Wednesday public hearing dives into updated town plan
September 29, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti
The draft town plan is organized into 12 sections: an introduction and 11 subject chapters. Screenshot
After dozens of meetings with community members, hundreds of comments sharing ideas, and two years of their regular meetings spent sorting and organizing information and writing by committee, the Waterbury Planning Commission has produced a draft town plan and is eager to hear what local residents think of it.
Organized into 11 chapters by subject, the draft resembles past town plans, but its digital format makes it more dynamic with interactive maps and the ability for readers to search for key topics at their fingertips.
On Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m., the commission will hold a public hearing in the Steele Community Room and online via Zoom to gather comments and questions from the community. That input will be considered as the commission makes final edits to the document before handing it off to the Waterbury Select Board. After holding two public hearings of its own, the Select Board would vote to adopt the plan.
Municipalities in Vermont are required to have a city or town plan and to update it every eight years. Waterbury’s current plan was adopted in 2018. Waterbury Planning Director Neal Leitner explained that recent changes in state law regarding municipal planning have extended deadlines for plans expiring in 2026, giving towns until the end of 2027 to complete new documents to succeed those expiring this year.
Local planners began the process to create the updated plan in 2024 with the goal of adopting it by the end of 2026. That process remains on track, Leitner said.
The extended deadline may mean that the Select Board’s two required hearings on the draft could wrap up early in the new year, but the Planning Commission is pleased to be close to the finish line for the project.
At 263 pages, not counting appendices, the 2026 draft town plan is substantially longer than the former version that has just 142 pages. Its format by chapter delves into the key areas that state law outlines for municipal plans: demographics, land use, historic and cultural resources, community services, local economy, housing, flood resilience, natural resources, energy, transportation, and municipal services.
Each section is organized with a format that introduces the topic, offers background, summarizes the input the commission received and then offers a list of “aspirations, goals and strategies” along with suggestions on how readers can follow these issues in the future.
A graph in the flood resilience chapter shares public feedback. Source: Draft Waterbury Town Plan
For example, in the Land Use chapter, a graphic summarized public opinion from the community survey noting that three of Waterbury’s most-liked features have to do with land use: recreational opportunities, scenic beauty, and rural area/lifestyle. In the Flood Resilience chapter, a graph breaking down answers to a survey question shows that a majority of those who answered think that the town can do more to encourage flood resilience.
Along the way of preparing the new plan, the Planning Commission hired the Burlington consulting firm SE Group to assist with public outreach and with organizing and presenting feedback and information that the process collected. Through a series of public meetings and an online survey that was widely circulated, hundreds of local residents participated in offering ideas that went into the plan.
A grapic in the Land Use chapter summarizes public opinion. Source: Draft Waterbury Town Plan
For example, the project website includes the entire list of 409 comments from the community survey. The input ranges across the list of chapter topics and more.
Over the past year and a half, the commission also tailored a number of its regular meetings to focus on specific chapter topics, inviting people to attend to discuss ideas for the aspirations, goals and strategies that would accompany each section of the plan.
Leitner said that having so many people participate in that process has resulted in a new plan that truly reflects priorities, values and views – both positive and critical – of townspeople. “It was great to see people come out and talk about the things that they care about,” he said. “It was a range.”
For example, while the need for more affordable housing was a popular message from feedback, Leitner said there was strong sentiment toward conservation, preserving open spaces and natural resources. “Many people are very concerned about conservation,” he said.
All of the feedback informed the lists now contained in the draft plan of priorities to guide town leaders as they make decisions that will shape the town’s growth and development in the future.
Leitner and Planning Commission Chair Dana Allen encourage community members to visit the town plan website and explore the draft plan to see what is included and how it's presented.
Wednesday’s hearing and subsequent public hearings that the Select Board will hold are opportunities for questions and comments on the draft. There also is an online form to send feedback separate from the in-person meetings that will be open until the end of this week. Emailing or calling Leitner with comments is another option (nleitner@waterburyvt.com or 802-244-1018).
“Please take the time to comment,” Allen wrote in a recent announcement of the draft plan. “Town plans aim to reflect the views of the entire town.”
Allen said he’s happy to see discussion of the town plan online on social media, but he reminds the public to use one of the ways listed above to send comments that the commission will see and take into consideration moving forward.
In addition to the town plan website and downloadable version, there are paper copies of the document available at the town clerk’s office and to view at the Waterbury Public Library, Allen noted. The plan can also be downloaded from its website.
Finally, to those who may not ever have spent time reading or using past town plans, Leitner said it’s important to know what a town plan is not.
“This is not regulations,” he said.
A town plan is a separate document from municipal zoning regulations. Plans outline broad goals and vision on an array of issues. Zoning bylaws are the ordinances that implement the vision laid out in the town plan with very detailed rules for building and development.
Waterbury’s zoning bylaws are also in the process of being updated. The Planning Commission in 2024 completed a revision of part of the town zoning regulations pertaining mainly to the downtown. The commission then paused that process to work on the town plan update.
Leitner said that the commission is likely to resume its work on the zoning regulations once the town plan process is completed.
Find more information about the draft town plan and Wednesday’s public hearing online here.