TOWN OF HINESBURG

PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

April 19, 2006

Approved May 3, 2006

Commission Members Present: Jean Isham, Joe Iadanza, Carrie Fenn, Joe Donegan, Fred Haulenbeek, George Bedard, Kay Ballard.

Commission Members Absent: Nancy Norris, Johanna White.

Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Director of Planning and Zoning), Heather Stafford (Recording Secretary), Bill Marks.

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

LaPlatt River

Kay asked Alex if he could provide her with a map of where the LaPlatt currently runs. The board members discussed different sections of the LaPlatt and how the dredged parts of the LaPlatt are noticeable by the straighter course than those sections which follow a more meandering path. It was also noted that there are different areas in town where keeping the LaPlatt in its current location is more of an issue than others. One such area is near the elementary school where playing fields could be lost if the location of the LaPlatt begins to change.

Alex said that he would try to reschedule the LaPlatt Water Shed Group to come and speak before the board.

Village Growth Project

Kay said she thought Fred's email about the Rezoning for Hinesburg Village and expansion of the village district was very interesting. Fred said he hoped the board could review these questions and decide which issues are Selectboard related since some of the answers would affect the way the Planning Commission approaches certain issues. Alex said he had spoken with Rocky and he would be willing to meet with the PC to discuss some of the answers to these questions.

Impact Fees

Alex noted that the town currently has a grant to study impact fees that will begin in May and continue through the summer and fall. He noted that only capital improvements can be funded through impact fees. The board discussed the idea of creating a storm water utility similar to the setup in South Burlington to handle storm water runoff in a unified way throughout town. It was thought that impact fees could partially fund the utility. The idea that all development doesn't happen at once was raised as one concern. A town wide assessment was suggested as a more consistent way to fund a storm water utility. Bill Marks said that he might be able to get documentation on how South Burlington handled setting up their storm water utility if the board was interested. Alex suggested that some individuals may wish to spearhead this movement. The board discussed working with experts in the field to come up with necessary calculations and suggestions for setting up a town wide system. Carrie suggested that the board should wait to see what the consultant's feelings were on using impact fees to fund a storm water utility. Alex thought the board should also check with the Select Board to see what their feelings are on the subject since ultimately the SB would impose impact fees.

Transfer Development Rights Program

The board briefly discussed how Transfer Development Rights function. Jean asked if any towns have successfully used this program. Alex said that Charlotte is using an innovative new program with co-applicants and PRD's in an attempt to simplify the process but that they had just adopted the program this year so he was not sure if they had had any success with it. Joe I. thought the idea was pretty complicated and that the PC should just allow the applicable density for different areas. Joe D. said he thought TDR were a good way to spread the wealth of developable land among more landowners. Joe I. said he thought there were ways to maintain or increase the development of rural land while still retaining open space.

The board discussed whether they should be concerned with potential financial gain by certain landowners based on the possibilities offered by new rezoning. Fred thought the board should just focus on what is best for the town and Joe I. added that the cost of infrastructure for the developed land will somewhat offset any potential gain.

Joe D. suggested that the town could potentially grow faster than the commission anticipates if growth is encouraged in the village while it continues to happen in the rural areas at a good pace as well. He added that growth is affected by a lot of exterior issues that are not under the control of the commission such as the housing market and the general economy. It was noted that this is one of the reasons why transfer development rights make sense because they limit growth in rural areas without penalizing those landowners for possible future gain. The idea of working with land conservation groups was discussed however the limited funds that these groups possess make it difficult for them to purchase a great deal of land quickly.

When the question was raised about how much land is actually developable in town, the board began to discuss the soil types in town. George B. noted that areas in the low lands are more limited in what buildings the soil can support. Larger buildings require very expensive foundations that in some cases have still had issues with cracking. Carrie said she thought the commission should set size parameters to guide the DRB and George added that the PC needed to be careful in being too restrictive in size.

Roads

The high cost of road maintenance was discussed by the board and it was suggested that impact fees could be used to help with the road infrastructure. The West Side Road concept was also discussed and the board thought it was important to create an official map with a skeleton of the roads that they wish to see added to the village. The commission felt the townspeople really wanted to see a 'vision' for the town and that this official map could help. Fred also suggested eliminating any further road cuts on the west side of 116 to provide safer pedestrian and bicycle access to this part of 116 in the future.

Village Connectivity

After the forums it was very clear to the PC that the townspeople do not want Ballard's corner to be developed as a satellite village and that it needs to have connectivity with the existing village. The PC discussed using green space along with pedestrian walkways and mixed use development to create this interconnectivity. The West Side Road was also discussed as a good way of connecting these two areas and providing a pedestrian-friendly walkway.

The Wetlands Issue

Joe D. asked Alex how much of the land being discussed is classified as prior converted wetlands. He also asked how the work on the Recreation field behind Creekside was progressing. Alex explained that the Rec field was going to have enough of an impact on the prior converted wetlands that they would need to discuss mitigation options if they could find no other location in town that was suitable for this field. George B. explained that regulations have recently changed which has expanded the Army Corp of Engineers authority when it comes to review of prior converted wetlands. The PC thought a new wetlands delineation would need to be completed to determine what land can be used in this area without involving alternatives analysis and mitigation for building in a prior converted wetland as this is a time consuming and expensive process. Alex noted that there was a discrepancy between the 1995 wetlands delineation and Creekside development's delineation.

Fred's Email

The PC continued reviewing the questions in Fred's email and made the following decisions regarding action on each question.

**Note: Fred's questions are italicized with the proposed action following the question.**

Are there any more existing contractual agreements that might be in conflict with potential zoning strategies? I'm thinking here of an agreement that HES has to utilize the playing fields behind Landman's grocery store.

-Will need to get Select Board input.

A 'transfer of development rights' program has been discussed. How does it work? How is a program like this implemented? Are there examples in other towns that we might study?

-Carrie will research this topic. It was suggested that she check to see if Warren, Waitsfield or East Montpelier have used TDR, and that she speak with someone in Charlotte to get the specifics on their usage of the non-contiguous PRD model.

Concerning compact residential housing, or affordable housing...what government and private resources are available that can contribute to our understanding so that we can effectively and accurately zone for this type of development?

-Speak with Select Board about the progress of the Affordable Housing committee. Alex said he could get some people experienced in this area in to speak with the PC about how it can be done. (John Fairbanks from VHFA)

Is the West Side Road segment from Creekside (behind the cheese factory) to the Charlotte Road possible? Do we provide the path for such a road in the zoning regulations? How would this segment be paid for, if constructed?

-New wetland delineation must be completed to decide if the West Side Road is still a possibility.

Does the town create a storm water utility to eventually manage the storm water mechanisms that will be required with new development?

-Talk to the Select Board to see if they support this idea and to get an idea of a time line for when it could be implemented.

Does the town develop a comprehensive storm water plan to avoid redundancy and hasten the development and review process?

-Will need to discuss with experts on the subject to get more information.

Alex suggested that while the board waits for some of this information they could discuss zoning changes in areas of town not affected by these open issues. The board agreed that they should begin to discuss any possible zoning changes in these areas at the next meeting.

Minutes

George MOVED to approve the minutes of the March 15^th, 2006 meeting as amended. Carrie SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED 7 – 0.

George MOVED to approve the minutes of the March 29^th and April 5^th meetings as written. Joe SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED 7 – 0.

Community Visioning Process

Alex reminded the board that this will be taking place in August and that it could potentially lead to funds for the town.

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

Respectfully Submitted:

Heather Stafford

Recording Secretary