TOWN OF HINESBURG

PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

August 18, 2004

Approved September 15, 2004

Commission Members Present: Jean Isham (Chair), Carrie Fenn, John Buckingham, Joe Iadanza, George Bedard, Daniel Greller.

Commission Members Absent: Nancy Norris, Fred Haulenbeek, Johanna White.

Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Town Planner), George & Karla Munson.

The meeting began at approximately 7:45pm.

Town Plan Revision – Finalizing Draft Plan:

The Commission reviewed the public feedback received at the last meeting on the draft Town Plan. The Commission went through the comments and suggestions made by reviewing the minutes of the meeting, and then discussing whether any changes to the Plan were needed.

Section 1.6 will be modified per Lynn Gardner’s suggestion to delete 2 sentences referring to the Industrial 1 zoning district and its compatibility with uses just across the Town line in Starksboro.

The Commission instructed Alex to work on a basic glossary of terms for the Plan per Ken Brown’s suggestion. The Commission agreed to modify recommendation 4.3.2b to refer to Town regulations rather than simply subdivision regulations. Jean also suggested adding language to consider innovative or low impact development techniques that minimize stormwater runoff.

Jean suggested adding language to recommendation 3.2.5a (bullet 3) per Howdy Russell’s suggestion to state that growth in the Mechanicsville Road corridor would occur “either through expansion of the village district or creation of a new district,” and that, “This area could provide pedestrian access to the existing village core and would not be separated by a major state highway.

The Commission felt Ted White’s suggestions on the proposed West Side Road (road design, traffic calming, etc.) addressed specifics that would be taken up later, when engineering began.

Regarding Wayne Bissonette’s concerns about the Plan’s lack of specificity for development of the West Side area, John and Jean felt that the Commission is considering many options for the this portion of the greater village growth area. They felt the Commission needs more public input on this front, and that at this point the Plan isn’t ready for additional specifics on what should be allowed in this area, and how it will all come together.

The Commission understood Scott Shumway’s desire for discrete timetables and budgets for the Plan’s many important goals and objectives. However, the Commission felt the Plan is a vision that has a necessarily broad focus in order to address the many issues facing Hinesburg. They felt that the Planning Commission’s job is to ensure that the vision is explored and implemented appropriately. Therefore, more specifics on timelines, procedures, and budgets will come after the vision expressed in the Plan is adopted by the Selectboard.

The Commission will add the Mechanicsville Road intersection to the list of Route 116 intersections that need particular attention (section 3.2.2a).

The Commission discussed Deb Howard’s suggestion that the Plan include a recommendation for additional professional planning assistance. The Commission felt 2 additional recommendations should be added under section 5.5 (General Government). First, the Town should schedule an annual meeting with the Selectboard, Planning Commission, Development Review Board, Conservation Commission, etc. to discuss concerns, share information, and assess staffing needs. Secondly, the Town should create a volunteer or self-funded (via grant overhead/administration) grant/development coordinator position to lower the burden on tax payers for existing/ongoing projects as well as new projects that are of benefit to the community.

The Commission addressed Elizabeth Lee’s housing suggestion by adding a recommendation to section 2.5 to encourage housing developments that have a mix of market prices. They also agreed to add a recommendation to section 6.5 to develop a sidewalk or recreation path system from CVU along the Richmond Road to Texas Hill Road to connect existing high density residential areas to village infrastructure. On another Lee suggestion, Carrie recommended adding a recommendation to section 7.1 to facilitate and promote the services of Efficiency Vermont, which analyzes homes and businesses in order to recommend energy efficiency measures.

In response to comments on the recreational value of Town roads, made by Peter Erb and Missy Ross, the Commission decided to add a recommendation to section 5.4.1 to recognize that the Town’s class 3&4 dirt roads are used extensively for recreational activities such as walking, biking, and horseback riding. Furthermore, the recommendation will “ensure” that these uses are considered when road improvements are made.

The Commission discussed suggestions made by a number of people to add language to describe the appropriate scale of development for Hinesburg so as to preserve the Town’s rural village character. The Commission could not reach consensus on this issue, and decided to leave until the zoning and subdivision regulations are changed.

The Commission understood Barb Forrest’s desire to see redevelopment of underutilized or abandoned properties, but felt that recommendation 3.2.5c was adequate. The Commission felt the Town simply needs to advocate for redevelopment and support landowners that choose to do so.

The Commission discussed a few other minor revisions and typographical corrections. The Commission then reviewed written suggestions for specific Plan changes from Andrea Morgante. The word “restore” was added to recommendation 4.3.1 after a straw vote was taken with Dan, Carrie, Joe, and Jean in favor and George and John opposed. The Commission felt recommendation 4.3.1e already addressed the need to continue geomorphological assessments and create or implement pre-disaster mitigation plans.

The Commission felt that Andrea’s suggestion for a separate goal (under 3.4) regarding trails was adequately addressed in recommendation 6.7 and in the village section. The Commission also felt that suggestions for 3.4.5 on conservation lands were not needed. George expressed concern about encumbering private lands adjacent to conservation or public lands without more community dialogue. Recognition of the value of public lands and trails is already addressed in the Plan.

The Commission agreed to add Andrea’s new goal for section 4.6 (Flood Hazard Areas) – i.e., “Develop river corridor plans to meet the requirements of pre-disaster mitigation.” The Commission also agreed to make changes to section 4.9.1 (open space planning) per Andrea’s suggestions.

The Commission discussed Andrea’s revised vision statement, and decided that the vision statement in the draft Plan was preferable.

The Commission agreed to add additional energy section language prepared by Alex on VELCO transmission lines.

John MOVED to send the Town Plan revisions to the Selectboard for action, pending Alex making the changes discussed. Carrie SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED 6-0.

Minutes of the August 4, 2004 Meeting:

George MOVED to approve the August 4, 2004 meeting minutes as amended. John SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED 6-0.

Other Business & Announcements:

The Commission decided to cancel the September 1 meeting.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:00pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

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Alex Weinhagen, Town Planner Date