HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Open Space IZ Committee - 01/17/2019South Burlington Open Space Interim Zoning Commi ee January 17, 2019
The Open Space IZ Commi ee held a regular mee ng on Thursday, January 17, 2019, at 7:00 pm, in the upstairsConference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street.
Members present: Vince Bolduc, Alyson Chalnick, Meaghan Emery, Bernie Gagnon, Amanda Holland, Duncan Murdoch,Allan Strong, Sam Swanson, Tami Zylka. Members absent: Sophie Mazowita and Be y Milizia. Also present: Paul Conner,Director of Planning and Zoning.
1. Direc ons on emergency evacua on procedures from conference room:
Paul Conner called the mee ng to order and provided instruc ons on emergency evacua on of the building.
2. Addi ons, dele ons or changes in order of agenda items:
No changes were made.
3. Comments from the public not related to the agenda:
No issues were raised.
4. Elec on of Commi ee Officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, Clerk:
Paul Conner read two members’ suggested criteria for chair and announced the Allan Strong and Duncan Murdochhad volunteered to be the commi ee chair and vice-chair respec vely. Alyson Chalnick nominated Allan Strong forchair. Vince Bolduc seconded, and he was unanimously appointed. Allan serves as an Associate Dean in theRubenstein School of Natural Resources at UVM, is an ecologist by training (specializing in birds), and has experiencerunning mee ngs. He is sensi ve to me constraints and values having team input.
Paul con nued the organiza onal mee ng. Vince nominated Duncan Murdoch for vice-chair and Meaghan Emery forclerk, and Alyson seconded. Both were unanimously appointed.
5. Establish regular mee ng dates and mes:
Paul Conner explained state law’s requirements regarding regular mee ngs. Bernie Gagnon moved that theCommi ee hold its regular mee ngs on the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of each month at 7pm. MeaghanEmery seconded. The mo on passed unanimously.
6. Determine Commi ee procedures and process for decision-making:
Allan took over the running of the mee ng and suggested that the Commi ee iden fy the big decisions to be madefirst and then the smaller steps needed to get there. Members also agreed upon the consensus approach overunanimity. Members will vote on the important issues and in its final report, the Commi ee will include concerns andminority opinions in order to alert the Council to poten al issues. Allan also suggested that the Commi ee create abike rack to keep a list of outstanding issues. Paul Conner agreed to bring an easel to the next mee ng. Paul alsopointed out what resources (projects and report page) were available on the Commi ee’s website. Alyson Chalnickdisclosed the involvement of her husband in a lawsuit regarding the Dorset Meadows development. Vince Bolduc alsodisclosed that he has a large landholding. Members also addressed public outreach as a priority in order to informlandowners and all members of the public. Use of social media and press releases were men oned as ways to informthe public on the Commi ee’s work.
7. Review and discuss Commi ee charge, melines, deliverables:
Vince Bolduc read the Commi ee’s charge and members discussed in order to fully understand it. Paul Conneriden fied two possible outcomes of the Commi ee’s final report: (1) changes could be made to the City’s officialmap, which includes public projects of priority and the regulatory right of first refusal, giving the Council a 120-daywindow to act to acquire land; and (2) changes made through LDR amendments. Commi ee members coalescedaround priori zing ecological principals in the remaining open space, which could then be aligned with parcelboundary lines. Bernie Gagnon suggested that the parcel boundaries will allow the Council to determine whichregulatory tools to use. He also suggested that the Commi ee start with the natural resource maps. Tami Zylkasuggested that open lands that have less environmental value could be conserved for other purposes, such asrecrea on.
8. Review of prior studies & recommended next steps, including 2014 Open Space Report:
Paul Conner will provide maps to the Commi ee showing where open space lands lie in the City, including what hasalready been conserved. Members iden fied resources to be used in order to priori ze lands: the maps in theComprehensive Plan and in the LDRs, maps that the CCRPC has put online, Biofinders, wildlife tracking maps (throughthe Burlington Mammal Tracking Project), the Natural Resources Commi ee scoring worksheet, in addi on to the
Commi ee Resources website. If members have ques ons, Paul urged them to funnel them through Allan andDuncan, who will also meet with Planning and Zoning staff to learn about map resources.
9. Review and approval Mee ng Minutes: January 8, 2019:
Meaghan Emery moved to approve the minutes. Vince Bolduc seconded, and the mo on passed unanimously.
10. Adjourn:
The mee ng adjourned shortly a er 9pm. The next mee ng is on Tuesday, February 5 at 7pm, in City Hall.