TOWN OF HINESBURG

PLANNING COMMISSION

September 10, 2008

Approved September 24, 2008

Commission Members Present: Jean Isham, Kay Ballard, George Bedard, Carrie Fenn, Joe Iadanza, Will Patten, Johanna White.

Commission Members Absent: Fred Haulenbeek.

**Note: There is 1 vacancy on the Commission.

Also Present: Alex Weinhagen (Director of Planning and Zoning), Karen Cornish (Recording Secretary).

Village Growth Area Rezoning – Review of Select Board Revisions

Alex said he is working to include the Select Board revisions into a final version of the rezoning plan. He said there were no major changes other than those made to language regarding stream setbacks in certain areas.

FY09-10 Budget Planning

Alex said the SB has moved up their budget discussions to October of this year. Alex asked for ideas regarding Planning and Zoning projects planned for the next 22 months. He listed the current/ongoing projects as:

- Village growth rezoning package – this is mostly completed.

- Official map – Alex said there is still money in this fiscal year to get working on this project. Wetland delineations need to be done which will require hiring a wetland consultant, and the town will also receive free assistance from the CCMPO (Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization).

- Rural area density project – Alex said Jean recently discussed this project and agreed it would likely be completed before the beginning of the next (fiscal) year.

- Miscellaneous (farm worker housing, noise performance standards, telecommunications regulations) – Alex said the VT League of Cities and Towns will assist by reviewing the telecommunications piece; other items are not expected to go into the next fiscal year.

Jean said the PC needs the rural area density project with updated regulations as a complete package to put to the town. Carrie noted the cycle of the Town Plan is almost over, with June 20^th, 2010 as the deadline to either re-adopt or revise it. Alex asked if anyone had any suggestions for revisions. Carrie said she liked the document as-is; Joe I. agreed, stating it represented a lot of work and was a good document. Will said he thought public transportation needed to be addressed in the Plan as a major issue in Hinesburg’s future. Carrie said energy is a related issue, particularly in terms of economic development. Alex said since the Town Plan was adopted there is a new community transportation organization, Hinesburg Rides, that the Plan could at least recognize. Will said the idea of self-sufficiency as a community could be recognized. Alex said the four Hinesburg Task Forces recently joined together to launch a major group initiative on the issue of sustainability; he thought the Sustainability initiative could also be recognized in the Plan.

Jean suggested updating the Town Plan with projects that have been completed. Alex suggested re-adopting the main document with minor updates listed in an addendum format. Joe suggested updating the list of action items to note those that had been completed. Will asked if outside services had been contracted to complete the original plan. Alex said yes, that a consultant had been hired to help with the public input process. He said there had been a huge rewrite of the previous plan making a consultant so necessary. Jean said money for public forums and mailings should be budgeted.

Alex said there should be a discussion of traditional energy and three phase power in the Energy section of the document. He said the Plan does not speak to the current capacity problem but that more information would be available from GMP as to their long-term plans by the time a new Plan was due.

Will asked if the Planning and Zoning department had enough technology and facilities resources. Alex said the department is not making full use of the capacity. He did not think further significant investments were needed with the exception of some software training.

Jean said she and Alex discussed gathering an inventory of town stormwater systems. Alex said he did not have a list of the few developments that had to go through the state permitting process, nor of those other smaller systems throughout the town. He said because some municipalities have had to take over stormwater systems that are not functional or failing, it would be interesting to simply know where all our systems are located. He also suggested identifying developments of a certain size, even those without a system, to understand if there is any opportunity to install a system using grant money.

Efforts to map rural trail systems were discussed. Alex said while the Trails Committee has been working on a network project, last year budget money was cut that had been allocated to them as they weren’t ready to use it. He said he would check with them to see if they are any closer, noting the project is listed as one of the top ten priorities in the Town Plan.

Natural resource overlay districts were discussed. Alex said the creation of such districts dovetails with the Conservation Committees Greenspace Plan. He said they have not yet come up with a plan for the PC to look at and wondered if more resources needed to be applied to that effort. He discussed the existing flood hazard overlay district and the possibility of creating another called a fluvial erosion hazard district which assess whether a property is likely to erode away entirely. He said the VLCT has developed a model set of fluvial erosion regulations and that other local associations (LaPlatte Watershed, Lewis Creek Association) are encouraging the PC to consider this as a possible overlay district. Alex said although few structures have been built in those areas yet, adopting regulations would be proactive in warning landowners.

Alex asked Commissioners to prioritize budget considerations. Jean suggested that a Town Plan update and the Official Map project should be prioritized. Will said any project receiving money should be able to show a return on investment, for example, supporting sustainable agriculture. Alex said the task forces are working hard on that issue and the PC could decide how they want to support the sustainability initiative, then put money into the budget to do so. Will and Kay requested presentations by the Sustainability group and also the Trails Committee. Alex explained the four task forces have coalesced around the concept of Sustainability as an issue for Hinesburg – how to save money, how to bolster farmers and the better use of energy. They have hired a consultant who is helping with ideas and the next step is to find funding through grants, etc. Three main ideas are 1) to explore biomass for energy production or to produce a commodity like pellets. This includes working with farmers to see what their resources are and finding a business match to make use of and/or to relocate to that farm; 2) Jumpstarting alternative transportation through programs like Hinesburg Rides and cooperation with local employers; 3) exploring a long-term farmers market and also how to bolster the Buy Local concept.

George noted that the ancient roads program has been extended. Alex brought up the issue of senior housing, stating it could be put on their general work plan for the upcoming year. He explained he submits a PC work plan to the SB so that they may see what projects the Commission is focused on and also provides updates throughout the year. Alex explained the Hinesburg Rides program is now a part of the Hinesburg Family Resource Center.

Jean summarized that she thought there were no big ticket items for the budget. Alex said the stormwater initiative item might need substantial funding. Jean asked if the state municipal planning grant would cover that. Alex did not think so, as grants were usually awarded to more typical town initiatives such as updating a town plan. Alex said the grant is the only consistent Vermont state planning funding a town could apply for, has no match requirement, and does not provide a lot of money, up to 15K a year. He asked members to think about other planning initiatives that could be submitted as a grant proposal. Carrie suggested applying for funds to assist the CC in finishing their project. Joe I. suggested the official map project. Alex said only a few other towns are using an official map and that we had some money now. The question was how to divide it up and whether the project could be done better or faster with some extra money. He said it may be helpful to show (in the grant application) that the town is supporting the project with already-budgeted money. He noted that the grant deadline is early October and that we could apply for multiple grants.

Other Business

Alex discussed a request by Hinesburg resident Dick Palmer for a new road cut off Richmond Road in order to access his contractor’s yard. The new road would cross a wetland. Alex explained that the state’s permitting process requires the proposal to be submitted to the PC. He said Mr. Palmer’s plans pose no significant impact and that the state agency will require the least possible disturbance to wetlands anyway.

Alex gave a recap of lectures he attended at the annual conference of the Northern New England chapter of the American Planners association, held this year in Woodstock, Vermont. He said the central theme was “Planning for the Net Generation”. Discussions included one on the “Digital Native”, focusing on how students learn today and how that affects the way a town will deal with its community at large. Another presentation focused on strategies for a low carbon future and included an example of a New Hampshire town’s renewable energy ordinance that was embraced by a bank in their plans to build a very energy efficient building. The presentation put forth that towns should explain what they want and that people will then do what the town wants. Another lecture involved planning for local food production. It suggested that all interested parties in the agricultural community – farmers, large landowners, the NOFA organization, etc. - should be invited to join a larger discussion to talk about where farming is headed. Alex said Vermont rules regarding no restrictions on agriculture were unique among the states in attendance. Alex posed the question of what other zoning restrictions or regulations could be created or relaxed in order to support farms. He gave slaughterhouses as an example of an agriculturally-related business that could also receive such support. Slaughter operations were discussed. Will suggested having the PC sponsor such a meeting. The creation of a “right-to-farm” ordinance was discussed. Jean noted that an ordinance can be changed and a deed cannot. Alex concluded by asking how many Hinesburg residents have a feel for their own farm community. An open farm tour, such as the one held in conjunction with last year’s Harvest Festival, was discussed as something the PC could sponsor.

George MOVED to approve the July 9, 2008 meeting minutes as amended. Johanna SECONDED the motion. The motion passed 7-0.

George MOVED to approve the August 13, 2008 meeting minutes as written. Joe I. SECONDED the motion. The motion passed 7-0.

George MOVED to approve the August 27, 2008 meeting minutes as amended. Johanna SECONDED the motion. The motion passed 7-0.

The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for September 24, 2008.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:20 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted:

Karen Cornish