The draft Zoning District Map and Section 2 of the zoning bylaw have been published for review. The Zoning Districts and Standards sections contain specific rules for what property owners can do within each district. These are substantial changes, with a highly prescriptive approach to land use control and very detailed requirements for changes to your property. Property owners are advised to take part in these discussions.
Section 3 and Section 5 have yet to be published and will contain general standards and presumably the Subdivision Regulations
The project website can be found here
http://www.placesense.com/current/brattleboro
Section 2 is available here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8ZS_R-j-XT4TVk5Ykd0UW05UEU/view
The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 5th at 6pm.
I am happy to share my interpretation and opinion of the draft regulations with anyone wishing to discuss it further.
Adam
Hubbard
ahub@sover.net
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Mon Jan 05 @ 6:00PM |
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Thu Jan 22 @ 3:00PM |
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Thu Jan 22 @ 7:00PM |
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Fri Jan 23 @ 8:00AM |
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Fri Jan 23 @12:00PM |
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Sat Jan 24 @10:00AM |
Project Schedule
Here is our overall plan for getting this revision done by spring 2015:
- May-June 2014. Get organized and get started. Research and evaluate how our regulations can better implement the Town Plan.
- July-December 2014. Start drafting and reviewing the regulations.
- January-February 2015. Present the first draft for public feedback.
- February-March 2015. Second round of review and revising the draft.
- March-April 2015. Public hearing and adoption process.
Time for substantive information
Previously, Adam made the following promise:
I will be happy to give a synopsis when the consultant distributes the latest draft of Sections 2 & 3. These sections deal with uses, setbacks, frontages, etc.. The development standards are also being rewritten. If the forthcoming draft is like earlier version, which we expect, these two important sections will really raise the bar on restrictions to landowners, particularly in the Rural, Rural Residential and Residential districts. The Urban Center will likely remain the same. Newly defined districts are expected. I’ll provide more later.
With the roll-out schedule now being announced to begin soon, it is starting to look like another, “Here’s what we are going to do,” without a genuine attempt to elicit pubic input. With apologies to Adam for speaking strongly: If we are not given advance information in a clear and understandable form, then it will be very difficult to make intelligent suggestions at at the scheduled meetings.
No doubt Adam and the others leading this effort, in their own minds, have honorable intentions. Now is the time to match those good intentions with a serious effort to open up the process to public participation. A serious effort, in my opinion, means that we are provided information in advance of the presentations.
I think it is time for Adam to publish in ibrattleboro the synopsis which he promised, as well in advance of the public meetings as possible.
Rollout
Take it easy Steven, I have nothing to do with leading any effort. I’m pointing people to the source of the information so you can learn and get involved.
The updated section was just released this week. There are two sections still to be published.
The town is managing a public information campaign, as you can see.
Clarification might help
Thank you, Adam, for sharing the links. The synopsis that you promised would also be appreciated. The information given is unclear as to specifics, and there seems to be no discussion about what the proposed ordinance is meant to accomplish as a whole.
I checked the link for the website and found a map purporting to be the key to the geographical locations of the new zones. The idea is that the color coding on the map will tell you what zone the location you are interested in comes under, and then you look up that zone in the ordinance.
The problem is, that map looks like ill-defined blotches of color, without clear demarkations between them, not even names of streets. Unless I missing something, the map seems totally useless for the purpose. And of course, the ordinance is written in bureaucratic language, making it difficult to access, as is par for the course with legal documents.
That is why I was hoping for some plain-language discussion from a knowledgeable person. That is why I am asking you, Adam, to write something understandable, as promised.