, tax assessment and collection, City
employee management and benefits, legal support, and financial accounting and budgeting. The City
recognizes both the need to provide core government services as required by State statute, but also the
value of professional staffing in all of these areas for the vitality and future of South Burlington. We are
committed to staffing and developing our capacity as a City to have robust municipal departments in all
of these areas. Our staffing must also be nimble to changing and evolving community priorities. We are
committed to providing adequate and appropriate compensation and benefits, a welcoming work
environment and culture, and support to retain quality employees.
City Hall. Municipal government is headquartered at the new City Hall building at 180 Market Street,
which opened in 2021. This includes City Clerk, City Manager, City Attorney, Community Development,
IT, HR, Planning & Zoning, Recreation & Parks, and Tax & Assessor. There is no current need for
upgrading this facility.
City Clerk. The City’s Clerk’s Office is located in City Hall at 180 Market Street. The Clerk’s Office
manages City elections, maintains land records, and provides vital records services. Changes in
technology and access to online records have changed the number of in-person visitors, but members of
the public use the Clerk’s Office for notary public services, vital records services, and for general City
information. South Burlington’s ongoing population growth continues to require additional resources
around elections and with day-to-day service.
Public Works and Maintenance
The South Burlington community relies on well-maintained transportation routes through the
City for community movement and community safety. We value providing for these basic needs of
community members and to continue to support our municipal services that meet these needs.
Maintenance of our transportation network (including roads and paths), our water distribution system,
stormwater system, sewer collection system, and our park systems provides safe transportation, safe
drinking water and sewer services, and safe recreation opportunities to members of our community.
The Department of Public Works (“DPW”) maintains City streets (including signs, lighting, and
traffic signals), parks and shared use paths, stormwater systems, two water treatment plants and
associated collection systems, water distribution systems, water storage tanks, and 32 wastewater
pump stations. It maintains City and school district vehicles. DPW operates from a City facility and
6
garage at 104 Landfill Road, constructed in 2001, which also leases space to the South Burlington School
District.
The City’s infrastructure needs are planned through both the DPW annual budget and the
Capital Improvement Program. Fees for DPW services (including water and wastewater allocation fees)
are enterprise funds of the City and must mirror the costs of maintenance, improvement, and expansion
of the water and wastewater facilities and infrastructure. It is expected that revenues will cover
expenses. DPW is currently undertaking a rate study to right-size fees with planned and necessary costs.
Community Quality of Life
Living in South Burlington is greater than the sum of a person’s basic needs or of the city’s
individual services, programs, or infrastructure. A robust, welcoming, inclusive, and strong community is
built on the foundation of strong community facilities and resources. The City of South Burlington is
committed to supporting community development and community building amongst residents through
support of our community facilities.
Library. The City’s community library is located in City Hall at 180 Market Street. The Library is a
community hub for information, entertainment and social connection – in FY 2022, over 75,000 people
visited the library (this number may be underestimated for large group programs), with 10,027
cardholders. The library provides community programming for all ages and stages of life, interest
groups, media access, and technology access and education. Formal library programs served 8,068
attendees, up 24% from the prior year. The new Library contains rooms for meetings, performances,
quiet reading space, collaborative learning areas, audio recording, telehealth, teen space, baby/toddler
play space, and a community auditorium. The Library is open six days a week and has 18 staffpeople,
including 9 full-time employees. There are over 70,000 items in the collection and in FY 2022 the Library
circulated over 158,000 items. It will remain a primary goal of the library to promote a love of reading.
The Library is a community asset on many levels. It provides equitable access to printed materials,
technology resources, and media. It also serves as open meeting space and rest space available for
members of the public during open hours. It is a welcoming and available space for learning,
collaboration, and growth for community members. It is an ongoing goal of the Library to become a
more equitable and inclusive community resource. This will continue to include outreach to people of all
ages, people living in different neighborhoods, New Americans, people with disabilities, and other varied
groups. The Library, alongside the Senior Center and the rest of the City Hall building, may be able to be
utilized in the future as a warming or cooling center as we face more varied and extreme weather
events due to climate change.
Senior Center. In pursuit of being more inclusive, fair, and just, the City continues to seek ways to
engage with underserved populations in our community. One underserved population in South
Burlington has historically been our senior population. City Hall, completed in 2021, includes the Kevin
Dorn Senior Center, which provides space and programming geared toward our seniors. The Senior
Center, alongside the Library and the rest of the City Hall building, may be able to be utilized in the
future as a warming or cooling center as we face more varied and extreme weather events due to
climate change.
7
Community Open Space. The City of South Burlington values open space, conservation, and recreational
access for all members of the community. Our need for intentional open space will continue to increase
with increasing housing densities in our development areas and to provide some mitigation of the
effects of climate change. Having an publicly accessible open space within walking distance
(approximately ¼ mile) from residential development is a goal of the City for both human-scale focus
and climate-resilience needs.
In the pursuit of varied, accessible, and community-building open space, the City pursues several
avenues for conservation and public access to land, including outright City ownership, partnering in
conservation easement projects, and entering into public-private partnerships, as appropriate. The City
owns several properties utilized for one or more of these public purposes, ranging from small
neighborhood park spaces to large open spaces that are regional attractions. Please see XXX for tables
of the current South Burlington community open space assets.
Development and maintenance of usable, accessible, and practical open space areas is a critical piece of
the City’s climate resilience, human-focused, and inclusive, fair, & just vision statements. Having green
space is a key element for improved quality of life and being able to access green space without
traveling by vehicle is critical for development of climate-resilient neighborhoods.
The City of South Burlington’s Recreation & Parks Department runs programming on several of the City-
owned properties. For more details of the Recreation & Parks programming, please see the Recreational
Resources section.
Cemeteries. The City of South Burlington owns and operates two cemeteries: on Airport Drive and on
Shelburne Road. Both are significant community assets for their intended purpose of providing publicly-
managed burial grounds and will continue to serve that purpose into the future. Both do have some site
constraints with wet areas and adjacent development that will guide how they are used. Future
investment into appropriate mapping of sites, inventory of plot sales, and maintenance will be needed.
In addition, both are located in highly-trafficked areas with significant need for quiet contemplation
spaces. As the City looks at community assets holistically and examines how to better provide for high
quality of life in our higher-density communities, putting these public green spaces to additional
intentional use for quiet, reflective space will integrate them better into the community.
Education
The City of South Burlington values high-quality, just and equitable education for all children in
the community. Our schools, especially the elementary schools, provide community gathering
opportunities for the different areas of our city and build community amongst school-age families. The
South Burlington School District actively plans for its future with a current Strategic Plan. The strong
tradition of close cooperation and communication between the School Board and the various municipal
boards and commissions should be maintained.
Primary and Secondary Schools. The South Burlington School District (“SBSD”) currently operates five
schools that serve approximately 2,500 students in grades K-12: Rick Marcotte Central School, Orchard
School, Gertrude Chamberlin School, Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, and the South Burlington High
School. Unlike many districts in Vermont, South Burlington has almost steady or increasing school
populations. The SBSD hired McKibben Demographic Research, LLC, to produce a report, the South
8
Burlington School District Demographic Study – November 2022 (the “Demographic Report”) projecting
school populations into the future. The Demographic Report states that in-migration in the 25-34 age
group and the 0-9 age group into South Burlington, among other factors, leads to a projection of a
school population of 2893 district-wide by 2032-33. The Demographic Report also projects that by 2032-
33, the population will have increased at all three school levels: PK-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
The school population may also shift location, with the continuing growth of the City Center area,
additional housing in the Shelburne Road corridor, and the completion of already-permitted housing in
the Southeast. The Demographic Report projects that population will grow in the areas served by all
three elementary schools, with larger growth in the areas currently served by Central and Orchards
Schools than the Chamberlin School. However, construction of additional housing in different areas of
the city may change that projection into the future.
SBSD is facing changes in utilization of school spaces, needed facilities, and opportunities for alternative
uses. Currently, the South Burlington School District is considering plans for updating and upgrading
school facilities, including the South Burlington High School, Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, and the
three elementary schools. Many school facilities are aging and have varying levels of flexibility in
changing uses of spaces and full utilization of the schools.
It is anticipated that significant investments across all facilities to meet current and future needs of the
community will be needed in the coming years.
In addition to the SBSD school system, several independent primary and secondary schools operate in
the community, including Rice High School, Vermont Commons School, and the Schoolhouse. The City
coordinates efforts, services, and programing in various manners with each of these schools and
supports policies and programs to enhance the experience of each student attending these schools.
University of Vermont. The University of Vermont owns 571 acres of land in South Burlington, which is
part of its South Campus area. The South Campus is currently utilized primarily for instruction and
research focused on bioresearch, agricultural, horticultural and natural areas management. UVM has
recently updated its Campus Master Plan for 2022-32, including the designation of land bank areas in
South Burlington, looking forward to growth and reservation of lands for future needs. UVM also owns
several areas of open space or agricultural space, including Centennial Woods Natural Area and East
Woods Natural Area, that provide benefits to South Burlington and the region. The City will continue to
work with UVM on both the City and the University’s long-term planning goals.
Childcare. Childcare is an underserved need in South Burlington, Chittenden County, and Vermont as a
whole. Thousands of children require daycare or after school care in the region and the number of
available spots is limited. Private licensed child care scenters, registered family child care homes,
licensed family child care homes, licensed after-school programs, and licensed preschool programs
provide care of children of varying ages. The provision of safe, local, and accessible childcare and pre-
school is a vital element in attracting families to South Burlington. The City endeavors to ensure that
high-quality, affordable, and equitable childcare is available within its borders, as a possible partner with
private and non-profit childcare providers.
9
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & EXISTING PLANS
• UVM Campus Plan 2022-2032
• South Burlington School District Demographic Report (2022)
• Feasibility Study for Residential Solid Waste Collection Contracts (2020)
• Chittenden Country Regional Dispatch: Feasibility Study (1016), Public Safety Authority (2018-
2023)
• Chittenden County All Hazards Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Plan (and South Burlington Annex)
2022
• South Burlington Emergency Operations Plan
• School + Community Master Planning Task Force Report (2015)
• South Burlington Open Space Report (2014)
FUTURE PLAN NEEDS
• Fire Department Strategic Plan
1
ENERGY
To meet the City’s climate goals, the community needs to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by
60% by 2030 and by 95% by 2050. South Burlington’s climate – and global climate – has changed due to
GHG emissions. Dependence on fossil fuels is responsible for almost all South Burlington’s emissions.
Known effects have been documented and more are predicted in the future.
South Burlington has an opportunity to reduce its climate pollution from building heating and
transportation by transitioning to carbon-free energy sources, such as electricity from Green Mountain
Power’s low-carbon electricity supply, and by making it safer and more convenient to walk, bike, or take
transit through changes in development patterns and transportation infrastructure. It also has an
opportunity to increase renewable energy generation in South Burlington to support the shift to
electrified heating and transportation. Through all this work, the City has the opportunity to make these
changes equitably and to help all our neighbors transition to cleaner energy and more sustainable
practices.
In October 2022, following a Council resolution, engagement of a consultant, and work of a citizen Task
Force, the City Council adopted the community’s first-ever Climate Action Pan. The CAP identified
targets, high impact actions, and supporting actions to significantly reduce South Burlington’s share of
Vermont’s GHG emissions (in line with the Paris International Treaty on Climate Change and Vermont’s
Global Warming Solutions Act).
The CAP, additionally, lays out a strategy to meet the goals of Vermont Act 174, Enhanced Energy Plans,
in order to be adopted as an Enhanced Energy Plan and receive substantial deference in siting decisions
by the Public Utility Commission (PUC). The 2022 CAP targets are incorporated as objectives of this
Comprehensive Plan, and the CAP itself is interwoven throughout this Plan.
That 2021 City Council resolution charged the City staff and Council with “accounting for greenhouse gas
emissions and climate impacts when making any significant decision” and specified that the City’s Chief
Sustainability Officer “will annually report on the progress that the City is making on enacting the
Climate Action Plan using standard tools and metrics and will verify that the City appropriately factors
climate impacts into all applicable actions and decisions.”
OBJECTIVES
• Weatherize 600 existing homes annually through 2030 to reduce emissions by 5%
• Electrify 8% of existing commercial/industrial square footage annually to reduce emissions by
17%
• Electrify 360 existing housing units annually through 2030 to reduce emissions by 9%
• Require new homes to be carbon-free to reduce emissions by 4%
• Replace 75% of gas vehicles with all electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2030 to
reduce emissions by 42%
• Reduce vehicle miles traveled by 2.5% annually through 2030 to reduce emissions by 19%
• Plan for compact high-density (greater than 12.5 dwelling units per acres) new housing
development to reduce emissions by 4%
• Increase new renewable energy generation to between 30,794 to 55,549 Megawatt hours
(MWh) by 2030 and 63,297 to 121,060 MWh by 2050.
2
• Municipal Operations meet or exceed our proportional share of citywide greenhouse gas
emissions targets and provide community demonstration projects
• Meet or exceed South Burlington’s renewable energy generation targets identified through Act
174 or its successors.
• Improve availability of local energy storage
STRATEGIES
● Complete Implementation Plans for the Transportation/Land Use, Buildings/Thermal, and
Government Operations Sectors of the Climate Action Plan
● Incorporate Sector-Specific Implementation Plans into City’s annual policy priorities and
strategies work plan
● Implement the Climate Action Plan’s High Impact Actions and partner/advocate for
implementation of Supporting Actions
● Amend City Land Development Regulations and Policies to support or require a larger
proportion of mixed-use development and transit oriented development to reduce the need for
vehicles.
● Track and annually report on Citywide and Government Operation progress towards meeting
Climate Action Plan targets
[Note: many of the strategies to implement these objectives will live throughout the Plan and/or live
within the CAP & their implementation plans]
INVENTORY, ANALYSIS, & CHALLENGES
The overwhelming majority of emissions attributable to South Burlington come from two sectors:
Transportation/Land Use (65%) and Buildings / Thermal (34%, split between residential and
commercial). Other contributors, including small engines, solid waste, agriculture, and the offsetting
effects of natural resources also present complementary opportunities. Meeting the overall reduction
goals will require significant investment in staff resources, infrastructure, and planning, as well as
education and regulatory changes in both our transportation and buildings.
Source: South Burlington Climate Action Plan, 2022
3
Transportation Sector
South Burlington’s location dictates that it will continue to be a transportation hub in Vermont at the
intersections of major roadways and as home of the region’s primary airport. The City is working, both
internally and with regional partners, to reduce VMT and reduce single-occupancy commuter traffic.
To reduce overall vehicle miles travelled in our community, especially at the scale targeted in the CAP,
the City will need to reorient its transportation network from passenger cars to walking, biking, and
using public transportation. The physical design of the transportation network itself will also need to be
shifted. As discussed in the Transportation Chapter, much of South Burlington’s existing network is
designed first for cars, and second (where available) for people on foot, on bicycle, or using transit. The
growing popularity of e-bikes presents an opportunity to meet the City’s targets and also exposes some
of these infrastructure gaps. Examples of these gaps include four-lane roads with limited crossings, wide
vehicle lanes, narrow greenbelts, a disconnected recreation path and sidewalk network, limited
pedestrian lighting, and intersections that are designed with wide turn radii and/or slip lanes.
The City has taken important steps to begin this community-wide retrofit in recent years, including
adopting updated cross-sections for new roadway construction, passing a Penny-for-Paths ballot
initiative to improve connections, establishing a dedicated path maintenance fund in the City budget,
increasing funding for lane striping, and investing in staffing to pursue capital projects throughout the
City.
The City also needs to prioritize a land use pattern that provides homes, services, employment, parks,
and other destinations within short distances of one another. The development of pedestrian and
bicycle paths, greenways and other trails, changes in regulations that enable commercial services near
or within neighborhoods, and investment in neighborhood-scale parks and facilities provide climate-
resilient ways of building community.
The City’s sustained commitment to creating a compact, multi-use, pedestrian-focused City Center is a
strong example of the future of transportation and sustainable-transportation-driven land use. Public
and private investments have begun to transform this core area by developing multi-family housing and
pedestrian/human-scale commercial use. The pairing of higher density residential living and human-
oriented commercial space, alongside municipal services at City Hall, creates a community hub that will
over time become much less auto-dependent and community-focused. See the Land Use chapter for
analysis and specific policies for advancing the City Center vision further, as well as land use goals
throughout the City.
In addition to land use and infrastructure changes, personal vehicles must be changed over to electric.
South Burlington faces complex challenges in promoting and expanding access to electric vehicles due to
our housing mix and housing affordability. Access to overnight charging is required for a personal
electric vehicle to be practical. Over 50% of homes in South Burlington are in multi-family housing and
nearly 40% of households rent their homes. In both cases, it is far less likely that a resident will have
direct access to EV charging and control over the installation of EV charging than a resident of a single-
family, owner-occupied home. For EV access to be equitable, South Burlington must take steps to
encourage, promote, or require EV charging at multi-family buildings and for renters. In addition, South
4
Burlington must take similar steps to incentivize or require EV charging in public and commercial parking
spaces to support both rapid charging as well as slower charging. To do this equitably, pay-as-you-go
charging (which can be significantly more expensive than at-home charging) cannot be the only option
available to EV users.
Emissions generated by Leahy International Airport (formerly Burlington International Airport) are being
considered and addressed by the City of Burlington and the airport administration.
See the Transportation Chapter for analyses and specific policies for transforming the transportation
network to meet these objectives.
Buildings and Thermal
Reduction in emissions generated by buildings involves both changing new construction and updating
existing buildings. South Burlington has a robust new construction market alongside the significant
number of existing homes and buildings, unlike some communities in the state.
For new buildings, the City took an initial step in 2021 and 2022 by establishing regulatory standards for
the orientation of streets and buildings for solar gain and requiring that new buildings meet the State’s
Stretch Energy Codes. In November 2022, the City adopted an ordinance that requires carbon-free /
renewable fuel sourcing for primary heating systems and hot water systems in all new buildings. This
action will limit increases in carbon emissions from the buildings sector while complementary action on
existing buildings will reduce existing annual carbon emissions in order to meet the CAP targets.
For existing buildings, the CAP includes targets for both weatherization (including insulation, air sealing,
efficient windows and doors, etc.) and for electrification of a building’s primary heating system.
Weatherization of 600 homes per year will result in 4,200 homes being weatherized in 7 years, which is
nearly 45% of South Burlington’s existing housing stock. Electrification of 360 existing homes per year
will result in more than half of the homes being electrified within 15 years.
Weatherization, electrification of existing homes, and construction of new homes with electric-based
heating systems can have significant costs for homeowners. The City and its partners will need to
support homeowners in making these changes in order to ensure an equitable, and successful,
transition. This includes financial incentives and outreach to low-income homeowners. The City must
design a system that will not cause economic hardship for people without resources to both changeover
and then operate new systems.
Local utilities (Vermont Gas Systems and Green Mountain Power) and the state-level Efficiency Vermont
have programs and resources to help customers reduce their monthly energy bills, including information
about rebates and tax incentives available for energy-saving purchases. These programs are available for
both income-eligible households and for all households, depending on the program. Regionally,
Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity also provides weatherization and heating assistance.
In order to meet local and state Climate targets, however, the implementation of these programs will
need to be increased significantly requiring financial support, staffing, and outreach.
The Climate Action Plan further identifies that a combination of incentives and regulatory tools will be
necessary to meet Climate targets. These approaches are detailed as High Impact and Supporting
5
Actions within the Climate Action Plan. Neither approach on its own will likely achieve the magnitude of
conversion and electrification enumerated in the CAP. Private-public partnerships will also have to play a
significant role in meeting the CAP goals. An example of this kind of partnership is being implemented in
the Chamberlin Neighborhood. There, a program advocated for by the City and funded by the Federal
Aviation Authority to mitigate Airport noise through sound insulation of nearby homes and gathering
places is being paired with investments from Vermont Gas Systems and other partners to achieve
thermal insulation and extend the annual reach of the program.
Commercial buildings represent about 18% of the City’s emissions and over half of the thermal energy
demand. Weatherization and electrification of commercial spaces would have a major impact. New
building codes address future buildings, but upgrading existing commercial buildings are a challenge that
requires additional attention.
Energy Use by City Government. The City government’s operations account for approximately 0.7% fo
the citywide GHG emissions according to the 2022 CAP. The Climate Action Plan identified that in 2019,
the Department of Public Works emitted 65% of the City government's total GHG emissions, 74% of
which goes to direct operations of the wastewater treatment plants. The Police Department emitted
17% of the total City government GHG emissions, and the Fire Department emitted 12%.
The CAP laid out a broad approach for City Operations to meet our share of the citywide targets. This is
being further developed through an Implementation Plan in 2023 and is being integrated into the City’s
Operations Budget and Capital Improvement Plan. Over time, the City plans to replace gas-powered and
fossil-fuel powered vehicles, small engines, and building systems with more efficient and/or electrified
options. The City has significant numbers of fleet vehicles that can be replaced with EVs over time as the
market allows, building heating and cooling that can be made more efficient and/or electrified, and
smaller structures and equipment that can be upgraded or retrofit with electric options. As these
facilities, vehicles, and equipment need to be renovated or replaced, the City will need to budget for
electrified replacements as they come up.
Energy Production. This Plan will serve as an Enhanced Energy Plan under Vermont Act 174; as part of
that, and as part of the City’s overall goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this Plan provides
pathways to meet identified targets established by the Regional Planning Commission for renewable
Energy production in the City.
Demand for electricity is growing and electric system reliability will continue to be improved as we move
forward with the goals of the Climate Action Plan, and as our neighboring municipalities pursue their
own climate change mitigation plans. Two transmission line projects have upgraded the infrastructure
serving Chittenden County located South Burlington: the Northwest Reliability Project included
upgrading high voltage transmission lines and updating a number of substations; the East Avenue Loop
and supporting projects installed a 34.5 kilovolt (kV) sub-transmission line from the McNeil generating
plant to the VELCO substation at East Avenue and replaced two 115 kV transmission lines with single
line. Additional upgrades to the electrical grid will be necessary in the coming years and decades and
electricity use increases with electrification of homes, buildings, and vehicles community-wide.
6
Resilience to severe storms requires advanced system controls and redundancy. Electricity storage and
generation/load management will be key.
Increasing solar energy generation is an opportunity for South Burlington to generate more clean energy
locally. Generation of power close to where it is used reduces loss during transmission and stresses the
regional power grid less. South Burlington has taken significant steps forward in recent decades, but we
must do more to meet our climate goals. In 2011, the largest solar array in Vermont (at the time)
opened in the City, with an estimated output nearing two megawatts annually, followed by several
other large solar facilities, medium facilities, and numerous small installations. As of 2022, renewable
energy generation in South Burlington was 22,544 MWh. Solar-ready rooftops are now required on
certain new buildings. To meet the goals in the CAP, the amount of renewable energy generation will
need to increase by 300% to 600% by 2050 (63,297 to 121,060 MWh). Significant investment,
incentivization, and regulation that promotes solar energy generation will be needed to meet those
goals. Community solar projects to provide solar opportunities for low-income households, multi-family
residents, and renters to participate and invest in solar.
Small-scale wind energy in South Burlington is limited by the high density of development and
unfavorable climatic conditions.
This Plan recognizes that land in South Burlington is valuable, important and faces multiple demands:
natural resource conservation, housing, employment, services, education, transportation, agriculture,
parks, and renewable energy production. As in the Climate Action Plan, this Plan prioritizes the co-
location of renewable energy production with other uses. The City needs to focus on rooftop solar,
solar-over-parking, and creative opportunities such a solar over landfill, integrated with transportation
systems, and integrated with agriculture.
There are no thermal power plants located in South Burlington.
Outreach and Implementation
Community members, stakeholders, and City staff emphasized the challenges of implementing large
scale physical and behavioral changes throughout the development of the CAP and during the public
outreach for this Plan. For households, expertise, investment, and follow-through on weatherizing and
electrifying have historically been significant obstacles. Community feedback pointed to a suite of tools
– including regulations and enforcement, incentives, and neighbor-to-neighbor education and
motivation – as keys to success. At the community scale, active community participation in decision-
making will be critical. This includes decisions on all topics, including how to invest in vehicle charging
systems, how to transform land use, and how to update our transportation to acknowledge the
necessity of cars for some trips and users while prioritizing walking, biking, and transit in infrastructure
enhancements.
Importantly, this work must be implemented in an equitable manner. This could include allowing for a
reasonable time for adjustment to new systems when old systems need replacement. Pursuing equity
will involve listening to the needs of the community, designing programs to facilitate transportation and
home improvements for all users, and accounting for the uneven costs of climate change.
1
ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AND PROSPERITY
Employment and businesses are integral components of the South Burlington community, based on its
location in central Chittenden County, its access to major transportation systems, and its historically
strong investment in utility infrastructure. The vitality of South Burlington and the larger region and
state, and the quality of life for our residents is closely connected to the continued prosperity of its
numerous businesses and industries.
In support of a balanced, resilient, and vibrant economy and community, the City must continue to
attract and retain new employers of varying sizes, sectors, and industries. Being an employment hub and
intentionally planning for housing a growing population, appropriate environmental protection and
energy conservation, and thoughtful redevelopment of our built areas will support the economy,
support housing our neighbors nearby, and contribute to meeting our community Climate Action goals.
City investment, partnership, and facilitation of new and updated housing and infrastructure can help
attract and retain a workforce for those businesses that can walk, bike, carpool, or take transit to work.
We must also work with neighboring municipalities to plan for appropriate development of economic
opportunities within short driving or public transit distance from South Burlington housing, and vice
versa.
At a neighborhood scale, multi-decade investments in City Center and infill housing along major
transportation corridors of Shelburne Road, Williston Road, and Kennedy Drive are opening up new
opportunities for small-scale services and businesses to complement the long-standing larger and
national businesses in the community. Community interest supporting vibrant neighborhoods is also
opening up ideas and opportunities for localized shops and services in areas that have previously been
exclusively residential.
OBJECTIVES
• Invest in and grow a vibrant, mixed use, walkable multi-dimensional City Center
• Support appropriately-scaled local business growth, including retail and services, within walking
distance of existing and planned residential areas
• Support balanced mixed-use (residential & commercial) development in areas that can support
both
• Identify and plan for areas of the city to be reserved exclusively for businesses that must be
located away from housing, such as uses with heavy truck traffic and/or 24-hour operation
• Be a leader in regional planning for economic growth centers, commuting corridors, and
environmental protection with neighboring municipalities
• Increase business ownership by members of underrepresented groups, including BIPOC, all
genders, and all ages.
• Increase business growth in green technology, arts and entertainment, hospitality, technology
and innovation, and pedestrian-scale retail and food service
• Support thoughtful investment in the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport to continue
its role as a regionally-significant transportation and economic hub
STRATEGIES
2
• Explore options for State designations in City Center, including conversion of the New Town
Center to a Designated Downtown and expanding/modifying the Neighborhood Development
Area
• Explore options for State designations in other areas of the City including the Shelburne Road
corridor
• Evaluate existing business park areas for appropriately integrated housing opportunities
• Conduct a transit study examining connections to primarily commercial areas
• Support state-level funding for high-quality childcare programs and seek opportunities to
facilitate new and expanded facilities in South Burlington
• Examine municipal regulatory barriers to childcare, including the Land Development
Regulations, and consider changes as appropriate
• Regularly evaluate the Land Development Regulations, Sign Ordinance, Water Ordinance and
other municipal regulations to provide for efficient and streamlined review and to facilitate the
goals of this Plan
• Invest in housing and transportation infrastructure to attract and retain a high-quality workforce
for South Burlington businesses
• Increase total child care programs and total slots to support the workforce
• Conduct data-driven review of economic health of the business community in South Burlington
INVENTORY, ANALYSIS, & CHALLENGES
South Burlington is an economic hub in Chittenden County and the state of Vermont. Located at the
intersection of major transportation routes by road, rail, and air, South Burlington’s economy has
significant hospitality and retail sectors, with light manufacturing, small contractor and service
businesses, and shipping/logistics. We are a growing city, both in population and economy, and
supporting intentional and sustainable economic growth must be a priority. In our efforts to be human-
focused and climate-resilient, South Burlington embraces multi-use land use, multi-modal
transportation networks, quality of life for our workforce, and jobs in green industries to support the
City into the future. This economic growth must be accessible and available to all members of our
community and must not disproportionately negatively impact any group or area.
Land Use
Development of More Mixed Use Areas. Traditionally, zoning separated uses seen as incompatible with
each other, like residential uses and many commercial uses. A more modern approach should reflect
that many commercial enterprises are not as disruptive as their predecessors and have more varied
needs than historically.
South Burlington is zoned for primarily or exclusively commercial and/or industrial uses in areas near the
Burlington International Airport, the east end of Williston Road, Technology Park, and the Meadowlands
Business Park area near Hinesburg Road. Many of these areas are currently built with commercial
spaces, but the changing needs of businesses may make them prime areas for infill, more dense
building, and/or smaller lot sizes. Siting new commercial/industrial space in already-commercial areas
makes sense. However, businesses have expressed a desire for more flexibility in how they use those
commercial areas for their business activities outside the historic idea of “commercial” use. It should
3
enable enterprises like small business incubators that do not necessarily fit a traditional single-entity
business model.
The City could allow integrated housing into some currently commercial areas. South Burlington and
Vermont as a whole have a known shortfall in housing stock. Currently, several large South Burlington
businesses have more job openings than qualified applicants and are struggling to sustain and grow their
operations. The tight housing market and lack of affordable options has created situations where
applicants have turned down employment offers because they could not locate housing, which limits
business growth. Even when housing is available, it is often not in South Burlington and requires a
significant commute, which is incompatible with our climate action mitigation goals.
More housing units in some commercial areas would improve the housing shortage in Chittenden
County and allow workers to live closer to their workplaces, supporting several climate-change-
mitigation goals. It can also enable more multi-modal transportation and reduce the need for a personal
vehicle for commuting. It can also improve vibrancy in neighborhoods allowing human-scale
commercial, retail, and food service facilities in areas within walking distance of homes. For further
discussion of housing, please see the Housing section (X.X).
Some areas of the City that may have capacity for mixed use housing in primarily commercial areas
include Technology Park, the University Mall area, areas of Shelburne Road, areas of Dorset Street, and
areas of Williston Road. Exploring potential state designations for these areas could open new
opportunities for adaptation and growth.
However, some commercial and industrial uses generate significant noise, smell, or other noxious side
effects that make them incompatible with residential use, including 24-hour operation and 24-hour
trucking. We need to study how to additional housing could be accommodated, but also where
industrial uses could and should remain separated from housing. This would allow for some areas to
become more mixed use while others remain industrial-only.
City Center. South Burlington continues to invest in its new downtown core, City Center, as one
opportunity for integrated economic opportunity and housing in a walkable area. The City Center area is
an opportunity for high quality employment in an urban setting. The City did not have a downtown core
with professional employment opportunities in a walkable area with services, retailers, restaurants, and
housing. We are optimistic that the City Center core will evolve over time into a thriving and energetic
downtown where residents have access to high-quality employment either directly walkable or within
easy reach via public transportation. The City will also explore options for redevelopment on San Remo
Drive and Williston Road. The City intends to continue supporting economic growth, including housing
growth, in the City Center area through investment and policy for the foreseeable future.
Transportation-Land Use Connection. Future employment and mixed-use development will necessitate a
transportation system that meets the demands of the local and regional area. Future mixed-use
employment centers in areas such as City Center, Kimball Avenue, Tilley Drive, Williston Road, and
Shelburne Road should be planned with transportation improvements and to be walkable and bikeable.
Burlington International Airport. Critically, the Burlington International Airport is located in South
Burlington and provides both business opportunities and community challenges. The Airport supports
4
numerous businesses in South Burlington with direct airport access, but most businesses in our region
benefit from access to a nearby international airport. Easy air connection to other areas of the United
States and therefore to the world directly benefits our economy and supports the future economic
health of South Burlington.
The City and the Airport need to work as partners for the continued economic and social health of our
community going forward. Internally, the Airport plans for its own future through its master plan
process. However, collaboration and cooperation efforts between the City, community, and airport
should reflect the coexistence between the community and the airport, making the most of our
opportunities to work together. This should include utilizing the airport-owned land around Airport
Parkway for projects that benefit both the airport and the community, support for airport-reliant
businesses around the airport property, and improved transportation to the airport that avoids impacts
on neighborhoods. For more discussion, see the Northwest Neighborhoods section (X.X).
Affordable Commercial Spaces
As we work to improve or redevelop areas especially around City Center and the Shelburne Road
corridor, we will have to consider the impact on existing businesses and the cost of operation for small
businesses. Improvements can drive up rent costs for commercial space, which can disproportionately
impact small, local, low-margin, and women- or BIPOC-owned businesses. The City will need to consider
how to mitigate gentrification effects of its land use goals and projects on both existing and future small
businesses to allow those businesses to continue to have adequate space in our commercial and high-
density areas.
Direct City Process
Permitting and Governance. Paired with more flexible and nuanced zoning in certain commercial and
mixed use areas, the City should explore ways to streamline, simplify, and modernize permitting
requirements and processes. The City should study the effect of the current Form-Based Code area to
see how effective it has been in encouraging development and if other areas should be considered for
Form-Based Code zoning or similar tools that focus on impacts and the built form over uses within
buildings except in rare circumstances. There should also be consideration given to the City’s role in
providing support for small start-up businesses, especially those BIPOC-owned or owned by members of
other historically-marginalized group.
Promotion and Marketing. South Burlington and its partners should further brand and actively market
the City with the current community vision expressed in this plan. Additional marketing of the
community as a place to grow a business could attract new economic investment and will support the
hospitality and retail sector. The City has an opportunity, further, to also highlight and expand its
growing cluster of Green Technology businesses and promote further growth in that sector.
Workforce Support & Quality of Life
5
Economic viability and quality of life in South Burlington is intricately tied to many other aspects of this
plan. South Burlington currently hosts a workforce of almost 20,000 jobs. While it is demographically
younger than most Vermont communities, South Burlington still faces the challenge of an aging of the
workforce. In particular, South Burlington’s economic future relies on attracting and retaining working-
age people with a range of backgrounds, education levels, and areas of expertise. These workers will
need, among other things, quality and affordable housing, childcare, and education and training.
Housing. Quality jobs draw a workforce who need safe and affordable housing. South Burlington also
strives to have our promising young people stay in Chittenden County and to be able to establish their
lives here if they choose. Housing should include rentals, but also owner-occupied homes and affordable
missing middle housing. These residents will need public services, including emergency services, and
access to multiple modes of transportation.
Childcare. Childcare in Chittenden County and Vermont in general has become a pinch point for
workforce participation. Shortage of childcare options for families will continue to prevent parents and
caregivers from fully participating in the workforce to their desired level. We need to coordinate with
large employers to provide or subsidize childcare, expand options for childcare, and enable new
childcare centers to open and operate. This will require significant investment by both the public and
private sectors.
Education and Training. Increased connection between education and employment will both facilitate
young people coming to and staying in South Burlington and grow our local businesses with trained
employees. South Burlington should explore how the City and community can support training
programs, apprenticeship programs, technical programs in the trades, and other creative connections
between the business community and the school systems and college system.
1
WATER AND UTILITIES
Management of our water supply, wastewater, and stormwater management plays a critical
role in ensuring the health of South Burlington into the future. Alongside these critical water needs, two
semi-private utilities, solid waste management and telecommunications, allow our community to
remain clean and connected. Climate-resilient and equitable deployment of our community’s time and
funding resources to support these utilities is required.
OBJECTIVES
• Public infrastructure capital investment accounts for and accommodates anticipated infill
development and redevelopment
• Reduce nutrient loading into Lake Champlain to provide a more resilient water supply
o NOTE: ADD SPECIFIC TARGET
• Assure planning and management of water, wastewater, and stormwater systems is done in a
manner that protects our most vulnerable populations and distributes focus and funding
equitably
• Plan for facilities that meet the needs of a changing climate for all residents in all parts of the
City
• Advance all areas of the City to have adequate cell coverage and broadband/cable/fiber internet
access, and support competition between carriers for provision of those services.
STRATEGIES
• Seek opportunities for appropriate regionalization and coordination with other entities to
provide adequate and efficient services for solid waste and telecommunications
• Seek opportunities for appropriate regionalization and coordination with other entities to
provide efficient water services
• Foster choice among telecommunications providers to spur innovation in technology, service
alternatives, and cost competitiveness
• Seek opportunities to partner with neighborhoods and businesses in the deployment of
stormwater treatment practices
• Support and partner with CSWD to adapt and maintain solid waste management to current
standards of waste management, materials sorting, waste reduction, and composting
• Seek opportunities to improve efficiency and lessen impacts of solid waste hauling on quality of
life and greenhouse gas emissions
• Utilize stormwater treatment facilities and practices to provide public amenities, where feasible,
especially in areas with less park space
• As areas are re-developed or infilled, regulate or invest in sufficient space to allow for multiple
carriers
• Construct an additional Water Tank to provide capacity and volume to serve anticipated needs
in the High Service Area
• Seek opportunities to reduce potable water use by household, business, and industrial users
Public & Regulated Utilities and Services
2
Planning, design, installation, and maintenance of public and regulated private utilities
reinforces and supports the City’s land use and development objectives The cost, permanence, and role
of these utilities warrants strategic planning and cooperation with private sector providers, neighboring
municipalities, and the State.
INVENTORY, ANALYSIS, AND CHALLENGES
South Burlington residents and businesses have access to the telecommunications services (land line
telephone, cell phone, cable television, and broadband internet) from various providers. However,
broadband access and reliable mobile access are not universal throughout the City, resulting in gaps that
have become increasingly problematic over time. Further, in areas with service, there is often only a
single provider which can lead to high consumer costs, limited choice, and poor service. South
Burlington joined Essex, Essex Junction, Shelburne, and Williston to form the Chittenden County
Communications Union District to harness federal funding and work toward reaching small pockets of
residences without broadband internet service.
Maintaining a high-level of service requires continuous upgrades to telecommunications infrastructure.
The siting of telecommunications infrastructure should consider issues of aesthetics, safety and
efficiency. The use of existing structures, sites and utility corridors is preferred over new development.
We must also remain nimble to adjust quickly to new and better technologies that improve service and
reduce aesthetic impacts and energy use.
Stormwater
Management of stormwater runoff is a key component of the City’s commitment to water quality and
climate change mitigation. Properly capturing and treating stormwater prevents contaminants from
flowing into our waterways and into Lake Champlain, reduces flooding, and supports biodiversity and
quality of life. Water quality is critical in the face of changing climate conditions and is core to equitably
providing basic government services to all.
INVENTORY, ANALYSIS & CHALLENGES
Stormwater Runoff. The City of South Burlington contains all or a portion of five streams (Bartlett Brook,
Centennial Brook, Englesby Brook, Munroe Brook and Potash Brook) impaired by stormwater runoff.
Stormwater impaired watersheds cover approximately 61% of the City. There is also a chloride
impairment in streams and Lake Champlain has a phosphorus TMDL. Management of stormwater runoff
can help to alleviate the impairments of these streams and help maintain the water quality of other
streams and water bodies.
Construction of impervious surfaces (roads, rooftops, parking lots, sidewalks, etc.) prevents rain from
soaking into the ground increases the amount of stormwater runoff, resulting in higher stream flows,
stream bank erosion, flooding, and flow of chemicals on surfaces into local waterways. Failure of
undersized or poorly maintained stormwater management systems exacerbates flooding and
inadequate stormwater treatment increases water quality issues. Minimizing impervious surface as
appropriate and requiring properly sized and properly maintained stormwater systems are critical.
3
Stormwater can be managed on a property-by-property basis with on-site structures, facilities, and
passive treatment or in a larger centralized treatment facilities that manages runoff from multiple
properties. The City has been actively engaged in establishing and maintaining stormwater systems to
better manage stormwater runoff and conveyance of streams through drainage infrastructure. The City
has encouraged or required on-site stormwater infiltration through Land Development Regulations and
through grant funding opportunities for management projects. While some stormwater management
techniques support compact development (e.g. reduced pavement widths) others may be contradictory
to other land use goals (e.g. using relatively large open areas for stormwater management).
Stormwater Utility. In order to manage the City’s stormwater, in 2005, the City established the first
stormwater utility in Vermont. The utility identifies and manages stormwater infrastructure. It provides
a stable source of revenue to complete required maintenance and manage stormwater related
activities. The utility employs full-time staff dedicated to stormwater management and working to
develop a comprehensive stormwater program and plan for needed capital improvements.
The City of South Burlington owns and maintains a stormwater system, separate from the sanitary
sewer system. The stormwater system includes conveyance piping, storm drains, culverts, stormwater
outfalls and stormwater treatment infrastructure. There are approximately 180 miles of pipes, ditches,
culverts or other means of stormwater conveyance in South Burlington, of which approximately 100
miles are City-owned. In addition, there are over 6,750 storm drains within the City, approximately
3,400 of which are publicly owned. The City (through the stormwater utility) must continue to upgrade
these system as the community grows and as water quality standards evolve. This will involve planning
for treatment systems that reduce phosphorus, sediment, and other pollutants flowing to streams and
practices that reduce application of chloride to only what is necessary, therefore reducing the loading of
these materials into Lake Champlain. Reduction of application of chemicals to private, public, and
institutional properties through education and outreach, reduction in lawn sizes, and modification and
reduction of existing asphalt to reduce total impervious surface can also reduce the amount of
chemicals entering the stormwater system, requiring less treatment before discharge. Currently, the
State regulates application of pollutants like pesticides and herbicides, but the City may explore options
for use of pollutants in our watersheds.
The stormwater utility manages drainage infrastructure and culverts, assists residents with state
permitting, conducts watershed planning, and oversees maintenance of the City’s stormwater
infrastructure. The stormwater utility also maintains the City’s compliance with the Municipal Separate
Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. The MS4 permit is a federally mandated permit administered by the
Agency of Natural Resources in Vermont. In 2014, the updated federal MS4 permit was issued, giving
the City 20 years to make necessary improvements to its impaired watersheds, by implementing Flow
Restoration Plans (FRPs) for Potash, Bartlett, Centennial, Englesby, and Munroe Brooks. All FRP projects
must be constructed by December 5, 2032. The City needs to make further improvements to its
stormwater management to meet FRP flow reduction targets.
All developed properties in South Burlington are assessed a stormwater utility user fee. Fees for
commercial properties are calculated using a careful analysis of impervious surface area. There is a set
fee for single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes. All other developed properties are assessed a fee
based on the actual amount of impervious surface.
4
Potable Water
Reliable potable drinking water is a basic human need and is required for human consumption,
commercial use, and for fire suppression. The City needs to continue maintaining, upgrading, and
replacing parts of the water treatment and water distribution systems to meet the needs of the City’s
users. This work must be done equitably and considering the stressors of increased weather variation
and drought due to climate change. We also need to support increasing residential density and the
development of more residential and commercial use in City Center.
INVENTORY, ANALYSIS, & CHALLENGES
Water Distribution System. The availability of municipal water is a significant factor in locating new
development and the ability to infill with redevelopment in built areas. Planning the water distribution
system must balance the demand for new housing with conservation goals to determine where
extensions of service lines are and are not appropriate. The Water Department maintains a Master Plan
specifying the location and size of future planned water mains to meet future needs.
The City Water Department maintains a water distribution system including almost 100 miles of
distribution pipeline. Since 1978, the City has contracted with the Champlain Water District (CWD) to
provide management, administration, and operational services for the City’s water distribution system.
Three small areas do not have City water supply through the distribution system: Queen City Park, some
residents in the Bartlett Bay area, and some residents in the Southeast Quadrant. Fire District #1
supplies potable water to approximately 80 households in Queen City Park from a deep rock well and an
independent storage tank. Fire service to the Queen City Park area is from a dedicated fire line served
from the South Burlington Main Service transmission main.
Water is sourced from the Champlain Water District (CWD) treatment plant, which draws and treats
water from Shelburne Bay in Lake Champlain. CWD is a regional water supplier serving 12 municipal
water systems. Water is treated at the Peter L. Jacob Water Treatment Plant on Queen City Park Road.
This treatment facility has capacity to treat 20 million gallons per day with filtration, disinfection, and
corrosion control. CWD assures the safety of the water through multi-barrier approach monitoring and
planning for watershed protection to protect its source in Shelburne Bay.
Distribution piping in the water distribution system varies in age and quality. Substantial portions of the
infrastructure are beginning to reach replacement age, notably in the neighborhoods built from the
1940s through 1960s. However, in older neighborhoods, relatively compact housing has allowed for
greater cost efficiency in maintaining and replacing the water system components than in less compact
areas of the City. Efforts to replace old, undersized pipes are important for continued reliability in
providing drinking water and water for fire suppression.
Water is stored in the South Burlington West Tanks, a twin set of 0.5-million-gallon welded steel storage
tanks north of Allen Road, and in the South Burlington East Tank, a 2.1-million-gallon tank on Dorset
Street. Volume and capacity of the West Tanks are at **** as of 2023. Plans for increased capacity in the
South Burlington East Tank are underway and necessary to support future development of City Center
and surrounding area.
5
The South Burlington East Tank is operating and has commitments representing 98% of volume and
capacity as of 2023. The City is actively working to design additional storage adjacent to the existing tank
to meet anticipated needs within the service area. This planned tank is being designed to meet the City’s
water volume, pressure, and storage needs within this service area for the next 25 years and beyond.
Allocation fees are charged to new development and increased water demand on existing properties.
These fees are used to pay for capital upgrades associated with the water distribution system. When
new development or increased usage is proposed, developers must provide for water supply with
adequate flow and pressure for fire protection, residential use, and standard commercial use. If a water
line expansion is required, costs are borne by requestors except in rare cases. Maintenance costs are
paid for by user fees.
One example of planned new development is City Center. This area has continued to be developed with
multi-family housing and pedestrian-scale commercial development. The City’s water supply ordinance
has set aside 50,000 gallons per day for the future City Center area. It is estimated that upon final
building, this will represent only a portion of the overall need. Regular review of allocations and the
water ordinance are needed to assure that sufficient water supply infrastructure is installed to meet
future needs. Currently, in 2023, the City is working on a significant revision to the Water Ordinance.
Water Use. As part of an overall strategy to make our potable water system more sustainable, further
efforts can be made to reduce potable water use. This could include consumer education, regulation of
water usage in new construction, study of the metering system to incentivize reduced use, and
incentivization of use of rainwater and other non-potable water for landscaping, lawns, and other uses.
However, the water system has operating costs that do not vary based on water use which will remain
even with reduced use and places a floor on the reduction in water costs to individual users.
Wastewater Treatment
Adequate wastewater treatment is required for public health and environmental protection. In South
Burlington, much of the city is served by a wastewater collection system and two wastewater treatment
facilities. Maintaining and upgrading these facilities is critical for limiting our impact on the environment
and providing stable public services in the face of climate change stressors. We should also reduce our
nutrient loading into the Winooski River and Lake Champlain to further mitigate climate change impacts.
Modern wastewater collection and treatment facilities enable housing and other uses to be built more
compactly, providing for a more human-scale, bikeable, and pedestrian-friendly built environment. It is a
core government service allowing us to meet our land use and redevelopment goals.
INVENTORY, ANALYSIS, & CHALLENGES
South Burlington is required to treat wastewater and discharge treated effluent that meets federal
discharge permits and the federal Lake Champlain TMDL (total maximum daily load) for phosphorus. To
meet these environmental standards, South Burlington operates two wastewater treatment facilities:
Airport Parkway and Bartlett Bay. Airport Parkway, the larger facility, serves approximately 75 % of
South Burlington and discharges to the Winooski River. It was upgraded in 2012 to 3.3 million gallons
treated per day, 1.0 million gallons per day of which is allocated to Colchester Fire District #1 by an
6
intermunicipal agreement. An increase in clarifier capacity at this facility was approved by the voters in
2023 and will be constructed in the near future.
Bartlett Bay serves approximately 25 % of South Burlington with a permitted capacity of 1.25 million
gallons per day. In 2019, the Eastwood neighborhood, which had been served by wastewater facilities in
Burlington, were re-routed to the Bartlett Bay treatment facility, resulting in reduced user fees in South
Burlington and new capacity in Burlington’s facility. Funding for an upgrade to the Bartlett Bay
treatment facility and to nearby pump stations was approved by the voters in 2023 and is in the design
stages. Current capacity will meet the needs of the City for the foreseeable future so no significant
capacity increases are included in the design plans. Any future sewer main construction will be primarily
by private developers and can only be allowed with appropriate improvements to the existing network.
Currently, Airport Parkway treatment facility is permitted to 3.3 million gallons per day (mgd) and
Bartlett Bay treatment facility is permitted to 1.25 mgd. Current use (2022) is at 57% of capacity at the
Airport Parkway treatment facility and 54% at the Bartlett Bay treatment facility. In concert with State
guidelines, capacity improvements should begin when a facility reaches 80% of capacity. At this time, no
capacity upgrades are anticipated to be needed within the Capital Improvement Plan’s 10-year planning
horizon; however the City will continue to track and monitor capacity.
The City has set aside 150,000 gallons per day of capacity for the City Center area. Adding density in this
New Town Center designation area relies on the availability of wastewater capacity. As with water
supply, the City will continue to monitor and allocating sufficient capacity to support this planned area
of growth
There are locations where new sewer service is not appropriate. Sewer connections are not
recommended for designated Habitat Blocks, Conservation districts, or currently unserved areas
planned for only extremely low density residential use. The limited number of housing units and low
densities planned for residential areas not already served by sewer can be served by on-site septic
systems if development occurs. Infrastructure lines through these areas should be strictly limited,
reserved only for exceptional circumstances.
Planning for sewer service areas also presents an opportunity for thoughtful, coordinated efforts with
our neighboring communities and regional partners. Our wastewater collection and treatment systems
do not operate in a vacuum. Our neighboring municipalities’ discharge treated effluent into the same
bodies of water and pull water to treat for drinking water from the same. Shelburne Bay receives
treated effluent from the Bartlett Bay treatment plant and Town of Shelburne wastewater treatment
facilities, and is also the raw water source for the Champlain Water District. The Winooski River receives
sewage plant outfall from several municipalities. The capacity of the Winooski River to receive effluent
and remain under water quality standards is limited. The City must continue to collaborate with
neighboring municipalities and to reduce the loading in discharged effluent even as water usage
increases.
A small number of City homeowners rely on soil-based septic systems. Less than five percent of City
residents have on-site septic disposal systems, a majority of which predate infrastructure being located
in the area.
7
Telecommunications
Access to adequate telecommunications services has become a critical component of the community’s
education, medical care, employment, and day-to-day needs. This reliance brings with it a significant
equity challenge in South Burlington. Provision of services accessible to all income levels, English-
language levels, and ages must be a priority because the world increasingly relies on information over
the internet.
Solid Waste
Solid waste management is a core service that allows our City to remain clean. Reducing the production
of solid waste in the community, through incentivization, education, regulation, or other methods, is the
first step to a more sustainable solid waste management system.
Solid waste management is handled by the Chittenden County Solid Waste District (CSWD), which
includes 18 member municipalities. It collectively provides for the efficient, economical, and
environmentally sound management of solid waste. CSWD is governed by its charter, a Waste
Management Ordinance, Solid Waste Management Fee Ordinance, and further Regulations.
CSWD delivers solid waste to two transfer stations or directly to lined landfills outside the district. The
interim in-district landfill closed in 1995. CSWD identified a site located on Redmond Road in Williston
for its proposed regional landfill. However, that site has not been developed and the only operating
landfill in Vermont is located in Coventry. Future development of additional facilities in the state, and
closer to Chittenden County, will be required for more sustainable solid waste management.
CSWD currently operates a drop-off center at the City’s former landfill site on Patchen Road. The drop-
off center accepts solid waste, recyclables and special wastes such as tires, scrap metal, leaves and
brush. Approximately 1/3 of household waste collected by CSWD is compostable food scraps, which now
must be kept out of the trash. Compost is collected at the drop-off center and processed at Green
Mountain Compost in Williston.
Waste hauling – trash, recycling, and compost – is entirely undertaken by the private sector today,
either by individuals or by professional haulers. The structure does not include any form of allocation of
service areas or types. A resulting effect is that several private trash hauling services serve the same
streets. This redundancy is referenced in the City’s 2022 Climate Action Plan. In 2020, the Cities of
Burlington and South Burlington completed a Feasibility Study for Residential Solid Waste Collection
Contracts, which explored options for managing allocation. Continuing to study this issue will involve the
City, homeowners’ associations, and the private sector.
MEMORANDUM
TO: South Burlington Planning Commission
FROM: Kelsey Peterson, City Planner
Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning
SUBJECT: Land Use Types
DATE: For May 23, 2023 Planning Commission meeting
The 2016 Comprehensive Plan includes the Future Land Use Map (Map 11) with five land use categories.
The descriptions of those land use categories were short and lacked meaningful detail. They are so minimal that
I am including them here.
These are the 2016 land use types in the Future Land Use Map:
• Very low intensity, principally open space. These lands emphasize conservation, water quality, and
wildlife protection. Land development regulations should provide ease of approval for open spaces,
including agricultural land and related uses.
• Lower intensity, principally residential. Fostering a strong sense of neighborhood, these areas are
primarily residential in use, with number of units and size of buildings to be among the lowest in the
City. More intense commercial or industrial uses should be avoided.
• Medium intensity, residential to mixed use. These areas support an increased diversity of housing
options, with increased building density and slightly increased building heights over lower density
residential areas.
• Medium to higher intensity, principally non-residential. Intended to foster high quality jobs, these lands
provide for medium to large scale industrial, educational, mechanical and office park environments,
among other related uses. Their aesthetics should reflect quality design and promote South Burlington
as a welcoming place to work and do business.
• Medium to higher intensity, mixed use. These lands are intended to be the most compact and most
intensely developed in the City and support employment. Infrastructure is efficient, and transportation
is emphasized towards access to transit, pedestrians and cyclists.
While these descriptors were adequate as an expanded legend to the Future Land Use Map, they do not
provide sufficient information about the future vision for these areas and they did not connect well to the land
use discussion that was organized by area.
The 2016 Plan framed its discussion of land use around the four quadrants (Northwest, Northeast,
Southwest, Southeast) and one district (Central) (shown in Map 12). This is somewhat disconnected from the
land use types used in the Future Land Use Map. It also telegraphs that the quadrants and district are more
different from each other than they are similar. This obscures the possibility for mutually held goals and land use
strategies that can and do apply in neighborhoods and areas that are located in different areas of the city but
are of a similar type and development history.
2
We are proposing to reframe the land use chapter of the City Plan to better reflect how land use types
are similar across the City and to better connect the Future Land Use Map with the narrative in the City Plan.
The following descriptions are proposed for five land use types (two residential, two commercial or mixed use,
and one conservation/open space) in South Burlington. Further discussion of the unique land use planning
issues, how the land use types interact in specific areas, and how the areas can transition from one to the other
will be coming in the next packet for review on May 31 and possibly into June 13. Overall, the land use chapter
will hopefully be less redundant and more functional with this organization.
For this meeting, feedback on these land use types and how they are described would be appreciated.
Also, the names for the five areas could use some work – the 2016 Plan avoided using “density” and instead
used “intensity”, but that also doesn’t quite reflect the differences between areas. Discussion of accurate and
appropriate labels would be helpful. The specific location of the boundaries of these areas is not included here –
a draft Future Land Use Map will come in a future packet, likely May 31.
1
Principally Residential - Low density
Lower-Intensity residentfal neighborhoods across the City of South Burlington share
commonalitfes in development patterns and history, but also, and more importantly, they share goals for
the future.
History and Characteristfc Features
The City’s earliest neighborhood, Queen City Park, was initfally built primarily as summer camps which
have been converted over tfme to year-round homes. Beginning in earnest after the end of World War II,
relatfvely low-density residentfal neighborhoods sprung up primarily along the existfng transportatfon
corridors of Williston Road and Shelburne Road, but were not integrated with those commercial
corridors. These early neighborhoods include Chamberlin, The Orchards, Mayfair Park, Brookwood,
Shunpike Road, and East Terrace. Over the following decades, neighborhoods with similar development
patterns — primarily single-family homes and duplexes on approximately ¼-acre lots with backyards and
driveways from local-traffic streets — were constructed. Generally, heights and building sizes are lower
in these areas and the land use is overwhelmingly residentfal. In some cases, small-scale non-residentfal
uses, including places of worship, stores, cemeteries, or pre-existfng businesses are lightly interspersed.
Neighborhoods built in the following decades, such as Butler Farms, Country Club Estates, the
Golf Course, and Quarry Ridge Road share similar characteristfcs but often have larger homes on larger
lots, are further removed from commercial areas, and have homes that are more oriented to rear yards
than to the street.
Most recently, some trends have been reversed through City policies and residents’ wishes.
Neighborhoods such as South Village, Rye Circle, and O’Brien Hillside are returning to smaller homes on
smaller lots, a greater street presence, neighborhood parks, and, most recently, incorporatfon of
neighborhood-scale commercial actfvitfes.
Primarily residentfal neighborhoods can enable a strong sense of community and identfty if well
laid out and built. Nearby elementary schools and parks, front porches, yards, and low-traffic streets can
be attractfve to young families. In some cases – notably in the older neighborhoods – homes are smaller
and have remained comparatfvely affordable. Some residents in these neighborhoods have lived there
for decades after buying their homes as “starter homes”.
Analysis and Objectfves
The relatfvely low density – typically two to four dwellings units per acre — means fewer people
live within walking distance of each other, the schools, any nearby commercial areas, or recreatfonal
areas. Intense demand for housing and employment growth in Chittenden County and other pressures
over several decades have upended the economics of these neighborhoods. New development at these
densitfes has consistently been of larger, much higher-priced housing, and prices for homes in existfng
neighborhoods are significantly outpacing income growth in the area.
As the City’s first residentfal neighborhoods reach the 80-year mark, reinvestment in public
infrastructure to meet society’s changing needs is necessary. This includes retrofitting of road rights-of-
way to meet ADA standards, support pedestrian and bicycle transportatfon, and account for changes in
travel and work patterns; rebuilding existfng parks; and improving access and availability of
2
neighborhood-scale facilitfes and services. Fostering the thriving of these neighborhoods into the future
requires allowing and investfng in community gathering spaces, whether publicly or privately owned, and
clean, safe, and welcoming streetscapes.
These low-density neighborhoods vary in locatfon, but share similar transportatfon challenges.
All were developed to be car-centric, without significant commercial actfvity co-located with residentfal
uses and requiring a car (or limited transit) to reach essentfal shopping, services, medical offices, and
similar. Streets were designed for car traffic and many streets lack sidewalks, bike lanes, and other
bike/ped infrastructure. Public transit services generally do not travel into these neighborhoods and they
are only served by transit by stops along transportatfon corridors on their edges, if at all. The locatfon of
these neighborhoods places them adjacent to transportatfon corridors like Shelburne Road, Williston
Road, and Hinesburg Road that can both connect the neighborhoods and isolate them.
Current regulatfons in many of these neighborhoods have maximum density of four residences
per acre, and require the same amount of land per dwelling unit regardless of building type, but this was
not always the case. For example, the Chamberlin neighborhood has a sprinkle of duplexes and a few
triplexes on lots the same size as adjacent single family homes, and numerous undersized lots that would
not be permittable today. These current nonconformitfes have had so little impact on the character of
the area that many would be hard-pressed to identffy their locatfons. Allowing duplexes and similar-scale
multf-family housing by right where single-family homes are allowed would have little impact on the
character of these post-war neighborhoods, would allow more flexibility for families to live together but
separately on the same property, and could provide more affordable housing and more rental
opportunitfes.
These neighborhoods generally do not contain much, if any, commercial use. It is not intended
that the primary character of the neighborhood should shift from residentfal to commercial. Adding
small amounts of pedestrian-scale, neighborhood-serving commercial uses supports the future health
and thriving of the neighborhood. This could include small-scale uses like neighborhood-serving stores,
cafes, and shops, small business offices, arts & culture educatfon businesses and non-profits, and
community spaces. Adding a small amount of this kind of small commercial use would improve the
walkability/bikeability of the neighborhood and could become community hubs.
Some of these neighborhoods have city-maintained park spaces either in the neighborhood or
on the edges (e.g. Szysmanski Park, Jaycee Park), but many do not or are underserved by spaces or
amenitfes within walking distance of their homes. Supportfng these neighborhoods into a thriving future
requires investment into neighborhood-scale park spaces with amenitfes appropriate to the setting
within walking distance from the homes. Supportfng these parks will require a higher populatfon within
walking distance resultfng from allowing a more diverse range of housing types, increasing allowed
density, reducing dimensional requirements, or all of these.
To help residents to stay in their neighborhoods through the various stages of their lives, and
create affordable opportunitfes for future generatfons, this Plan supports a combinatfon of thoughtiul
and context-sensitfve infill housing, investment in public infrastructure and parks, and allowances for
neighborhood-scale retail and services.
3
Principally Residential – Higher Density
Like the lower-intensity residentfal neighborhoods, higher-intensity neighborhoods also share
some common development patterns and history, and share goals for the future.
History and Characteristfc Features
South Burlington has primarily residentfal areas that are moderate to high density and have
some different characteristfcs, consideratfons and challenges from the lower density primarily residentfal
areas. A shift in development patterns startfng in the late 1960s saw an increase in more dense
residentfal development and in multf-family housing development that has contfnued to the present.
The first iteratfons of these neighborhoods included two-story townhomes / flats in areas along Kennedy
Drive, Hinesburg Road between Kennedy and Tilley Drive, portfons of Dorset Street north of Swift Street,
and in some locatfons like Joy Drive and Stonehedge.
Later iteratfons transitfoned to multf-story residentfal buildings in areas like Farrell Street, Quarry Hill
Road, Olde Orchard Park, portfons of Allen Road, and Lime Kin Road.
Most recently, these neighborhoods are becoming more blended, integrated, or placed adjacent to
within the City’s historically commercial corridors, including in City Center, along Kennedy Drive near
Kimball Ave, and along the Shelburne Road corridor.
Many townhouse and condominium developments have been constructed, generally close to
transportatfon corridors and reasonably well located close to services, retail, and employment
opportunitfes. Some areas have light levels of integrated commercial uses, but these tend to be small-
scale (e.g. single offices or small office buildings, single retail establishments, educatfonal facilitfes and
child care) and/or neighborhood-serving.
Analysis and Objectfves
Some higher-density developments are up to 40 years old and some are extremely new, having
been constructed in the last few years. This range in ages creates a range of range of development styles,
ripeness for update or redevelopment, and compliance with current building codes and standards. It also
means the transportatfon network, streetscape, and community gathering spaces also range widely and
need to be evaluated for potentfal to bring up to current community standards.
Transportatfon to and from areas of higher-density residentfal must focus on multf-modal
transportatfon optfons. This allows parking for these areas to be reduced and for the areas to become
more pedestrian-scaled and welcoming. Some areas are connected well by sidewalks, shared use paths,
and bike lanes, but other areas need their bike/ped network to be completed. Because of the inherently
higher populatfon density than the lower-density residentfal areas (on average), higher-density
residentfal areas tend to be better served by public transit, but this is not universally true. Higher-density
areas can also enable greater transit service due to higher populatfon densitfes. The higher number of
residents in these areas also means that more people are affected by investment (and failure to invest) in
constructfon and maintenance of the transportatfon network, necessarily making them a priority for City
operatfons.
Like in the low-density residentfal, additfonal neighborhood-scale and neighborhood serving
commercial use can be integrated into the higher-density residentfal areas. Small retail and restaurant
4
establishments, health and wellness businesses, child care and educatfon facilitfes, community gathering
spaces and arts businesses, medical offices, and service businesses (e.g. hair salons, massage therapists,
and similar) can add to the vibrancy of a neighborhood and reduce the need to drive to other areas for
goods and services. The higher populatfon density in these areas can support more of these small
businesses and entftfes, increasing the diversity of establishments included.
Due to both City regulatfons and aesthetfc consideratfons, many existfng higher-density and/or
multf-family housing developments include some amount of common green space, but many are not
designed for partfcular functfons or to be used for community gathering. Maximizing site usage, reducing
costs, and complying with environmental regulatfons, developers have historically left wetlands, slopes,
and similarly unbuildable areas open. Those kinds of areas are not generally suitable or attractfve for
community uses like play space, gatherings, or gardening, leaving less area available for those kinds of
amenitfes on-site. New regulatfons require more intentfonal site amenitfes and/or civic spaces in
developments, but it remains to be seen how effectfve those regulatfons are at creatfng usable and
desirable semi-public spaces.
Higher-density residentfal living necessarily provides for less individually- or household-
controlled outdoor space. This increases the need for intentfonal, well-maintained, and appropriately-
sized recreatfonal amenitfes. Some higher-density areas are in walking distance to a recreatfonal
amenity, but several are not, and the contfnued growth of these areas will require more public outdoor
space. Space is required both for personal recreatfon (passive, actfve, or otherwise) but also for
community gathering, and a range of types of gathering spaces will be required for different age groups,
lifestyles, and needs. This should include seated conversatfon areas, actfve play spaces, dog facilitfes,
trails, maintained green space, accessible facilitfes, and similar, as appropriate for the size of space,
locatfon, and surrounding community.
Mixed Use and Commercial Areas
The city’s Mixed Use and Commercial areas share some features among their origins, though
over time and shaped by City policy and investment, the current and future intent for these areas have
diverged substantially.
History
The first wave of commercial development in the City began before WWII with the
establishment of the Burlington Airport. Following the War and continuing through the 1950s and 1960s
commercial corridors built up quickly along Shelburne Road, Williston Road, Dorset Street, and portions
of Hinesburg Road. I-89 and I-189 were built in this same time period. Business parks north and south of
the Airport followed shortly after. In the 1970s, the City began to consider the creation of a downtown
for South Burlington, in the area that would become City Center.
Traditional zoning designed cities where residential uses and commercial uses were completely
separated from each other to prevent incompatible uses from conflicting uses. What began as a tool to
separate industry from housing evolved to create commercial-only strips in many cities. Over time the
negative impacts of many commercial uses that created this system have declined as intensive
manufacturing and other industrial uses with nuisance-level noise, smoke, odor, and dust have become
less prevalent. This means that for most commercial uses being located near residential uses is less likely
to cause conflict.
In parallel, the negative effects of commercial-only strips began to be seen, as they provide
limited opportunities for community building, are inefficient uses of land, and foster auto-dependent
travel and land use. A shift in City policy and regulations began to see residential components added to
Dorset Street in the 1990s and subsequently to the Farrell Street areas in the 2000s. Most recently, the
City has placed an emphasis on mixed use development along the Shelburne Road Corridor, along
Williston Road west of Hinesburg Road/Patchen Road.
As our needs for housing increase and we pursue goals to reduce vehicle miles traveled, increase
walkability, and create vibrant spaces in South Burlington, the timing is appropriate to review past policy
and consider assigning more areas of the city to allow a mix of uses. This Plan opens the next iterations
of this evolution: considering allowing some residential activity with certain business parks and, in
parallel, reviewing whether some areas of the city should be reserved only for certain industrial and
heavy commercial activities that are truly incompatible with housing.
Balanced Mixed Use Areas
As noted, very few areas of South Burlington originally developed as true mixed use areas. South
Burlington is intentionally changing that pattern. The deliberate and long-standing goal to develop City
Center into a vibrant, walkable downtown for the city with dense residential uses, pedestrian-scale
commercial, and inviting public spaces is the first truly mixed-use environment being constructed. This is
facilitated in part by the fact that the core portion of City Center was effectively unbuilt until recently.
A parallel effort and evolution of landscape in underway along the Shelburne Road corridor. The
future of South Burlington will include City Center, and similar spaces and intentional development in
other areas including nodes along Shelburne Road. It will take continued, focused effort by the City to
fully establish City Center, but the next focus should be other development areas for similar projects.
Analysis and Objectives
Balanced mixed-use areas, including City Center, rely on robust public living spaces for residents
and visitors. These areas will orient development to community-oriented, pedestrian-scale, small public
areas to develop a network of walkable park and public amenity spaces with a full slate of events,
programs, and private rentals. Utilization of existing properties and amenities, like the University Mall
property, also provide opportunities for redevelopment and private investment in public-oriented
events, programs, and retail and restaurants that provide vibrant evenings. Utilization of public rights-
of-way for street events and public art adds to the sense of the streetscape being a community living
room.
These areas will be, with investment and focus, South Burlington’s urban areas. Businesses and
residences will be co-located and complementary to each other. Small commercial establishments, like
cafes, coffeeshops, locally-owned retail, small offices and startups, and innovative commercial spaces,
serve the dense residences above and around. Signage, parking, public spaces, and public art are more
urban in scale, type, and character. Landscaping should be thoughtful, maintaining a healthy tree
canopy and streetscape while recognizing the urban character of the area. Residents here will be able to
walk, bike, or take transit to employment, shopping, and entertainment. To that end, these areas should
be well connected by transit and be hubs for both the transit system and bike/ped network.
These formerly commercial areas share common challenges. The current built environment
consists principally of large-lot development, larger-format single story buildings with parking in front.
Sidewalks have been installed along the principal roads, but the street rights-of-way remain dominated
by vehicular travel lanes with minimal green strips and limited presence of street trees. Off the principal
roads, pedestrian facilities exist only in part. Park space is limited and, where they are do exist, they are
not directly accessible from the commercial areas.
Even considering those challenges, the opportunity for re-development in these areas is
substantial and is being realized parcel by parcel. South Burlington has invested significantly in City
Center and invested in infrastructure projects that will support realizing the vision of City Center through
TIF District financing. It has to be a primary goal of the City to support growth within the TIF District to
reach the revenue target to finance these projects.
Principally Commercial Areas, with supporting residential
While the City’s principal transportation corridors – notably Shelburne Road and Williston Road
Road west of Kennedy Drive/Airport Drive – have begun a transition to mixed use areas, the City has
many areas that are presently exclusively commercial/industrial. These include Technology Park, Tilley
Drive, the Meadlowland Business Park, Kimabll Ave, the east end of Williston Road, and areas north of
the Airport, among others.
In recent decades, most business uses have become quieter and less noxious, like retail, office
space, and light manufacturing. This means that for most commercial uses, being located near
residential uses is less likely to cause conflict. As need for housing has increased and the desire (for many
reasons) to have people living closer to their workplaces has increased, planning for commercial areas
also must shift to allow more residential uses in formerly commercial-only areas. The timing is
appropriate to review past policy and consider assigning more areas of the city to allow a mix of uses.
It is not the intention of this plan that commercial areas will transform to residential areas.
Instead, we recognize that some limited residential uses will enhance and support the future of our
primarily commercial areas.
In addition to adding mixed/residential use to commercial areas, the commercial areas need to
adapt to the future of work, employment, and commuting. Many of our commercial areas are not well
connected to the bike/ped transportation network or are located on busy transportation corridors that
could be improved for bike/ped safety and efficiency. Business parks are designed for large buildings on
large lots. These spaces are necessary, but we must also have a healthy range of building sizes, lot sizes,
and intensities of building on commercial lots. South Burlington needs to have land, lots, and buildings
that accommodate a range of commercial entities from small retail shops to startups to large
manufacturing. A sufficient supply of commercial spaces will ensure commercial costs remain
competitive. Maintaining such a supply requires planning for land and space for those uses.
However, some important commercial and manufacturing uses are still traffic-generating and
noise-generating. These uses are not compatible with being located near residential uses. For that
reason, South Burlington proposes to reserve areas for heavy commercial/industrial uses only. This is
only to allow space to remain for heavy commercial uses in the future, instead of having no areas
available for future flexibility. These uses should include uses with heavy truck traffic (especially if 24/7)
or large-scale manufacturing or airport operations that have peak operations at off-hours and would be
disruptive to residential character. Generally, these kinds of uses are located on larger lots and with
similar kinds of uses.
These areas on the future land use map are the areas that make the most sense to be dedicated
to industrial/heavy commercial uses only. They are currently primarily or fully commercial, are located
farther from currently residential areas or planned mixed use areas, and are compatible with heavy
commercial and industrial uses.
Conservation & Open Space Land
History and Characteristics
South Burlington’s landscape was dominated by agricultural uses in the 19th and first half of the
20th Centuries. No land was set aside specifically as State or Federal park or forest land in South
Burlington. Over the last half Century, the City and its partners have acquired or placed conservation
easements on a number of parcels throughout the City, including each of the city’s parks and land
conserved by the Vermont Land Trust. Regulations establishing conservation zones, including landscape-
level habitat blocks, habitat corridors, and agricultural land, and resource-level requirements for
floodplains, river corridors, steep slopes, and wetlands have complemented these efforts.
Key landowners, including notably the University of Vermont, hold substantial tracks of land that
remain open and/or used for educational purposes.
Analysis and Objectives
Approximately 51% of South Burlington (by lot) is currently not developable due to permanent
legal conservation or regulatory conservation. However, the built area is not all currently built on with
asphalt, buildings, or other structures – there is significant underdeveloped land and opportunity for
infill in the developed areas. Because of this potential and the goals to enable more compact
development to promote vibrancy in South Burlington’s neighborhoods and commercial areas, there are
significant areas of the City that can remain undeveloped. This flexibility paired with the environmental,
quality of life, and climate change mitigation benefits of having open space and recreational space,
allows the City to prioritize conservation.
These areas, however, are not necessarily pristine. Many have had a Century or more of heavy
use and are, in many cases, prone to erosion or to invasive species impacts. How these lands are used by
members of the community (whether privately owned or public-owned) is also an important discussion
for the future. The City has allocated certain areas of the City to remain unbuilt with significant
development. Some of these areas are appropriate for recreational (active or passive), agricultural uses,
or environmental restoration. Conservation areas should only extremely limited residential development
on a minimal number of lots, will not have sewer and water lines and connections, and are not priority
areas for transit, bike/ped infrastructure (except to access Citywide recreational amenities like Veterans
Park), further public safety service and infrastructure, or commercial development (except in very limited
village centers).
City of South Burlington
FY24 Policy Priorities & Strategies
Role of Council
"This is the vision for our
community"
"This is how we are accomplishing this vision."
Implementation Strategy Description Responsible Department Committee Strategy Description PC STATUS
Adopt Amendments to LDRs to
comply with S100
Prepare policy recommendations; drafting P&Z with support from
Legal, DPW
Planning Commission with
support from Affordable
Housing Committee
Prepare and approve amendments to the Land
Development Regulations to enact the
provisions of S100 as adopted by the
Legislature & Governor in 2023, including
allowed densities, update of policies in areas
served and unserved by water/sewer, and
allowances for duplexes, and other
amendments as required
Includes addressing "1.8" units per acre
density on parcels under 4 acres in the SEQ
NEW
Adopt Amendments to Sewer /
Water Ordinances to establish
service boundaries and City Center
allocations
Prepare policy recommendations; drafting P&Z with support from
Legal, DPW
Planning Commission Recommend proposed sewer /water service
boundary & allocation consistent with
Comprehensive Plan and complementary S100
LDR amendments
NEW
Briefing to Council Select consultant, manage project, provide feedback
and context
P&Z, City manager's office Planning Commission,
others consulted
Develop an Equity Toolkit for outreach on
future planning projects. PC role to provide
feedback, review, approve
Possible amendments to LDRs for
industrally-zoned areas
Prepare policy recommendations; drafting P&Z, with support from
EDC Liaison
Planning Commission /
Econonomic Development
Committee
Examine Mixed I-C district allowed uses
(including definitions) for any updates;
examine Industrial-Open Space for
compatibility with additional residential use
CARRY-OVER
FROM '23
Adopt streamlining and clarification
amendments to LDRs
Prepare recommendations; drafting P&Z, with support from
DPW
Planning Commission Review Land Development Regulations for
clarifications, redundant language and sections
and text that should be in DPW specs not LDRs
May include review and consolidation of
districts and/or use categories
NEW (but
discussed with PC
in 2023)
Prepare a bicycle & pedestrian master plan for the
city to include objectives, orgins & destinations,
analysis of missing links, and policies moving
forward
DPW with support from
P&Z, Recreation
Bike/Ped, with input from
Planning Commission
Planning Commission Role: provide feedback
on objectives, connectivity, recommendations;
identify actions for FY '25
NEW - FUNDED
Adopt LDR amendments replacing
traffic overlay district with
Transportation Demand
Management
Work with hired consultant and CCRPC to complete
project
P&Z, with support from
DPW
Planning Commission, with
input from Bike/Ped,
Economic Development,
Energy
Complete project underway to replace the
Traffic Overlay District and Citywide LOS
standard with a performance-based
Transportation Demand Management
Standard that incentivizes non single-
occupancy vehicle travel
CARRY-OVER
FROM '23
Approved FY'25 CCRPC Unified
Planning Work Program Requests
Prepare recommendations and subgmit funding
requests for UPWP projects
DPW, P&Z Planning Commission,
Bike/Ped Committee
Provide feedback on initial draft; make
recommendations to Council
ANNUAL
Prepare policy recommendations; drafting P&Z, Committee Liaisons Planning Commission with
support from Committees
Review and begin work of amending
boundaries of Transit Overlay District (and
consider replacing title) to reflect planned
priority areas of the City for development &
infill
NEW
Comprehensive Plan Update
Adopt 2024 Comprehensive Plan P&Z: prepare drafts, undertake outreach, complete
reporting & statutory requirements, manage
consultants
Others: Provide feedback, support outreach efforts
P&Z, with support from all
departments
Planning Commission with
supporting work from all
policy committees
Complete Preparation of 2024 Comprehensive
Plan, including gathering and incorporating
community, committee, and department
feedback, feedback from review by CCRPC,
holding one or more public hearings, and
approving / submitting to City Council
CONTINUATION
FROM '23
Approve funding for FY '25 Priority
Planning Projects and including in FY
25 PP&S
Provide recommendations; identifying resources and
funding for FY '25 priorities
P&Z, Leadership Team Planning Commission Provide feedback on a priority list for
preparation of plans identified in 2024
Comprehensive Plan
NEW
City Center and Tax Increment Financing District
Role of City Manager and Leadership Team Role of Committee
"This is how our resident committees can inform policy and help
implement policy."
Affordable and Community Strong: Creating a robust sense of place and opportunity for our residents and visitors.
Opportunity Oriented: Being a supportive and engaged member of the larger regional and statewide community.
Walkable: Bicycle and pedestrian friendly with safe transportation infrastructure.
Green & Clean: Emphasizing sustainability for long-term viability of a clean and green South Burlington
Core Municipal Services and Administration
Adopt updates to City Center Form
Based Code and City Center Official
Map
Prepare policy recommendations; drafting P&Z, community
development
Planning Commission Review and consider amendments within City
Center Form Based Code T3+ zone and T4/T5
zones south and west of Mary Street
Continue to refine FBC to assure functionality
Outline possible amendments to Official Map
& Planned Streets throughout FBC
Outline possible amendments to San Remo
Drive Area
EXPANDED FROM
2023
Review and possibly approve
expanded use of State Designation
programs in City Center
Prepare policy recommendations; prepare and
submit applications
P&Z, Community
Development
Planning Commission,
Economic Development
Committee
Review and possibly approve expanded use of
State Designation programs in City Center
NEW
Adopt Amendments to LDRs to
advance Climate Action Plan
Prepare policy recommendations; drafting P&Z, with support from
DPW
Planning Commission with
input from Bike/pep,
Energy, Affordable
Housing
Update LDRs to implement targets of Climate
Action Plan, including bike/ped parking, EV
charing, infill in built areas, others
CONTINUATION
FROM '23
Receive Implementation Plans; idenfy
future Council actions; consider
funding for Buildings/Thermal Sector
Implementation Plan
Complete Transportation and Government
Operations Sector Climate Action Implementation
Plans; identify funding and initial Building/Thermal
Sector Implementation Plan
P&Z, City Manager's office Bike/Ped, Energy, Planning
Commission
Receive Implementation Plans; idenfiy work to
be undertaken by committee to implement
NEW
Receive annual update on CAP
Implementation; review actions
Work with CCRPC to prepare annual report; present
and discuss with policy-making bodies
P&Z, City Manager's office Planning Commission,
Committees
Receive annual update on CAP
Implementation; review actions each
committee can be doing
NEW
Climate Action Plan
SOUTH BURLINGTON PLANNING COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
25 APRIL 2023
1
The South Burlington Planning Commission held a regular meeting on Tuesday, 25 April 2023, at 7:00
p.m., in Room 301, City Hall, 180 Market Street, and via Zoom remote technology.
MEMBERS PRESENT: J. Louisos, Chair; M. Mittag, D. Macdonald, L. Smith, F. MacDonald
ALSO PRESENT: P. Conner, Director of Planning and Zoning; K. Peterson, City Planner; M. Stevens, A.
Chalnick, H. Riehle, K. Epstein, J. Bellavance, J. Harrington, S. Dooley, B. Doyle, D. Peters , V. Solai
1. Instructions on exiting the building in case of an emergency:
Ms. Louisos provided instructions on emergency exit from the building.
2. Agenda: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items:
No changes were made to the agenda.
3. Open to the public for items not related to the Agenda:
Mr. Stevens said he is one of the homes involved in the proposed LDR amendment. He said the 50-foot
setback goes into his kitchen. He wants to improve his deck. He also couldn’t even do any work in his
bathroom now. He stressed that the house was conforming when it was built.
Ms. Louisos asked whether the regulations affect inside upgrades. Mr. Conner said work inside the
home wouldn’t be affected, but the deck could be a different thing. He offered to speak with Mr.
Stevens about it.
Ms. Louisos suggested the possibility of some language for restoration work, etc.
4. Planning Commissioner announcements and staff report:
Mr. Conner said he had testified regarding S-100 at the House Committee on Energy and Environment
and proposed some specific language.
Mr. Conner also noted that he and Ms. Blanchard provided the City Council with an update on City
Center.
Regarding the work plan for the next fiscal year, Mr. Conner noted that with or without S-100 passing,
there may be possible amendments to consider.
5. Public Hearing on Amendments to the Land Development Regulations:
a. LDR-23-01: Solar Requirement – to require installation of a solar photovoltaic system
associated with any new buildings required to establish a solar ready zone as defined by
2
the Vermont Commercial Energy Standards or Vermont Residential Building Energy
Standards:
b. LDR-23-02: Minor and technical amendments – Clarify a contradictory authority for
setback standards in Section 3.06J and correct numbering errors throughout the LDRs:
Mr. Mittag moved to open the public hearing. D. Macdonald seconded. Motion passed 5-0.
Mr. Conner noted that a few changes were recommended by the City Attorney, and these should be
recognized in the motion.
Ms. Louisos asked for public comment.
Mr. Epstein said he was happy to see this as putting more solar on commercial roofs will save more land
for housing, etc. He felt that Section C was a little confusing and doesn’t have a title as Sections A and B
have. He suggested adding a fourth item to that section that there would have to be written
confirmation from the utility that it can’t accommodate solar. D. MacDonald said his understanding is
that it is very expensive if you put in the solar and it has not use. You can’t sell it if it isn’t connected.
Ms. Louisos said items 1-3 are additional things you may need as back-up information. She agreed it
was strangely written.
Mr. Conner recommended closing the public hearing and not taking action until the next meeting
because the language should be clear. Alternatively, he agreed to try to do some research while
members discuss the next item to see if he can find out if some language got transposed.
Mr. Mittag said in a case where a utility says it can’t accommodate the solar, it would have to be off the
grid and use the power for the owner’s own purpose. Ms. Peterson said there is no requirement for
anyone to connect to the grid.
Mr. Chalnick said he didn’t think the intent was to require anyone to have an off-grid system. If
someone wants it, that’s OK.
Mr. Conner said what happened was that as the attorney worked on the language, it got a little
awkward. He would feel better if he had a chance to work on it, possibly by the end of the meeting. He
suggested a title for that section: “Submission Requirements.”
Ms. Riehle said she agrees with the intent.
As there was no further public comment, Mr. Smith moved to close the public hearing. Mr. Mittag
seconded. Motion passed 5-0.
Mr. Smith said if Green Mountain Power says someone can’t connect to the grid, they shouldn’t have to
put in solar.
3
Ms. Louisos moved to table discussion to “Other Business.” The motion was seconded and approved on
a voice vote.
6. LDR Amendment Request for 8 Laurel Hill Drive:
Mr. Solai said he has had the property for 20 years, and it has been a struggle from day one. This is a
single family home which was moved from Shelburne Road by the prior owner in the 1980s. The current
zoning is R-4, and the property is .25 acres. It is a walkable area with everything nearby. He showed a
picture of the main building, the connector and the addition. He noted that all the rain and snow water
converges by the side entrance, creating drainage issues that affect the building. The addition and
connector are on a slab. The main house has a basement. He wants to tear down the back building and
rebuild to address multiple issues: squatters, trespassers, theft, vandalism, littering, etc.
Mr. Harrington, the architect, said he did a review. A 4-unit building would be allowed, and they would
like to do that to make the property more viable. “Scheme 1” would be rebuilt without garages and
would have two 2-bedroom units on each of the first and second floors. “Scheme 2: would maintain 2
garages. The first floor would have two 1-bedroom units, and the second floor would have two 2-
bedroom units. They would need a variance for incursion into the setback.
D. Macdonald noted the Commission has discussed infill in R-1 and R-4 neighborhoods. He also noted
that staff is recommending a bigger discussion.
Ms. Peterson said you can’t change zoning for a specific instance. Zoning could be changed to put the
property in the R-15 abutting zone, but that would be part of the larger discussion. Given the timing,
staff recommends having the discussion in the context of the whole zoning area, not on the basis of a
single request. Ms. Peterson noted that variances are very rare. She also noted this is an “odd island”
that has wound up “out of place.” D. Macdonald suggested having the discussion in the fall when work
on the Comprehensive Plan is completed. He felt it was very important as it touches on a number of
vital things. Ms. Louisos noted that the Affordable Housing Committee has been asking about issues
such as this. She also stressed that there is no way the Commission could do an LDR change between
now and the fall.
7. City Plan 2024: Transportation:
Ms. Peterson said the skeleton for this section is from the previous plan, but there are a lot of new
things. The emphasis shifts to public transit pedestrian, bike, etc., with the end goal of creating a
functioning community in South Burlington.
D. Macdonald suggested a goal of having a transit hub in City Center. Ms. Peterson agreed and said that
falls into a strategy which will be the next level of discussion. Mr. Mittag suggested adding Green
Mountain Transit (GMT) where there are concentrations of people. He noted there is now no way to get
from Shelburne Road to City Center.
4
Mr. Smith said that now bus services go in a loop. There is no way to get from Queen City Park to City
Center. A bus route is needed that is “in and out” so it doesn’t take 45 minutes to get somewhere.
Mr. Smith also said there should be 2 forms for reducing vehicle miles, one for personal miles traveled,
one for commercial miles traveled. There could be very different incentives for each of these. Ms.
Peterson said that was a great idea and noted the objective came from the Climate Action Plan.
Mr. Mittag said transportation needs to be designed to avoid adverse impact to and fragmentation of
natural resources. Ms. Peterson said that saying “consistent with the objectives of this plan” covers
that.
Under “road transportation network,” Mr. Mittag suggested adding a line to the 4th paragraph for a
connection from Hinesburg Road to the Airport and also Williston Road. F. MacDonald suggested
realigning the road so it goes past the Airport and goes to Lime Kiln Road and not into the Chamberlin
neighborhood. Ms. Peterson said there is in the long-range Airport Master Plan but has not been
proposed to the city.
Mr. Doyle suggested language that would make it possible for local traffic to be able to cross the
highway. Mr. Mittag recalled there was discussion regarding fixing the exits from I-89, but the decision
was to fix Exit 13 first. Ms. Louisos suggested just making the point that access across the Interstate is
important. D. Macdonald suggested adding Williston Road and Shelburne Road, especially for cyclists
and pedestrians.
Mr. Smith said that when arterials roads are made faster and easier, it keeps people in their cars. He
would like to see more about connecting the bike/ped transportation network. Ms. Peterson said that is
the intent of the first objective. Mr. Smith said it should be clear that e-bikes are in the bike category,
not the motor vehicle category. D. Macdonald noted that in Massachusetts the bike lanes are wider
and the car lanes narrower.
Ms. Peterson noted that a biker going 30 mph needs different things than a 10-year old on a bike path.
She said that north of Rt. 189 there is a significant number of people who bike on the road because they
don’t want to hit walkers on the bike path.
Mr. Doyle felt it is important to give a time-line. Ms. Peterson said this is an overall plan. There can be
smaller, more specific plans. This plan can say something like “by 2028.” Mr. Doyle said safe sight lines
are important as is the distance from traffic and buffering. He noted you can see tire marks where there
are supposed to be pedestrians. He felt an 8-foot sidewalk is needed so people can walk side-by-side,
and there should be sidewalks on both sides of arterials. He added that there shouldn’t be bike routes
in dangerous areas.
Ms. Peterson said some more specific things would not be in the Comprehensive Plan but would go into
the master planning process.
5
Mr. Conner noted that the Public Works Department is creating a procedure for people to bring
questions and issues to be addressed (e.g. traffic calming). The Comprehensive Plan is for a statement
such as “We are designing streets to do the following…” How that happens is for other plans.
Regarding access management, Mr. Smith said he liked the idea of wider bike lanes and narrower car
lanes. He said Kennedy Drive is built for cars and is not a great model. Ms. Peterson said this section is
about distances between driveways. Mr. Smith said longer distances speed up vehicles. Mr. Mittag said
Kennedy Drive was conceives as an extension of I-189.
8. City Plan 2024: Housing:
Mr. Smith raised the question of whether to support continuous growth as opposed to stability. D.
MacDonald felt economic development is very important to the city. Mr. Smith said it is also a cause of
the climate crisis.
Mr. Smith asked if they are willing to discuss residential “tower development.” He said it has worked
well in other areas. Hundreds of people could be housed with green space between towers. He didn’t
feel doing affordable housing with smaller buildings has been very effective. Mr. Conner said that in
appropriate locations, the city is not afraid of heights.
Ms. Dooley was concerned that there is no language about the housing crisis. She said prices are
skyrocketing. There is also no language about short-term rentals and nothing about the effect of the
pandemic. People are buying 2nd and 3rd homes here which are empty much of the year. There are also
people turning down jobs because they can’t find housing. She stressed that this is a very different
situation from the previous Comprehensive Plan and suggested the introduction to this section be
changed to note the challenges the city has to deal with. She added that what is currently there does
not match with reality for her. Ms. Louisos agreed that the housing crisis should be clearly stated up
front.
Mr. Mittag suggested raising taxes on unoccupied houses. Mr. Conner said the city doesn’t have a lot of
them, but it can be acknowledged and tracked.
Mr. Mittag said he is bothered by the method of assessing a family income. With only one household
income, the total income can be only $60,000, not $90,000+. Ms. Peterson said there is a full table for
that. Without including the whole table, they just use the “family of four” indicating what could be
affordable. Mr. Mittag said a developer can’t build a house for a family of 4 making $60,000 a year. Ms.
Peterson said there can be “very low income” housing.
Mr. Conner said the city gets very good data from the census (e.g., 2 income homes, etc.). The data isn’t
perfect, but there is usually more income the more people there are in a home.
Ms. Peterson suggested saying “we are not meeting the affordability needs of our population.”
6
9. Review and possibly update the Planning Commission Report on draft amendments LDR-22-09
to the Land Development Regulations Environmental Protection Standards following changed
proposed by the City Council:
Ms. Peterson said there was a robust discussion at the City Council regarding the amendment. They
were pleased with the language. Because there was a change to the original language, the Commission
has to update its report. Mr. Conner said staff’s assessment is that the report does not change.
Mr. Mittag moved to affirm the Commission’s original report regarding LDR-22-09 and to note that
changes made to the original language does not alter that report. Mr. Smith seconded. The motion
passed 5-0.
10. Meeting Minutes of 11 April 2023:
It was noted that some edits have been circulated. Ms. Louisos noted that minutes are not a word-for-
word reporting of a meeting but convey what the Commission has generally done. Mr. Smith noted that
he had intended to say “developed parks.”
Mr. Mittag moved to approve the minutes of 11 April 2023 with the circulated changes. Mr. Smith
seconded. Motion passed 4-0 with D. Macdonald abstaining.
11. Other Business:
Mr. Conner provided amended language under agenda item #6. On page 1, the language in 1A and 2
was updated to match the other language. One page 2, the untitled section was titled “Submission
Requirements.” Simpler language was also provided that refers back to the standard as follows:
#1. Certification by a qualified professional
#2. A written statement from the relevant utility
Ms. Louisos then moved to approve the amendments to LDR-23-01 and LDR-23-02 with the proposed
changes as well as updates written during this meeting, and to submit the report to the City Council.
Mr. Smith seconded. The motion passed 5-0.
It was noted that a few members could attend the schedule 9 May meeting. Members agreed not to
meet on 9 May and that the 23 May meeting be used to review updated sections of the Comprehensive
Plan and that there be a special meeting on 31 May for the first Land Use discussion. The 13 June
meeting would also review updated sections.
As there was no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned by
common consent at 9:54 p.m.
___________________________________
Clerk
MEMORANDUM
To: Town of Jericho, Planning Commission Chairperson
Town of Westford, Planning Commission Chairperson
City of South Burlington, Planning Commission Chairperson
Town of Williston, Planning Commission Chairperson
City of Essex Junction, Planning Commission Chairperson
Town of Colchester, Planning Commission Chairperson
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Charles Baker, Executive
Director
Vermont Department of Housing & Community Development, Chris Cochran,
Planning Director
From: Town of Essex Planning Commission
Date: May 10, 2023
Re: Proposed Amendments to the Town of Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the
Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations.
Pursuant to 24 VSA §4441, sent via email with a return receipt requested, please find the
following attached documents:
Essex Planning Commission Notice of Public Hearing for proposed amendments to the Town of
Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations.
Planning Commission Reporting Form for Municipal Bylaw Amendments as required by 24
V.S.A.§ 4441(c).
The proposed amendments to the Town of Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the Town of
Essex Official Subdivision Regulations.
The proposed amendments can also be found at www.essexvt.org.
Please feel free to contact Katherine Sonnick, Community Development Director, with any
comments or questions at 878-1343 or via email at ksonnick@essex.org.
cc: Essex Planning Commission
Essex Selectboard
Sharon Kelley, Zoning Administrator
Kent Johnson, Planner
MEMORANDUM
To: Town of Jericho, Planning Commission Chairperson
Town of Westford, Planning Commission Chairperson
City of South Burlington, Planning Commission Chairperson
Town of Williston, Planning Commission Chairperson
City of Essex Junction, Planning Commission Chairperson
Town of Colchester, Planning Commission Chairperson
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Charles Baker, Executive
Director
Vermont Department of Housing & Community Development, Chris Cochran,
Planning Director
From: Town of Essex Planning Commission
Date: May 10, 2023
Re: Proposed Amendments to the Town of Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the
Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations.
Pursuant to 24 VSA §4441, sent via email with a return receipt requested, please find the
following attached documents:
Essex Planning Commission Notice of Public Hearing for proposed amendments to the Town of
Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations.
Planning Commission Reporting Form for Municipal Bylaw Amendments as required by 24
V.S.A.§ 4441(c).
The proposed amendments to the Town of Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the Town of
Essex Official Subdivision Regulations.
The proposed amendments can also be found at www.essexvt.org.
Please feel free to contact Katherine Sonnick, Community Development Director, with any
comments or questions at 878-1343 or via email at ksonnick@essex.org.
cc: Essex Planning Commission
Essex Selectboard
Sharon Kelley, Zoning Administrator
Kent Johnson, Planner
TOWN OF ESSEX
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Proposed Amendments to the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations
Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 4441(d), the Essex Planning Commission has scheduled a public
hearing for 6:00 PM, on May 25, 2023, at the municipal offices, 81 Main Street, Essex
Junction, Vermont, or online via Zoom, using the following link:
https://www.essexvt.org/1043/Join-Zoom-Meeting-Essex-PC, or by calling 1-888-788-
0099 using the meeting ID: 923 7777 6158 # and Passcode: 426269. The purpose of the
hearing is to solicit public input on proposed amendments to the Town of Essex Official
Zoning Bylaws, effective February 28, 2017, and proposed amendments to the Town of
Essex Official Subdivision Regulations, effective February 28, 2017.
The purpose of the amendments is to maintain consistency with state planning law (24
V.S.A., Chapter 117) and to implement provisions in the 2016 Essex Town Plan. The
amendments include minor technical corrections and clarifications, as well as minor
revisions to comply with state planning law and update outdated terms. Clarifications and
additions were made in the Definitions chapter (Article VIII). Substantive changes to the
zoning regulations include the following: 1) updates to the Business Design Control
district table (Table 2.16) to reference and include language from the 2021 ETC NEXT
Master Plan and additional design requirements, 2) the elimination of a minimum
dwelling unit size (Section 3.3(A)(B)), 3) allowance of marquee signs in the MXD(B1)
district, and 4) the minimum number of units in a PUD was increased from two to six..
Revisions to the Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations were largely technical in
nature.
The amendments have the potential to affect all areas in Town.
Copies of the proposed amendments and the report required by 24 V.S.A. §4441(c) may
be obtained or examined at the municipal offices at 81 Main Street, Essex, and the Essex
Free Library at 1 Browns River Road. The proposed amendments may be downloaded
from the Town website at www.essexvt.org.
For more information contact Katherine Sonnick, Community Development Director at
ksonnick@essex.org or 878-1343.
Dustin Bruso, Chair, Essex Planning Commission
PLANNING COMMISSION REPORTING FORM FOR
MUNICIPAL BYLAW AMENDMENTS
This report is in accordance with 24 V.S.A. § 4441(c) which states:
“When considering an amendment to a bylaw, the planning commission shall prepare and
approve a written report on the proposal. A single report may be prepared so as to satisfy
the requirements of this subsection including bylaw amendments and subsection 4384(c)
of this title concerning plan amendments…The report shall provide (:)
(A) Brief explanation of the proposed bylaw, amendment or repeal and…include a
statement of purpose as required for notice under section 24 § 4444 of this title,
The purpose of the amendments to the Town of Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the
Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations is to meet the requirements of state
planning law (24 V.S.A §117) and to comply with provisions in the 2016 Essex Town
Plan.
Zoning Regulations
Article 1, Authority and Purpose
Table 1.1(B)(3) Statutory Exemptions: Added language from Town Plan regarding
restrictions on solar installations in the Scenic Resource Preservation Overlay District.
Article II, Zoning Districts
Table 2.1 Summary Use Chart: Updated table to match changes made in the District
Tables.
Table 2.1 Summary Dimensional Table: Updated to remove the minimum buffer/side
streets.
District Tables:
Two Family Dwellings: Removed requirement permitted as only in a PUD-R in MXD
district. Removed as a use in the MXD-C district.
Multi-Family Dwellings: Removed requirement for permitted use in only a PUD-R in
AR, R1, R2; MXD and C1 districts. Changed from conditional to permitted use in RB
and CTR. Removed requirement for permitted only as a 1-2 bedroom in B1 district.
Church: Renamed to Religious Institution in all districts where the use is permitted or
conditional and in the definition in Article VIII.
2
Congregate Housing: Added as a conditional use in the R1 district. Removed the
requirement for Planning Commission approval for minimum lot area of 10,00 sq ft in the
MXD district.
1991 Town Center Master Plan: Updated reference and the text from the 1991 plan to
the text of the to the 2021 ETC NEXT Master Plan in CTR, MXD-C, B-DC. This
includes district goals and objectives,
Table 2.14: Specified that conditional uses along with the already included permitted
uses are identified only for the 40% developable area.
Group Home: Added as a permitted use in the HP-DC district.
Table 2.16 Business Design Control Overlay District: Added additional design
requirements for waste management, pavement maintenance, landscape maintenance, and
Fire and Safety Hazards. Moved signage and some landscaping requirements to Section
3.10 (Signs) and Article V, Development Review.
Article III, General Standards
Section 3.1(G)(4)(h), Access Standards: Section was added to include language
regarding the curb-cut application process.
Section 3.3(A)and (B), Dwelling Area Requirements: Restrictions on minimum size for
single family and multi family dwelling was removed.
Section 3.4(B)(C)(D), Fences and Walls: (B) Language was added to specify that
maintenance of landscaping at a property line is required. (C) Language was added
requiring fences to be maintained. (D) Language was added about locations of fences,
required repair of fences, height requirements for non-transparent fences. Language was
clarified to state where electric or barbed wire fences are permitted, instead of prohibited.
Section 3.6(B)(3), Height Restrictions: Rooftop solar and wind turbines were removed
as they are not regulated by the Town.
Section 3.7(B)(2), Setbacks from State Highways: Updated to reference the 2021 ETC
NEXT Master Plan.
Section 3.8(A)(1), Nonconformities: Updated, removing restrictions for pre-existing
lots served by municipal water and sewer to conform with state statute.
Section 3.10 (14), Signs: Text was added to this section from the B-DC so all of the sign
regulations are located in one location. Additional language updated to reflect recent
technology and standards. A new Section 3.10(F)(2)(h) to allow marquee signs in the
MXD(B1) district.
3
Article IV, Specific Standards
Section 4.1, Accessory Dwellings: Updated to conform with VT state statute
amendments in 2022.
Section 4.2(E), Backyard Chickens: Allowances for 12 female chickens on lots larger
than 1.5 acres in all districts without a permit.
Section 4.8, Residential Care Homes and Facilities: Updated to be consistent with
state statute amendments.
Article V, Development Review
Table 5.1(C), Landscaping Objectives: Language was added to clarify that mechanical
equipment shall be screened.
Section 5.6(G), Site Plan Lighting: Site Plan lighting standards were reorganized with
subsection titles, consolidated various standards and eliminated duplication.
Section 5.7(A) Conditional Use Review: Updated character of the area section related to
multi family dwellings to comply with state statute amendments.
Article VI, Planned Unit Development
Section 6.4(K), General Standards, Residential Density Bonuses: Updated language
to reflect current state energy codes.
Section 6.7(C), Planned Unit Development Mixed Use: Updated language to clarify
where PUD-MU are allowed, the uses allowed and including lot coverage requirements
for non-residential development, changing “Main Street” to “Carmichael Street,” updated
to reference the 2021 ETC NEXT Master Plan.
Section 6.8(C), Planned Use Development – Residential: The minimum number of
dwelling units in a PUD was increased to 6 (from 2).
Table 6.1: The “Minimum Residential Densities” chart was removed.
Article VII, Administration and Enforcement
Section 7.2, Zoning Permits: Clarified that successive tenants require a zoning permit.
Section 7.7(2)(3) Municipal Administrative Requirements, Planning Commission
Zoning Board of Adjustment: Removed language that prohibits compensation for
Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment members.
4
Article VIII, Definitions
Definitions, or clarification to definitions, were added for the terms including Accessory
Dwelling Unit, Affordable Housing, Church (Religious Institution), Family (Household),
Group Home (Residential Care Home), Marquee Sign, Restaurant, Short-Term Rental,
Subdivision, Wholesale Establishments.
Subdivision Regulations
Article II, Subdivision Procedures
Section 2.6(B)(2)(3), Sketch Plan Approval, Application Materials: (2) Added the
word “elements” to clarify what is required for application submission. (3) Added the
word “alternative” to clarify the intent of Sketch review.
Section 2.7(D)(9), Sketch Plan Approval, Review Procedure: Updated to reference the
correct section in the Subdivision Regulations.
Section 2.6(F), Sketch Plan Approval, Conservation Committee Review: Updated
reference since the committee is now called the Conservation and Trails Committee.
Section 2.7(C)(2)(p), Master Plan, Application Materials, Draft Master Plan:
Updated terminology of fields to meadows.
Section 2.8(3), Preliminary Subdivision Approval, Preliminary Plat: Added the term
“elements” to clarify what is required for application submission.
Section 2.10(B)(E)(F)(H)(I)(J)(K), Plat Recording Requirements: (B) Changed
reference to “the mylar checklist” from “guidance adopted by the Planning Commission”
to be more specific. (E)(K) Added new sections (E)(K) to clarify the submission
requirements for final plat submission and updated (F)(J)(I) Added language to clarify
the submission requirements for final plat submission. (H) Changed “Community
Development Director” to Zoning Administrator” to mirror the process already followed.
Section 2.11(D)(2), Requirements Following Approval, Public Acceptance of Streets,
Reservations, and Other Public Improvements: Updated submission process and items
to reflect preferred procedure.
Article IV, Subdivision Standards:
Section 4.1(A), Standards Applicable to All Subdivisions: Updated reference to
“Town Public Works Specifications” to the formal title of “Town of Essex Standard
Specifications for Construction”
Section 4.3(D), Preservation of Natural and Scenic Features, Floodplain: Updated to
reference correct section.
5
Section 2.6(F), Sketch Plan Approval, Conservation Committee Review: Updated
reference since the committee is now called the Conservation and Trails Committee.
Section 2.7(C)(2)(p), Master Plan, Application Materials, Draft Master Plan: Fixe
Article VI, Definitions
Definitions, or clarification to definitions, were added for the terms including Affordable
Housing and Subdivision
A(nd) shall include findings regarding how the proposal:
1. Conforms with or furthers the goals and policies contained in the municipal
plan, including the effect of the proposal on the availability of safe and
affordable housing:
There are provisions in the proposed zoning amendments which address the
availability of safe and affordable housing. These amendments were made to
bring the town Zoning Bylaws into conformance with amended state statute. This
includes changes to accessory dwelling units, relaxing regulations related
duplexes and multi-family housing, eliminates the conditional use denial of up to
4-unit dwellings based upon character of the area, and elimination of a minimum
dwelling unit size in all zoning districts.
2. Is compatible with the proposed future land uses and densities of the
municipal plan:
The zoning amendments do not contain provisions which are incompatible with
proposed future land uses and densities of the municipal plan.
3. Carries out, as applicable, any specific proposals for any planned community
facilities:
Not applicable
PLANNING COMMISSION REPORTING FORM FOR
MUNICIPAL BYLAW AMENDMENTS
This report is in accordance with 24 V.S.A. § 4441(c) which states:
“When considering an amendment to a bylaw, the planning commission shall prepare and
approve a written report on the proposal. A single report may be prepared so as to satisfy
the requirements of this subsection including bylaw amendments and subsection 4384(c)
of this title concerning plan amendments…The report shall provide (:)
(A) Brief explanation of the proposed bylaw, amendment or repeal and…include a
statement of purpose as required for notice under section 24 § 4444 of this title,
The purpose of the amendments to the Town of Essex Official Zoning Regulations and the
Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations is to meet the requirements of state
planning law (24 V.S.A §117) and to comply with provisions in the 2016 Essex Town
Plan.
Zoning Regulations
Article 1, Authority and Purpose
Table 1.1(B)(3) Statutory Exemptions: Added language from Town Plan regarding
restrictions on solar installations in the Scenic Resource Preservation Overlay District.
Article II, Zoning Districts
Table 2.1 Summary Use Chart: Updated table to match changes made in the District
Tables.
Table 2.1 Summary Dimensional Table: Updated to remove the minimum buffer/side
streets.
District Tables:
Two Family Dwellings: Removed requirement permitted as only in a PUD-R in MXD
district. Removed as a use in the MXD-C district.
Multi-Family Dwellings: Removed requirement for permitted use in only a PUD-R in
AR, R1, R2; MXD and C1 districts. Changed from conditional to permitted use in RB
and CTR. Removed requirement for permitted only as a 1-2 bedroom in B1 district.
Church: Renamed to Religious Institution in all districts where the use is permitted or
conditional and in the definition in Article VIII.
2
Congregate Housing: Added as a conditional use in the R1 district. Removed the
requirement for Planning Commission approval for minimum lot area of 10,00 sq ft in the
MXD district.
1991 Town Center Master Plan: Updated reference and the text from the 1991 plan to
the text of the to the 2021 ETC NEXT Master Plan in CTR, MXD-C, B-DC. This
includes district goals and objectives,
Table 2.14: Specified that conditional uses along with the already included permitted
uses are identified only for the 40% developable area.
Group Home: Added as a permitted use in the HP-DC district.
Table 2.16 Business Design Control Overlay District: Added additional design
requirements for waste management, pavement maintenance, landscape maintenance, and
Fire and Safety Hazards. Moved signage and some landscaping requirements to Section
3.10 (Signs) and Article V, Development Review.
Article III, General Standards
Section 3.1(G)(4)(h), Access Standards: Section was added to include language
regarding the curb-cut application process.
Section 3.3(A)and (B), Dwelling Area Requirements: Restrictions on minimum size for
single family and multi family dwelling was removed.
Section 3.4(B)(C)(D), Fences and Walls: (B) Language was added to specify that
maintenance of landscaping at a property line is required. (C) Language was added
requiring fences to be maintained. (D) Language was added about locations of fences,
required repair of fences, height requirements for non-transparent fences. Language was
clarified to state where electric or barbed wire fences are permitted, instead of prohibited.
Section 3.6(B)(3), Height Restrictions: Rooftop solar and wind turbines were removed
as they are not regulated by the Town.
Section 3.7(B)(2), Setbacks from State Highways: Updated to reference the 2021 ETC
NEXT Master Plan.
Section 3.8(A)(1), Nonconformities: Updated, removing restrictions for pre-existing
lots served by municipal water and sewer to conform with state statute.
Section 3.10 (14), Signs: Text was added to this section from the B-DC so all of the sign
regulations are located in one location. Additional language updated to reflect recent
technology and standards. A new Section 3.10(F)(2)(h) to allow marquee signs in the
MXD(B1) district.
3
Article IV, Specific Standards
Section 4.1, Accessory Dwellings: Updated to conform with VT state statute
amendments in 2022.
Section 4.2(E), Backyard Chickens: Allowances for 12 female chickens on lots larger
than 1.5 acres in all districts without a permit.
Section 4.8, Residential Care Homes and Facilities: Updated to be consistent with
state statute amendments.
Article V, Development Review
Table 5.1(C), Landscaping Objectives: Language was added to clarify that mechanical
equipment shall be screened.
Section 5.6(G), Site Plan Lighting: Site Plan lighting standards were reorganized with
subsection titles, consolidated various standards and eliminated duplication.
Section 5.7(A) Conditional Use Review: Updated character of the area section related to
multi family dwellings to comply with state statute amendments.
Article VI, Planned Unit Development
Section 6.4(K), General Standards, Residential Density Bonuses: Updated language
to reflect current state energy codes.
Section 6.7(C), Planned Unit Development Mixed Use: Updated language to clarify
where PUD-MU are allowed, the uses allowed and including lot coverage requirements
for non-residential development, changing “Main Street” to “Carmichael Street,” updated
to reference the 2021 ETC NEXT Master Plan.
Section 6.8(C), Planned Use Development – Residential: The minimum number of
dwelling units in a PUD was increased to 6 (from 2).
Table 6.1: The “Minimum Residential Densities” chart was removed.
Article VII, Administration and Enforcement
Section 7.2, Zoning Permits: Clarified that successive tenants require a zoning permit.
Section 7.7(2)(3) Municipal Administrative Requirements, Planning Commission
Zoning Board of Adjustment: Removed language that prohibits compensation for
Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment members.
4
Article VIII, Definitions
Definitions, or clarification to definitions, were added for the terms including Accessory
Dwelling Unit, Affordable Housing, Church (Religious Institution), Family (Household),
Group Home (Residential Care Home), Marquee Sign, Restaurant, Short-Term Rental,
Subdivision, Wholesale Establishments.
Subdivision Regulations
Article II, Subdivision Procedures
Section 2.6(B)(2)(3), Sketch Plan Approval, Application Materials: (2) Added the
word “elements” to clarify what is required for application submission. (3) Added the
word “alternative” to clarify the intent of Sketch review.
Section 2.7(D)(9), Sketch Plan Approval, Review Procedure: Updated to reference the
correct section in the Subdivision Regulations.
Section 2.6(F), Sketch Plan Approval, Conservation Committee Review: Updated
reference since the committee is now called the Conservation and Trails Committee.
Section 2.7(C)(2)(p), Master Plan, Application Materials, Draft Master Plan:
Updated terminology of fields to meadows.
Section 2.8(3), Preliminary Subdivision Approval, Preliminary Plat: Added the term
“elements” to clarify what is required for application submission.
Section 2.10(B)(E)(F)(H)(I)(J)(K), Plat Recording Requirements: (B) Changed
reference to “the mylar checklist” from “guidance adopted by the Planning Commission”
to be more specific. (E)(K) Added new sections (E)(K) to clarify the submission
requirements for final plat submission and updated (F)(J)(I) Added language to clarify
the submission requirements for final plat submission. (H) Changed “Community
Development Director” to Zoning Administrator” to mirror the process already followed.
Section 2.11(D)(2), Requirements Following Approval, Public Acceptance of Streets,
Reservations, and Other Public Improvements: Updated submission process and items
to reflect preferred procedure.
Article IV, Subdivision Standards:
Section 4.1(A), Standards Applicable to All Subdivisions: Updated reference to
“Town Public Works Specifications” to the formal title of “Town of Essex Standard
Specifications for Construction”
Section 4.3(D), Preservation of Natural and Scenic Features, Floodplain: Updated to
reference correct section.
5
Section 2.6(F), Sketch Plan Approval, Conservation Committee Review: Updated
reference since the committee is now called the Conservation and Trails Committee.
Section 2.7(C)(2)(p), Master Plan, Application Materials, Draft Master Plan: Fixe
Article VI, Definitions
Definitions, or clarification to definitions, were added for the terms including Affordable
Housing and Subdivision
A(nd) shall include findings regarding how the proposal:
1. Conforms with or furthers the goals and policies contained in the municipal
plan, including the effect of the proposal on the availability of safe and
affordable housing:
There are provisions in the proposed zoning amendments which address the
availability of safe and affordable housing. These amendments were made to
bring the town Zoning Bylaws into conformance with amended state statute. This
includes changes to accessory dwelling units, relaxing regulations related
duplexes and multi-family housing, eliminates the conditional use denial of up to
4-unit dwellings based upon character of the area, and elimination of a minimum
dwelling unit size in all zoning districts.
2. Is compatible with the proposed future land uses and densities of the
municipal plan:
The zoning amendments do not contain provisions which are incompatible with
proposed future land uses and densities of the municipal plan.
3. Carries out, as applicable, any specific proposals for any planned community
facilities:
Not applicable
TOWN OF ESSEX
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Proposed Amendments to the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations
Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 4441(d), the Essex Planning Commission has scheduled a public
hearing for 6:00 PM, on May 25, 2023, at the municipal offices, 81 Main Street, Essex
Junction, Vermont, or online via Zoom, using the following link:
https://www.essexvt.org/1043/Join-Zoom-Meeting-Essex-PC, or by calling 1-888-788-
0099 using the meeting ID: 923 7777 6158 # and Passcode: 426269. The purpose of the
hearing is to solicit public input on proposed amendments to the Town of Essex Official
Zoning Bylaws, effective February 28, 2017, and proposed amendments to the Town of
Essex Official Subdivision Regulations, effective February 28, 2017.
The purpose of the amendments is to maintain consistency with state planning law (24
V.S.A., Chapter 117) and to implement provisions in the 2016 Essex Town Plan. The
amendments include minor technical corrections and clarifications, as well as minor
revisions to comply with state planning law and update outdated terms. Clarifications and
additions were made in the Definitions chapter (Article VIII). Substantive changes to the
zoning regulations include the following: 1) updates to the Business Design Control
district table (Table 2.16) to reference and include language from the 2021 ETC NEXT
Master Plan and additional design requirements, 2) the elimination of a minimum
dwelling unit size (Section 3.3(A)(B)), 3) allowance of marquee signs in the MXD(B1)
district, and 4) the minimum number of units in a PUD was increased from two to six..
Revisions to the Town of Essex Official Subdivision Regulations were largely technical in
nature.
The amendments have the potential to affect all areas in Town.
Copies of the proposed amendments and the report required by 24 V.S.A. §4441(c) may
be obtained or examined at the municipal offices at 81 Main Street, Essex, and the Essex
Free Library at 1 Browns River Road. The proposed amendments may be downloaded
from the Town website at www.essexvt.org.
For more information contact Katherine Sonnick, Community Development Director at
ksonnick@essex.org or 878-1343.
Dustin Bruso, Chair, Essex Planning Commission