BOARD WAS DIVIDED
Because the select board itself was divided on the subdivision regulations, the board had discussed whether they should be brought to voters by the select board but opted to see if a petition was forthcoming. Had the board switched to having voters adopt the regulations (rather than at the select board level), that power would have remained with voters after this particular vote was held.
The division amongst board members over the subdivision regulations has to do with a provision which references the need to consider road connectivity when permitting subdivisions.
Board member Paul Hartshorn voted against adopting the regulations (while three other board members who were present on July 23 voted in favor of adopting them). He argued against the road connectivity issue, saying it allowed the town to ëblackmailí town residents who want to subdivide their land.
APPEAL PROCESS
Hartshorn recently went through the legal appeal process over a subdivision where the town required connectivity between his proposed subdivision and an adjoining development. His appeal was put on hold through an agreement with the court and the town while he pursued a different subdivision with no residential development slated for the lot which adjoins the neighboring subdivision.
The section of the ordinance to which Hartshorn objected reads as follows:
Roads shall, to the extent feasible, be designed and laid out to:
(a) avoid adverse impacts to natural, historic, cultural and scenic resources;
(b) be consistent with existing road patterns in village and other settlement areas; (c) maximize connectivity within the subdivision and to adjoining parcels and road networks;
(d) follow existing linear features, such as utility corridors, tree lines, hedgerows and fence lines,
(e) avoid fragmentation of farmland and other natural and cultural features identified in Section 3.3.
PENDING
The regulations had been pending before the board since February and had then not been approved and would have expired on July 26, and the old regulations would have gone back into effect. New subdivision applications would have been heard under the old regulations.
The new regulations are the result of three yearís worth of work on the part of the planning commission and the select board. They have been vetted by a group of local land use attorneys who went through the regulations in great detail and provided comment as well as participating in the review and revision process.
Contact Lisa Loomis at
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