TOWN OF HINESBURG
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
Approved March 3, 2004
Commission Members Present: Jean Isham (Chair), Joe Iadanza, John Buckingham, Carrie Fenn, Fred Haulenbeek, John Mace, Nancy Norris.
Commission Members Absent: George Bedard, Deb Howard.
Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Town Planner), George & Karla Munson, Howard Russell, Elizabeth Meyer.
The meeting began at approximately 7:35pm.
Town Plan Revision – Child Care Issues:
Alex reviewed the new statutory requirement that municipal plans address childcare issues. The legislature amended the purpose section (4302) of Title 24, Chapter 117 such that one goal of local, regional, and statewide planning processes shall be, “to ensure the availability of safe and affordable child care and to integrate child care issues into the planning process, including child care financing, infrastructure, business assistance for child care providers, and child care work force development.”
Elizabeth Meyer from The Childcare Resource, helped explain the new statutory requirement, and then explained the related Hinesburg childcare data and recommendations that she prepared for the Commission to review. Jean said the statistics indicate that Hinesburg has adequate childcare facilities/coverage. Elizabeth largely agreed, but said the numbers do raise some questions. For one, why is enrollment so low for small-scale home-based providers? Secondly, given the low after-school program enrollment, where are school-aged children going after school? John Buckingham said there are many after school sports programs that occupy children. He also said that many parents work, but likely structure their hours so as to be home after school. Carrie said that grandparents also help out in this regard.
Fred suggested establishing a clearinghouse bulletin board at the Town Hall to list providers, references, etc. Fred wondered what other towns are doing to address childcare needs. Elizabeth explained the services that The Childcare Resource provides, including referrals, training, etc. Alex suggested that perhaps the Town could help fund this centralized service for residents seeking childcare that aren’t covered by state funding programs or employer contracts.
Elizabeth discussed the role that Annette’s Playschool plays as Hinesburg’s largest childcare facility. Annette’s is accredited nationally, and works cooperatively with the Hinesburg Community School to use some education funding to work with 3 and 4 year olds. John Mace asked if the lower enrollment in family-based care is largely due to census trends manifesting in lower overall school enrollment. Elizabeth said this is partially true, but she feels there is still a need and demand for family-based care options. John agreed with Jean that the numbers seem to indicate that Hinesburg has an adequate supply of childcare facilities. Elizabeth agreed, but said that there might be room for improvement in the overall quality of the care. She recommended talking to the school to see if they are interested in increasing this overall quality so that children entering Kindergarten and 1st grade are better prepared.
John Mace suggested putting a link to the Childcare Resource website on the Town’s website, along with a list of Hinesburg childcare providers. Elizabeth thought this was a great idea. Carrie asked what kind of language should go into the Plan. Alex suggested that at minimum the Plan should include the data to provide a current snapshot of childcare facilities and enrollment. Fred asked what the trend has been in the supply and demand of providers. Elizabeth said the trend has been toward larger centers versus family based care providers.
Elizabeth suggested participation in the State’s Kindergarten readiness survey. Jean wondered why childcare centers are listed as a conditional use, rather than a permitted use, in the Village district. The Commission discussed this, and looked through the other zoning districts for possible changes to encourage appropriate childcare facilities.
Town Plan Revision – Plan Maps:
The Commission reviewed the maps in the existing Town Plan, and discussed the need for changes, new maps, etc. The following changes were recommended:
· Base Map – update road names (i.e., Isham and Catchapaw Roads instead of Pent Rd), and check to make sure that non-through roads are shown properly.
· Land Use – change to “Future Land Use” and show the areas the Commission is planning for – e.g., West Side Road, Mechanicsville Road, Village to South, etc. Add a new map that shows “Current Zoning Districts”. Basically separate future land use from existing land use (i.e., zoning).
· Building Locations – update to show current location data.
· Agriculture & Forest Lands – map is too complicated; simplify by making 2 maps – 1 for prime/statewide agricultural soils and 1 for lands enrolled in current use program.
· Wetlands & Floodplains – make sure flood hazard overlay is up to date in Village.
· Environmental Features – map is too complicated; simplify by making 2 maps – 1 for water supply data, and 1 for significant natural areas/features and steep slopes.
· Sewer & Water Map – needs lots of revisions; still show existing sewer lines, water lines, pump stations, etc., but also show the sewer service area that should be adopted by Selectboard prior to adoption of the new Plan.
· Town Facilities – needs lots of revisions; need to show entire Town to be able to include the Town Forest; possibly include an inset on this larger map to show village area facilities – alternatively, create a separate Village Area map that identifies these lands and facilities. Create a new map called “Conserved Lands” to show Town lands, State lands, and private easements (e.g., VLT).
Other Business:
The Commission discussed the letter that Wayne and Barbara Bissonette submitted to the Selectboard asking that a portion of their property on the south side of Ballards Corner be re-zoned to commercial. The Commission plans to discuss this in more depth once the Town Plan is adopted. The Commission felt the response from the Selectboard was appropriate; therefore, no special response was needed from the Planning Commission. The Commission felt the Bissonettes generally understood that this idea would be considered after the new Plan was approved.
Jean said that she spoke with Joe Fallon (Town Meeting Moderator) regarding mentioning the Town Plan revision at Town Meeting. John Mace will speak, and he plans to mention the important dates, web site, etc.
Alex said that even though the Munsons were no longer pushing for an immediate zoning change, the Commission should respond to the letter from the Selectboard that was discussed at the February 4 meeting. Jean said she would draft the letter and circulate it via e-mail for feedback. George Munson said that he actually still wants the Commission to discuss the issue further. He said that he had provided Alex with documentation that better describes his negotiations with the Selectboard and what he’s done over the last year. He thought Alex was going to provide this information to the Commission so that it could be discussed at tonight’s meeting. Alex apologized, and said that he was planning on passing this information on to the Commission, but that he didn’t realize there was an expectation that it be done immediately and included on the next Planning Commission meeting agenda. Jean asked Alex to put this on the agenda for the March 3 meeting, and that the Commission would take it up after the Town Plan discussion, as time allowed.
Fred reviewed his idea to allow multi-family uses, and potentially some other permitted commercial uses from the Village district, in that portion of the Rural Residential 1 district that is in the sewer service area. Alex recommended that the Commission consider adding multi-family uses to all districts. Jean felt the current Plan doesn’t authorize a change like this in all districts, but does in that portion of the RR1 district served by Town sewer. Fred felt his change could be accomplished under the current Plan.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:00pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
______________________________ ___________
Alex Weinhagen, Town Planner Date