TOWN OF HINESBURG

PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

 

February 15, 2006

Approved March 1, 2006

 

Commission Members Present:  Jean Isham, George Bedard, Kay Ballard, Joe Iadanza, Carrie Fenn, Joe Donegan, Nancy Norris, Johanna White.

 

Commission Members Absent:  Fred Haulenbeek.

 

Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Dir. of Planning/Zoning), Heather Stafford (Recording Secretary), David Hirth, Dana Hirth, John Lyman, Suzanne Richards, Rodman Corey, Paul Wieczoreck, Rick Paleri, Bill Marks, Jon Trefry, James Donegan, Colleen Mackinnon, Peter Erb, Carl Bohlen, George Dameron, Steve Giroux, George Munson, Karla Munson, David Lyman, Miriam Adams, Susan Mead, David Fenn, Larry Telford, Gerry Livingston, Roger Kohn, Howard Russell, Dennis Casey.

 

**Note: Thirty-seven (37) people attended the February 15 Planning Commission meeting, not including commission members, the Director of Planning/Zoning or the Recording Secretary. The list above is a partial list of those attendees.

 

The meeting began at approximately 7:40 p.m.

 

Alex welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained that discussion at this meeting would focus on the Village Core and Commerce Park. He added that anyone interested in transportation issues in Hinesburg might wish to attend a meeting on Monday February 20th at 7:00 pm at Town Hall to discuss possible locations for a park and ride in Hinesburg. The meeting will be held in the lower level conference room and all those who are interested are encouraged to attend.

 

In reference to the discussion questions, Alex offered some more technical information to clarify a few issues. He explained that the town uses the state definition to define affordable housing. The town plan includes a goal to encourage and support a variety of affordable housing opportunities. The state defines affordable housing in the following terms; the total annual housing costs (including mortgage, property taxes, insurance, etc.) for a household with an income of 80% or less of the average income for residents in that county, does not exceed 30% of that household's annual gross income. Alex noted that as of the last census taken, the average income for a household in Chittenden county was $47,600. He went on to explain that affordable housing is becoming a very significant issue in Vermont because we are not building enough to meet our housing needs, and the new home building that is taking place is primarily for more expensive homes that fall at the top of the market.

 

Alex then explained that in reference to question #4 regarding residential dwellings in Commerce Park, currently residential housing is only allowed on the 2nd or 3rd floor of a commercial building. At present, there is only one residence in Commerce Park upstairs from Nestech.

 

Finally, Alex explained that architectural design (as referenced in question #5) consists of specific building features such as roof type and pitch, windows, doors, building materials etc. as well as site features such as garage placement, parking areas, entrance orientation, etc. He thought that groups may wish to discuss both aspects when discussing architectural design standards.

 

Alex then split the attendees into four different groups to discuss the following five discussion questions:

 

1.      Do you think future development should occur within the existing village core FIRST, before other areas like Ballard's Corner or Mechanicsville Road?

 

2.      With the exception of the historic 'Main Street' section of Route 116, are you amenable to seeing 3 or 4 story buildings in the village area – either new buildings or redesigns to existing buildings?

 

3.      Do you think the village growth center should include some truly affordable housing? Affordable means the price is capped so that annual cost does not exceed 30% of gross income for those earning less than the state median income. Frequently this involves partnering with non-profit groups like Housing Vermont, Burlington Community Land Trust, etc. If yes, where should it be located, and should it be focused in certain areas, mixed in all neighborhoods, a little of both?

 

4.      Would you support more residential housing mixed into the commercial area in/around Commerce Park?

 

5.      Do you think the Town should review the architectural design of new and redesigned village area buildings? If yes, what kinds of design features do you like and dislike?

 

After a little more than an hour of discussion, the following thoughts, ideas and opinions were presented by the Planning Commission members on behalf of the attendees.

 

Group 1: Summary

·          Should concentrate on in-fill and connectivity of developed areas.

·          Sequence of development is critical. Should we focus on the center of town or where land is available to develop?

·          Core village development should be mixed use.

·          3 or 4 story buildings may be acceptable, would need a good reason for a 4-story building.

·          Incentives are needed to get builders to consider different architectural standards.

·          Standards for good architecture are difficult to determine and can become outdated.

·          Make Main Street more attractive with more small shops.

·          Affordable housing is needed and should be mixed into different neighborhoods.

·          It will take a lot of cooperation from different people/organizations to get affordable housing in Hinesburg.

 

Group 2: Summary

·          Ballard's corner is not the place to start development.

·          Not much space in the village center for in-fill.

·          Development around Lyman Park needs to be carefully considered.

·          Start development in the village core.

·          Don't want big box stores in Hinesburg.

·          Buildings should be a minimum of 2 stories in village core, with a cap of 3 or 4 stories.

·          Would like to have affordable housing, perhaps cooperative housing in Hinesburg.

·          Need a transportation system.

·          Liberalize zoning regulations to allow multi-family homes in the village core.

·          Housing in commercial areas makes sense.

·          Housing should be energy efficient and built with green materials whenever possible.

·          A group should be put together to determine architectural standards. They should fit into the historic look of the village.

 

Group 3: Summary

·          Use current infrastructure to in-fill along Mechanicsville Road. We should use what resources we have to expand the greater village zoning district.

·          Concerned about the livability of homes in the commercial district. Need to have pedestrian access and good aesthetics.

·          Don't want to see strip development in Hinesburg but not sure how to ensure that this doesn't happen.

·          3 or 4 story buildings are possibilities but would want to see them before they are built.

·          Supportive of affordable housing. Hinesburg needs more starter homes.

·          Affordable Housing should be interspersed within different neighborhoods.

·          Concerned with the livability of residential homes in Commerce Park. This could limit some businesses from moving into Commerce Park due to their affect on residents.

·          Believe we should have architectural design regulations, but they should not limit creativity and should encourage sustainability for the environment.

·          Felt that strict architectural regulations can work well.

·          Might wish to start design standards by determining what is not acceptable first and work from there.

 

Group 4: Summary

·          Let village expand to the North. Don't start at Ballard's corner.

·          Need to provide connectivity between different areas of town.

·          Create a sense that the village core is a place to stop, shop and stay.

·          Need to maintain historic homes.

·          3 story buildings are fine, 4 stories may be okay, 5 story buildings are unacceptable.

·          Buildings need to fit in architecturally with their surroundings.

·          Supportive of affordable housing. Perhaps should model a program after the Burlington Land Trust.

·          Require developers to provide a certain percentage of affordable housing units in a development.

·          Zone remaining space in Commerce park as residential to force a mixed use area.

·          Agree that architectural design standards are needed. This was referenced during the discussion of each of the other questions.

 

Other Business:

Members of the Planning Commission then briefly met to discuss how they felt the meetings were progressing. Members asked that raw notes be typed up and submitted to Alex to ensure that no ideas are lost.

 

Minutes of February 1 Meeting:

It was decided that the minutes would be discussed at the next meeting.

 

Alex asked the members to review the discussion questions to determine if they might be able to eliminate some meetings to allow the board members to meet as a group to discuss the information collected.

 

Board members also suggested that sign-in sheets be distributed during the small group discussions.

 

The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:05 p.m.

 

Respectfully Submitted:

 

Heather Stafford

Recording Secretary