Since hosting our kickoff meetings in May, the Planning Commission (the Commission) has been dedicating some of their time at every one of their meetings over the summer to the town plan. Why only some? Well, just because we need to update the Town Plan, the world doesn't stop turning!
While work on the Town Plan IS a huge component of the Commission's work, they are also responsible for addressing requests for changes to the Williston Unified Development Bylaw (WDB), the 320+ page rulebook for land use and development in Williston, and for requests by applicants for the approval of Specific Plans.
Specific Plans are like miniature town plan and bylaw updates, in that an applicant who wants to do something with a piece of land that isn't allowed by the WDB can apply to the Commission to change the rules
just for their piece of property.
So, before we dive into the Town Plan process, here's a quick list of other items the Commission has been working on since May:
- The Commission reviewed a Specific Plan request for the former Pine Ridge School Property. the applicant, the New England Theological Seminary (NETS) proposes to establish a postgraduate residential pastor training program and campus on the site using the existing buildings. NETS also proposes to permanently protect much of the land on the site from future development and to make some of it available for public access. The reason NETS needs a specific Plan approval to locate on the site is that the land is zoned Agricultural Rural Residential (ARZD) and the only allowed uses in that zone are farming and residential uses.
- The Commission reviewed proposed bylaw changes to allow limited "restaurant" uses in the industrial Zoning District West (IZDW), where those uses are an accessory to a manufacturing facility. This change will allow breweries in Williston some more flexibility in terms of how they are able to serve beer on premises. Breweries that serve a small amount of food as a "restaurant" under the amended bylaw will be better able to obtain a "restaurant" liquour license from the state- which allows them to serve pints of beer at the brewery and not just sample "flights."
- The Commission reviewed bylaw changes creating a new zoning district, the Gateway West District (GZDW), on certain parcels fronting Williston Road in the vicinity of South Brownell Road. these parcels, which were previously zoned only for residential uses, may now be used for higher-density residential or limited commercial purposes with permission from the DRB and design review by the Historic and Architectural Advisory Committee (HAAC)
- The Commission reviewed bylaw changes allowing the use of existing farm structures in the ARZD as "function halls," with permission from the Development Review Board (DRB). While the ARZD is largely a rural residential zone with significant agricultural use, there are a few propoert owners who would like to be able to use their barns as function halls from time to time. This can provide a revenue stream that can help to fund the maintenance of these barns.
- The Commission reviewed changes to the way "required design elements," such as urban parks, public art, wide sidewalks, and multiple story buildings, are required on new developments in the Taft Corbner Zoning District (TCZD) and Mixed-Use district (MUCZD).
- The Commission reviewed changes that extend an incentive for affordable housing and structured parking in the Business Park Zoning District (BPZD). New develkopment that provides these elements may be eligible for a "height bonus," which allows building heights of 52 feet instead of the normal 36-foot limit.
Please give us a call if you have questions about any of these changes. These were all approved by the Selectboard since the kickoff meetings, and represent a "clearing of the decks" for the Commission as they propare to focus on the Town Plan for the next year.
The Commission's most recent work on the Town Plan has been to develop a survey which will be made available soon to Williston citizens in both paper and electronic form. The Commission has worked hard over its last few meetings to refine these questions to help it decide which areas of the Plan top focus on- so stay tuned and keep an eye out for that survey!
Additionally, the Commission will be hostin staff from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) at future meetings to talk about updates to the Plan's discussion of transportation.
Stay tuned!
