Selectboard chooses deferring to voters on Act 250 exemption

Charlotte residents will have the final say on whether the town should pursue a permanent partial exemption from Act 250, Vermont’s statewide land-use law, for its village centers.

On May 27, citing a preference for a townwide vote, the selectboard declined to act on a resolution endorsed unanimously by the planning commission, which would have sought to promote residential development in the commercial districts of East Charlotte and West Charlotte.

Last year, Vermont’s housing shortage spurred legislators in Montpelier to pass Act 181, which revised Act 250, the landmark law on subdivisions that, since 1970, has protected the state’s natural beauty (according to its proponents) and stymied its growth (according to its critics). In the hope of jumpstarting a construction boom, Act 181 suspended Act 250’s quasi-judicial process for certain developments in certain areas, including the aforementioned sections of Charlotte, until Jan. 1, 2027,

So far, Charlotte hasn’t turned into New York City, but it’s still early. One year later, eligible towns can “opt in” permanently to the same freedom from state-level land-use scrutiny that Act 181 initially imposed upon them. The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission will use geographic boundaries suggested by municipal officials to create a map of proposed growth areas, which it will send to the governor’s Land Use Review Board for approval.

Charlotte’s villages would earn Tier 1B status, which would bring tax credits, prioritization for state investment and the right to build 50 or fewer units on 10 or fewer acres without interference, except by local regulations, which would remain active. But not all Charlotters want to see projects that big.

“Services are something that I think needs to be upgraded in the town before we go through a whole bunch of building,” selectboard member Frank Tenney said during a presentation by the regional planning commission. He pointed to inadequate water and sewer infrastructure and an absence of sidewalks.

Selectboard member Natalie Kanner expressed doubt that new “million-dollar houses” in Charlotte would ease Vermont’s affordability problem for low-income renters or homebuyers. Observing that “a climate-resilient environment needs green spaces,” she urged “high-density housing in existing paved places.”

Board member Lewis Mudge called the regional planning commission’s local housing development targets “reasonable.”

Under an optimistic scenario, Chittenden County would see more than 10,500 new units by 2030, but its six “rural towns” — including Charlotte — would absorb only 3.8 percent of these. As a share of the county’s total population, these municipalities would shrink, not grow.

Kanner professed a reluctance to override the local planning commission’s recommendation. Yet the selectboard did not bring its proposed resolution to a vote.

“This is a really sensitive issue in this town,” Mudge said. “I do think we should probably put it to a townwide vote.”

This year, on Town Meeting Day, Charlotters voted to adopt a municipal charter that would prohibit amendments of the town’s land-use bylaws except by popular vote via Australian ballot.

The state has not approved this charter, and opting into the permanent Act 250 exemption would have no bearing on the town’s land-use bylaws in any case. Nevertheless, the selectboard seemed determined to abide by the spirit of the March vote, which had appeared to indicate a widespread desire to resolve land-use questions through direct democracy.

The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission expects to finalize its Regional Future Land Use Map in October. The Land Use Review Board’s subsequent review will likely take eight months. Charlotters will not go to the polls again until November.

“If you wanted to change something, we’d have to go back through that eight-month process,” Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission executive director Charlie Baker said. “But I think you have to make the decisions on the timeline that’s right for you.”

Lights for crosswalk

The Friends of the Walter Irish Senior Community Center will install LED signs at the crosswalk between the senior center and the post office. The selectboard voted unanimously to accept the gift.

“As we all know, the concern at any crosswalk is: do motorists even know it’s there?” selectboard chair Lee Krohn said. “Personally, I think having these lights is a great idea.”

Recreation director resigns

Recreation director Zac Farnham-Haskell has submitted a letter of resignation, according to the selectboard. The town will repost the job description that it used to recruit Farnham-Haskell last June.

“Shame to see Zac go, and we thank him for his service to the town,” Mudge said.

The town website currently lists openings for a zoning administrator and a town planner. On Tuesday, the selectboard approved an agreement with Spherion Staffing & Recruiting, a temp agency.

In Krohn’s words, the arrangement will provide “some temporary assistance for the town administrator during this period of very short staffing.”