02-02-2022 Planning Commission Meeting
Town of Fairlee Town Hall
Grange Room
75 Town Common Road
Fairlee, VT 05045
or by Zoom
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
CALL TO ORDER: 6:07 PM
Rob Chapin, Chair, called the meeting to order.
PRESENT
- Commission Members: Rob Chapin, Chair (online); Susanne Pacilio (online); Sarah Berger, Vice Chair (online); Miranda Clemson (online); Tim Danen (in person); Smith Reed (absent); Matthew Walker (absent). A quorum was met.
- Zoning Administrator: Chris Brimmer (in person)
- Minutes Clerk: Joanna Bligh (online)
- Visitor: Dave Matthews
REVIEW OF AGENDA: Approved as written.
REVIEW OF MEETING MINUTES
MOTION #1: Tim Danen moved, and Susanne Pacilio seconded the motion to approve the Minutes from January 20, 2022, as written.
Voice Vote: All in favor. None opposed. None abstained. The motion passed.
STAFF AND PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Zoning Administrator’s Report
Fairlee in the Press
Brimmer announced the publication of articles about the Fairlee Interim Bylaw Public Hearing. Brimer discussed one article in the Caledonian Record by Tom Evslin that was titled “Building Affordable Housing Is NOT a Good way to Get More Affordable Housing” and the article referred to Fairlee, as follows:
“As described in VT Digger, Fairlee, VT is making innovative changes to its zoning both to provide for growth and to preserve open spaces. Buildings in downtown will be allowed to grow to three stories, which makes an enormous difference in rental economics – two stories above the shops and restaurants instead of one. Holders of large woodlots will be able to sell development rights to those with smaller lots. Income from those sales makes it more economical to keep the trees growing while the purchasers of the development rights will be able to build more densely on small lots.”
Follow Up from Kevin Geiger
Brimmer announced that Kevin Geiger sent along an expanded version of the document Density as a Tool for Conservation and Development and explained density bonuses and density trading.
Bylaw Outreach and Public Hearing: The Road to Voter Approval – Proposed Program
Brimmer presented a revised schedule to the members for public outreach by month organized around the zoning districts. Brimmer suggested posting the schedule to the Town’s website. Brimmer noted that he will provide a link on the ListServe to a paper about zoning in Fairlee “How Did We Get Here?” Brimmer stated that the new zoning map will be printed in large format for the first public outreach meeting. Chair Chapin offered to create a vector EPS image, which scales infinitely, so the public can answer the question, Which zone am I in?
Discussion continued with input from Matthews about property development rights that do not have public access. Matthews noted that the Vermont Land Trust and the Upper Valley Land Trust both require public access on their conserved land.
Grants
Brimmer announced that the Stormwater grant was awarded, and the Park & Ride bus shelter and the Transportation Enhancement grant for sidewalks from the Railroad Station to Bridge Street are in process.
Appleseed Development LLC to Meet with the Selectboard
Brimmer announced that the Appleseed Development LLC group will be meeting with the Selectboard to discuss their strategic build-out plans. The Planning Commission members are welcome to attend.
Next Meeting
The members discussed preparing flyers, post card mailings, and ListServe postings to advertise the outreach meetings. Brimmer, Chair Chapin, and Clemson volunteered to prepare an outreach meeting Power Point presentation to provide to the members for approval.
Prospective Board Members
The members discussed adding to the Planning Commission membership.
Next Meeting: Thursday, February 17, 2022
ADJOURN
MOTION #2: Tim Danen moved, and Susanne Pacilio seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 PM.
Voice Vote: All in favor. None opposed. None abstained. The motion passed unanimously.
Transcribed by Joanna Bligh, Minutes Clerk