Planning Commission shares zoning update progress at drop-in event tonight
December 7, 2023 | By Lisa ScagliottiThe Waterbury Planning Commission's update of the town’s zoning bylaw is moving along and the group will host an open house tonight to share its progress with the public.
On Winooski Street, Planning Commission Chair Martha Staskus (right) gestures during a walking tour in October to discuss zoning updates. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Community members are invited to drop by the Steele Room at the municipal offices between 5 and 7 p.m. to chat with commission members and town staff and see materials depicting the revisions in progress.
Town Planner Neal Leitner says there will not be a formal presentation, so people should feel free to stop in anytime during the open house. The commission held an earlier event in October with a walking tour to introduce the zoning revision project. The information at this week’s open house is new since then, Leitner said.
The update of the town’s zoning regulations has been in the works since 2019. It’s been broken down into phases and the town earlier this year hired the Burlington consulting firm SE Group with the help of a state grant to assist with the process, especially with sharing information with the public.
The project has a website linked in the Planning and Zoning section of the town website. There also is an online survey where community members may offer feedback and suggestions.
Planning Commission member Dana Allen (left) addresses the October walking tour group on Main Street. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
The current revisions are considered the first phase of the bylaw update. They focus specifically on the regulations pertaining to the downtown area that lies between the Winooski River and Interstate 89. The Planning Commission will work on the second phase starting in 2024 focusing on the rest of the town. The current timeline aims to have phase one completed to be submitted to the Waterbury Select Board in early 2024. Because the zoning bylaw is a town ordinance, it is subject to select board approval.
Leitner said the goal is for the phase one update to be approved before the end of April. That’s when current interim zoning regulations governing a section of the downtown business district will expire. Those were put in place in 2021 when the existing regulations were found to be inadequate for reviewing various development proposals. Interim zoning may only be in place for three years before the rules revert to the original version. In this case, the revised regulations would go into effect, replacing both the interim and former regulations for the downtown area.
The revisions in the bylaw update aim to unify development rules for the town and the former village of Waterbury. Changes aim to “advance the goals of economic vitality, flood resilience, habitat preservation, and increased housing options,” according to the Planning Commission. New state legislation also looks to spur local development regulations that will make it easier to site and create housing, including in downtowns and in mixed-use areas alongside other types of development.
Thursday’s information will cover “Part B” of the first phase, sharing details on proposed revisions to the updates to the Residential-1, Commercial-Industrial, Campus, and Conservation-Floodplain zoning districts. The “Part A” portion of the process happened earlier this fall covering revisions to the Downtown, Mixed Use, and Neighborhood districts. Those were shared in an open house in October. Details on those revisions to the bylaw are also on the project website.
An interactive map on the project website lets viewers inspect current and proposed zoning for properties in the update area. Screenshot
The website also has an interactive map showing current zoning and the proposed changes for property owners and community members to see and compare the differences.
The Planning Commission is seeking public feedback and will finalize its recommendations. It will hold two public hearings in January and February before it sends the new bylaw to the Select Board which also will hold a public hearing before adopting the new regulations. Commission Chair Martha Staskus said the group is eager to address and incorporate suggestions from the community at this point in the process rather than at the end.
For more background and information, visit the project website here.
And the open house will have refreshments.