TOWN OF HINESBURG

PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

October 25, 2006

DRAFT

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

Commission Members Absent: Johanna White, Nancy Norris.

Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Director of Planning and Zoning), Heather Stafford (Recording Secretary), George Munson, Karla Munson, Donna Constantineau, Richard W. Palmer, Dale Wernhoff, Karen Cornish, David Lyman, Barbara Lyman.

The meeting began at approximately 7:30 p.m.

I. Village Growth Project - Affordable Housing Regulatory Options

Fred began by referring to language in the Town Plan which refers to affordable housing. In section 2.2.1 a goal and recommendation of the town plan is "To encourage affordable and reasonably priced housing." The town plan goes on to detail that this can occur by "Support(ing) higher density housing, especially affordable and reasonably priced housing, in the village growth area." "Facilitating public/private partnerships for the creation of affordable and reasonably priced housing, as well as the upgrading and rehabilitation of existing housing, through State and Federal grants, partnerships with non-profit organizations, or similar means." and "Consider(ing) establishing goals or targets for affordable and reasonably priced housing, especially where municipal services (e.g., water, sewer, etc.) make affordable housing projects easier to accomplish." Fred added that section 2.2.5, which focuses on using zoning and development review to support housing goals, could be helpful in fine-tuning how affordable housing will function in Hinesburg.

Fred said that through the research he has done he has discovered that one way in which affordable housing can be accomplished is by using something called 'inclusionary zoning'. Inclusionary zoning mandates inclusion of affordable housing in new developments. Alex sent the commission members a memorandum on inclusionary zoning which stated that amendments to Chapter 117 of the state statutes ". . .enable Vermont municipalities to adopt inclusionary zoning, in accordance with statutory provisions that address legal concerns." One such concern is that "an analysis for the need for affordable rental and sale housing units in the community" be completed.

Jean asked if the Regional Planning Commission completes town level analysis of the need for affordable housing. Alex said they do not. The Regional Planning Commission has issued a county-wide projection that is not needs based. No analysis was completed to justify the percentages used in this projection.

Fred said he thought it was important that the Planning Commission have a global view of the whole town in terms of what types of affordable housing will work where. He hoped that affordable housing could be integrated into all areas of town. In addition, he suggested that the commission allow waivers to be used for affordable housing units to give the DRB some flexibility to allow affordable housing units to be more easily permitted. For example, some of the zoning regulations refer to a development being consistent with the pattern of growth in a certain area of town. Since there are currently no four-plexes in town, someone would have a point if they argued that a new four-plex would not be consistent with the development in the surrounding area. Alex added that multi-plexes currently need land equal to that required for 2, 3 or 4 times (depending on the number of units) the amount required for a single-family home. Charlotte has established rural based density and they allow multi-plexes to be developed at a higher density.

Alan Norris, a member of the Affordable Housing Committee, said that he has not found a model for affordable rental units that would work well in Hinesburg. He explained the way in which some housing trusts function to ensure that a property remains perpetually affordable. Using inclusionary zoning could work well, but he pointed out that the town should work with a housing trust and a developer to ensure that the property remains affordable in the future as well. Alan added that he thought incorporating affordable housing into developments with less affordable units provides a better mix of economic classes and a better overall neighborhood. He said that the housing trusts typically work with households that have an income 80% or less of the median household income in the county.

Donna Constantineau, a member of the Affordable Housing Committee, said that Hinesburg is unique in Chittenden County because the town would be eligible to receive rural development funds which enable the interest rate of a loan to be subsidized. Rates can fall as low as 1%. Joe D. asked if the median family income is affected by the size of the family. Donna said that the median family income has a scale that takes a family's size into account when determining housing figures. Alan added that a lot of people in need of affordable housing are young families that would require 3-bedroom units.

Alex said that inclusionary zoning can be altered to meet the specific needs of Hinesburg. He explained that the town can change the percentages required to suit the needs of Hinesburg. This could, however, complicate funding issues. In addition, this does not mandate what housing will look like. Developers can use all of their options to allow more flexibility in following percentage guidelines. Fred asked how the availability and affordability of housing is maintained and managed. Alex said that Burlington is the only town that has implemented inclusionary zoning. He added that Hinesburg could partner with a housing trust or administer the program themselves. Alex did not think the community could take on this added undertaking as they don't currently have enough staff to do so. In addition, the existing housing trusts are well aware of all the ins and outs of the process and have worked with many properties over a good deal of time.

Donna said that resale properties are always a hot commodity because larger grants are available to assist with the purchase price. Housing trusts evaluate potential buyers to make sure they are financially qualified to be successful in the purchase of that home. Alex added that if Hinesburg was interested in having a more direct role, the town could create a local housing trust that takes on this burden. Alan said that affordable rental units are a little more difficult to administer because typically they require that more than 15 units be in one area and an outside resource is typically hired to administer the property. Alex still thought there was potential in town to develop this type of property. Alan added that as rental units the renters are not gaining equity in the property so it is more likely to be disrespected than a purchased unit.

Fred said that there is a lot to learn to develop strategies for the rural areas as well as in the existing village and the proposed extensions to the village districts. Jean asked if Fred had looked into affordable housing for the elderly. Alan said that the Affordable Housing Committee had not separated out populations by age range. Fred suggested that perhaps the town could offer density bonuses for on-grade residences that would be more easily accessed by an older population. The commission briefly discussed measures which must be taken for handicap accessibility and how these items can be incorporated more easily into affordable housing. Alan noted that in a four-unit building at least one unit must be handicap adaptable as a regulation of the ADA and Labor and Industry.

Fred said that in the village there are many infill opportunities available and that perhaps the town could consider and enable an affordability component in the revised zoning standards. George added that they would need to explain how inclusionary zoning will be supported to the town. He also suggested utilizing density bonuses for affordable housing to make it more economically feasible for developers. Alex said the town could require a reasonable percentage of affordable housing units and then they could pile on the benefits to encourage developers to increase this percentage. Fred added that they should use different strategies in different districts and develop zoning regulations to create a framework for affordable housing. Jean suggested that provisions should be added for assisted living facilities. Alex clarified that this kind of housing is often referred to as 'congregate housing'. Jean thought this type of housing should be either permitted or permitted as a conditional use.

Other incentives which were discussed to encourage developers to provide more affordable housing included: waiver of development fees, fast-tracking developments with affordable housing components, and offering priority for sewer allocations. Alex said that the commission would need to speak with the Selectboard about sewer allocations. Carrie suggested that perhaps congregate housing could use institutional sewer allocations.

Alan said that he was concerned that affordable housing development seemed to be limited to areas in the village and the proposed expanded village. He suggested that this development option be allowed in all areas of town. If the Planning Commission writes the criteria for this type of development, developers will then create a plan based on those regulations. Fred said that in the forums townspeople had expressed that they wanted the town to have a village feel. He did not think 'spotty' growth would be acceptable to these townspeople.

Fred said he would also like to see a part of the route 116 frontage north to Patrick Brook be zoned as commercial and allow larger commercial buildings in this area. He suggested that the mixed use village-type development that has been discussed for this area be placed behind the commercial buildings. Carrie said she did not agree with this approach. Alex noted that the village is not like this now and that zoning for this may create a Williston Road type feel. Fred clarified that he was speaking about a limited stretch of land along the west side of 116 across the road from the Mobil station. He felt that this area would connect with the commercial strip on the east side of 116 and would provide consistency for larger commercial opportunities. Jean asked Fred to look at the available space in this area, and report back to the board with his findings.

The commission discussed the threshold needed to get developers interested in working on affordable housing units within their developments. George expressed a concern that developers cannot be expected to 'give' lots for affordable housing purposes. Joe agreed but said that he thought density bonuses could make this a more beneficial situation for developers. Fred added that the accepted figure is 6 units per acre in order for developers to be able to build affordable units. Joe added that extending sewer districts into areas that traditionally don't have perc-able soils could also provide more areas for affordable housing.

Alan said that Fred's rough draft of zoning regulations for the village district may not be possible due to the amount of impervious surfaces created per acre. He suggested that the town hire an engineer to make sure that the zoning regulations are feasible. Alan added that he felt the PC should look at increasing the height restriction on buildings to allow developers to build 3 - 4 story flat-style units. He noted that at the present time these types of units are in high-demand. Fred said that his draft had been intended as merely a starting point for discussion purposes and that he was sure it would undergo revisions before being finalized. In addition, he suggested that land could be set aside for stormwater measures.

Alex said that the Affordable Housing Committee's next meeting is on November 2nd and that the committee meets on the first Thursday of each month. He suggested that the AHC would be a good group to work on the housing and needs assessment document that would be required to incorporate inclusionary zoning in Hinesburg.

II. Other Business:

I5 District

Alex said that the board still needs to define density allowances, frontage limits and setbacks. In addition the board had discussed meeting with the Blittersdorfs to determine the cost effectiveness of the proposed energy efficiency piece. Alex said they have not yet responded to his request for a meeting.

Miscellaneous

Some other issues that the board felt needed to be addressed in future meetings included:

· Discussing allowed uses in the village extension to the North to Patrick Brook.

· Creating additional districts to the north of Patrick Brook.

· Creating more robust purpose statements.

· Tying affordable housing initiatives into the zoning of the village district extension.

· Creating affordable housing initiatives to apply to the whole village area.

· Mandating clustering.

Minutes of the October 11, PC Meeting

George MOVED to approve the minutes as amended. Carrie SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED 7 - 0.

The board decided to reschedule the November 22nd meeting to November 29th. Commission members will report back on whether the December 27th meeting should be rescheduled.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:00 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted:

Heather Stafford

Recording Secretary