TOWN OF HINESBURG

PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

 

June 16, 2004

Approved July 7, 2004

 

Commission Members Present:  Jean Isham (Chair), Fred Haulenbeek, Carrie Fenn, John Buckingham, Joe Iadanza, George Bedard, Nancy Norris, Johanna White, Daniel Greller

 

Commission Members Absent:  none.

 

Also Present:  Alex Weinhagen (Town Planner), Rob Farley.

 

The meeting began at approximately 7:40pm.

 

Town Plan Revision – Review & Discuss Draft 2:

The Commission continued its page by page review of draft 2 of the Town Plan.  A variety of grammatical and substantive corrections and changes were discussed.  A partial list by section follows:

3.4 – Add “and restoration” to the end of 2nd paragraph regarding “the preservation of the town’s wetlands, streams, surface waters and ground waters.

 

3.4.5 – No change.  Carrie recommended changing the goal to not only preserve conservation lands, but also to connect them – i.e., “… that preserve and connect conservation lands.”  George said he didn’t want to advocate for connections between publicly owned lands, since the connections would be on private land.  He said that if the Commission advocates for connections, there should also be a recommendation to get substantial public input.  Carrie suggested modified language of, “In partnership with landowners and the community, develop policies throughout the rural areas that preserve and connect conservation lands.”  George felt there should be a master plan for these public conservation lands and the possible connections before the Commission advocates for the connections.

 

Rob Farley asked if the Commission has considered requiring land conservation in return for major development – e.g., future NRG scale commercial/industrial or Grabowski/Lyman residential development.  Jean said the Commission has talked about transfer of development rights, and the Plan language encourages the exploration of this and other options.

 

4.4 – Various changes throughout.  Rob Farley said that the Town is bumping up against its permitted capacity or draw from the 2 active Town wells behind Town Hall.  He feels the Town should figure out what options to pursue to ensure adequate municipal water supply (e.g., new wells, seek a greater permitted withdrawal from existing wells).  Rob would like the Plan to address future water sources in order to keep pace with development.  George asked Rob if the Town could utilize the CVU well to supplement the municipal supply, now that CVU is on Town water.  Rob said it might be possible, but the degree to which this will solve capacity shortage depends on the CVU well yield.  George said the Town should explore the known well sites that the Town already has the right to access – i.e., Geprag well, Lyman Meadows well, etc.  Rob asked if the Plan could advocate for Zoning measures to discourage development in low yield areas.  Jean suggested taking a closer look at this when the Commission begins work on Zoning Regulation changes.

 

5 – Carrie suggested a recommendation to study impact fees, or other comparable mechanisms, to ensure that major development pays its share of any additional infrastructure that becomes necessary due to the development.

 

7 – Carrie recommended that the Energy section of the Plan include language similar to the Monkton Plan regarding the Town’s position on large scale transmission lines (primarily electric).  She wanted to make sure that any expansion to the VELCO line through Hinesburg is done so as not to disrupt the rural character of the Town.  George doesn’t want language that implies the Town has local permitting authority over transmission lines, since State statute expressly prohibits this.  Alex clarified that the Town would comment on such proposals via the State’s Public Service Board (PSB) review process, which typically looks to the Town Plan language for municipal guidance (similar to Act 250).  George recommended contacting the PSB to find out what kind of boiler plate language might work, and what kind they’ve paid attention to in the past.

 

5 – Add a new section on elderly issues.  Carrie presented new language to add a section on elderly and disabled issues.  The Commission discussed the new section.  Alex said he will insert it after the child care section (5.7).

 

The Commission tentatively scheduled the formal public hearing on the draft Town Plan for the August 4 meeting.  Alex said it had to be that far out due to the 30-day notice requirement for surrounding towns, the CCRPC, and the State Dept. of Housing & Community Affairs.

 

Minutes of the June 2, 2004 Meeting:

The June 2, 2004 meeting minutes were not acted on, and will be approved at the next meeting.

 

Other Business & Announcements:

The Commission tentatively scheduled a public hearing on September 1 in order to make a minor change to the Zoning Regulations to allow multi-family units in those portions of the Rural Residential 1 (RR1) district that are served by the Town wastewater system.

 

The Commission will use the next meeting to discuss a possible list of tasks, activities, and public outreach to plan for the future of the West Side area.  Fred is interested in mapping out the steps and some time tables.  The Commission will also take a look at the proposed Bissonette subdivision on Gilman Road.

 

The meeting adjourned at 10:15pm.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

 

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Alex Weinhagen, Town Planner               Date