Town of Bolton
3045 Theodore Roosevelt Highway
Bolton VT 05676
802-434-5075
Meeting called to order at 6:20 p.m.
Planning Commission members present: Steve Barner, Jim Bralich, Rodney Pingree
Planning Commission members absent: Linda Baker, Chris Haggerty
Zoning Administrator: Dick Ward
CCRPC Commissioner: Margot Pender
Clerk: Amy Grover
1. Minutes June 12, 2002
2. Other communications/mail
3. CCRPC response to open space maps/VII map draft
4. Zoning Regulation Amendments
a. Placement Issues
b. Housekeeping issues
c. Density VII
5. Any other business
6. Adjournment
Rodney Pingree made a motion to accept the minutes of June 12, 2002 as amended. Steve Barner seconded the motion.
The Commission discussed the two upcoming workshops available from CCRPC on DSS Snapshot training in July.
Amy noted that the Planning Commission July Quarterly Report had been forwarded to the Select Board.
The Commission reviewed the outline of the new CUD process/application/VT Wetlands Section from the State Water Quality Division. Rodney Pingree noted that there were not any wetlands in the town that would be generating any applications. A note of that was made and forwarded to the Bolton Select Board.
The Commission reviewed grant information from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. There is $700, 000 available statewide in blocks of $15,000 for a single municipal planning effort. Jim Bralich noted that the Town Plan needed to be approved by the CCRPC in order to be eligible to apply for the grant, and that the grant deadline was September 30, 2002, with a project completion date of May 14, 2004. The Commission noted that was a workable timeframe in which to address VII density issues, but since the Select Board still needed to have their hearing on the Town Plan, the possibility of making the deadline date looked poor. Amy and Margot stated they would both attend the Select Board meeting on Monday July 15, 2002 to tell them about the grant /grant deadline in hopes that by moving the Town Plan hearing process forward there might be a chance of making the grant deadline.
The Commission reviewed the “Celebrate the Lake” information and activities mailing from the Lake Champlain Basin Committee.
Agenda Item #3 – CCRPC response to Open Space Map and VII map draft.
Open Space Map: The Commission reviewed the CCRPC response to their list of potential changes and errors with regard to the Open Space Map. Ian MacDougall stated (responding to an email at the Select Board meeting on June 17, 2002, no CCRPC representative has attended the Planning Commission meetings as requested on two occasions) that the issues were “not serious”, and included information from Michele Maresca with regard to the map.
VII map draft: Ian MacDougall stated that Michele Maresca was writing software that would enable the Commission to see various scenarios of build-out in VII, as it is now, or with changes. Amy spoke to Michele after the 6/17/02 Select Board meeting, and found that Michele would be unable to give the Commission any scenarios until at least October 2002.
Agenda Item #4 – Zoning Regulation Amendments
a. Placement Issues
1. Section 3; page 1 Application of Bylaws.
“ Any uses not expressly permitted by these regulations are prohibited except those which may be allowed by the DRB.”
b. Housekeeping issues
1. Road Specifications to be included in the zoning regulations per the 7/25/01 directive from the Select Board:
Article VI, Section 6. Page 25. Curb Cut Limitations
“Curbcuts and access points are to be constructed according to…A-76, B-12, B-71.”
Article VI, Section 12, Required Frontage and Rights-of-Way
“A-21.”
2. Article V, Permits and Approvals, page 11.
E. Issuance of Permit. DELETE the following (last 2 sentences); “If the application is approved, all development authorized by the permit shall be substantially completed within two (2) years of the date of issue, unless the permit specifies otherwise. If a permit has expired, reapplication and approval of further development shall be required.”
3. Article V, Permits and Approvals, page 11.
F. “Extension of Permit” – DELETE in entirety.
4. Article V, Permits and Approvals, page 11.
“F. Expiration of Permits and Approvals
1. Zoning Permits – A zoning permit shall expire twelve (12) months from its date of issue unless there is a reasonable amount of objective evidence of intent to pursue the furtherance of the project for which the permit was issued.
2. Approvals – Variances, conditional uses, and site plan approval shall expire twelve (12) months from the date of their approval by the Development Review Board as the case may be, unless there is a reasonable amount of objective evidence of intent to pursue the furtherance of the project for which the permit was issued. The Development Review Board may grant a longer period of approval for multi-phase development or for other projects that may reasonably require a longer period before start of construction. In addition, one extension to an approval may be granted if reapplication takes place before the approval has expired and if the Development Review Board determines that conditions are essentially unchanged from the time of the original approval.”
5. Article III, V-I Dimensional Requirements, page 4
“Minimum required landscaped green strip between RT 2 right-of-way and balance of lot: 15 feet.” (typo)
c. Density
The Commission/ZA/CCRPC Commissioner discussed the interim zoning hearing that had been warned by the Select Board for July 22, 2002. The Commission asked that a memo be sent to the Select Board stating that whether the density in VII is addressed by making the lots larger (as the Select Board is doing in enacting interim zoning), or the physical space of VII smaller (as the Commission had been working on in redefining the boundaries of VII), the Commission strongly feels that it is imperative that a qualified consultant be hired to help guide the Select Board and the Planning Commission through this significant decision making process. Jim Bralich noted that he felt it was important to put up the interim zoning hearing notices at Bolton Valley, and would check with Deb on getting copies of the notice and doing that himself.
Agenda Item #5 – Any other business
Dick stated that Vtrans road specifications should be included within the subdivision regulations.
Dick submitted the “standard operating procedure/job description” of a ZA as requested by the Commission.
The next scheduled meeting of the Planning Commission will be Wednesday, August 7, 2002, 6 p.m. at the Town Office.
Agenda Item #6 – Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m.
Amy Grover
Clerk, Planning Commission
These minutes are unofficial until accepted by the Planning Commission.
These minutes were read and accepted by the Planning Commission on
___________________________________ , 2002.
____________________________________
Linda Baker, Chair