Planning Commission Minutes 10-27-2022

Planning Commission Minutes 10-27-2022

TOWN OF RUTLAND PLANNING COMMISSION

MEETING MINUTES

 

DATE: October 27^th, 2022

LOCATION: Town Hall and a publicly accessible conference line

OPEN MEETING 6:30 P.M.

 

Commission Members Present: Chair Barbara Pulling, Dana Peterson, Howard Burgess, Sherman Hunter, Mary Beth Poli, and Norman Cohen. All members present are a voting member for this meeting.

Members of the Public Present:  None

Approval of the Agenda:

Mr. Peterson moved to approve the agenda. Mr. Hunter seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

New Business: Vote to readopt the Rules of Procedure

1. The Rules of Procedure need to be readopted annually.
2. Minor changes to some areas were discussed. Mr. Peterson and Mr. Cohen will review the document further and incorporate their changes to a new draft to be made available at the next meeting.

Old Business: Subdivision Ordinance Revisions

1. Reviewed the discussion from the last meeting regarding proposed revisions and the sections which need a longer discussion.
2. There are provisions included, such as a requirement for a possible school site, which would be covered under the Act 250 process. There is no reference to Act 250 in the document.
3. Discussed the Planning Standards in section 4.01 and the possibility of requiring the owner to certify their compliance. There are references to regulations which are now covered in subsequent state regulations and local ordinances. Research needs to be done to see where our regulations can include a reference to other regulation such as Act 250, our Town Plan, Town Ordinances and any others which may apply.
4. Three questions should be answered for this research.
   1. Is it included somewhere else?
   2. Is there another governing entity which needs to be referenced, and if so ensure the reference is included.
   3. Are there other provisions which should be included in the subdivision application as a checklist.

Old Business: Selectboard action on the Permit Tracking Ordinance

1. The Selectboard has had an initial discussion about the draft ordinance, but the topic was tabled several meetings ago and has not been taken up.
2. Discussed eliminating the new questionnaire which was added to the draft.
3. The intent of the ordinance was to ensure compliance with other Town ordinances and permit requirements. A different approach with the Board may need to be taken to get it moved along.
4. Mr. Peterson moved to remove the questionnaire from the draft ordinance. Mr. Hunter seconded the motion.
   1. There were some changes to the language and fines included as well.
   2. Once the Board approves the draft, the timeline for readoption starts.
   3. Changes to the permit form are separate from the ordinance.
   4. The motion passed unanimously.

Old Business: Report on Selectboard River Corridor regulations discussion.

1. The representative from the State met with the Board recently. The Board voted 3 – 2 in favor of moving forward. They asked the Planning Commission to have some meetings with the landowners who may be affected by the regulations.
2. Discussed options for meetings including on-site meetings, with the landowners permission, and meetings at the Town Hall. No decision was made.
3. The benefits to the Town would be an increase in reimbursement for a federally declared disaster, and the regulations could help prevent issues from occurring.
4. More discussion will be had when the State Rep, Kyle Medash, is available.

Old Business: Update on the Energy Survey

1. The survey has been advertised in several print and online publications.
2. We have received 29 responses so far, but more are needed.
3. Discussed having members be at the polling locations to talk to voters about it.
4. The survey window will close in November.

Old Business: Budget Discussion

1. Discussed past expenditures and needs for the next fiscal year.
2. After an extensive discussion, Mr. Hunter moved to submit a level funded budget for all items. Mr. Cohen seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Announcements

1. An Act 250 permit amendment request for Northwood Park was recently approved. Mary Beth Poli helped in the process and discussed some of the changes that were requested before the permit was issued.
2. Chairwoman Pulling will follow up on the letter regarding the Hawley Lane subdivision to ensure they know what stage in the process they are in.

Approval of Minutes October 6^th, 2022:

Mr. Peterson moved to approve the minutes. Mr. Burgess seconded the motion. Due to a quorum of the members from the October 6^th meeting not being present, Mr. Cohen moved to table the motion. Mr. Peterson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Adjournment:

Mr. Hunter moved to adjourn. Mr. Burgess seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 8:33 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Bill Sweet

______________________________________

Barbara Pulling

Rutland Town Planning Commission Chair