Montpelier planning commission votes to recommend municipal planning grant for River's Edge master plan

The Montpelier Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend that the city apply for a municipal planning grant to fund a River's Edge master plan that would examine the Winooski River and North Branch through Montpelier and propose public-facing, resilience and design measures.

Commissioners moved the recommendation after a presentation from John Copans, executive director of the Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience, who told the commission the study would “engage the community in this conversation about how we're interfacing with our rivers” and explore buyouts, dam removals and bridge constraints that contributed to flood damage in 2023.

The vote sends a formal recommendation to the city for an application to the state Municipal Planning Grant (MPG) program. The MPG program typically caps awards at about $30,000 per municipality, though presenters and commissioners said the commission expects the project will likely need additional funds beyond the state grant.

Why it matters: Montpelier’s downtown sits adjacent to the Winooski and North Branch; commissioners and the resilience commission said a riverfront master plan would help the city identify parcels appropriate for buyouts, prioritize dam removals and guide development and public access in ways that reduce future flood damage while improving recreation and economic opportunities.

What the commission heard and decided - John Copans, executive director of the Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience, described the scope: watershed-scale thinking, downtown-scale flood adaptation, and emergency-preparedness work. He said the plan would consider which parcels are suitable for municipal buyouts and where removing dams or restoring floodplain would provide public benefit. Copans said, “we feel like the timing is right, to really engage the community in this conversation about how we're interfacing with our rivers.” - Commissioners asked about costs and grant timing. Copans said the MPG cap is small relative to the work and estimated a realistic project budget of roughly $70,000–$80,000 for a Montpelier-specific master plan; he also noted regional modeling work is being advanced by the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission and other funding or partnerships could help. - A public commenter urged caution about process and transparency, saying the resilience commission needs clearer public records and minutes before the public should “bless and condone planning of public waterways and public waterfronts behind closed doors.” The commenter requested conditions on transparency if the commission proceeds.

Process and next steps: The project is a municipal planning grant application with the city as the applicant; if the application is awarded, presenters said the work typically runs 18 months and will require a clearly defined work plan, public-engagement schedule and procurement of consultants. Staff said the city — as applicant and grantee — would bring the plan through the planning commission and later to the city council for acceptance or approval and to satisfy state reporting and procurement requirements tied to the grant.

Commission action: A motion to recommend applying for the Municipal Planning Grant for a River’s Edge master plan was made and seconded; commissioners voted in favor by voice. The motion was recorded as approved in the meeting minutes.

Context and background: The riverfront master-plan idea appears in the adopted city plan as a recommended strategy. Presenters said similar studies elsewhere have combined flood-resilience analysis with landscape-architecture approaches to open riverfront access and that earlier master-planning work in the 1990s helped create the city's bike path.

What remains unresolved: If the MPG is awarded, commissioners and Copans said the state grant will not cover all consultant and modeling costs; the project team will seek additional funding (regional grants, local match or other sources). The public commenter’s call for improved transparency means the commission and resilience commission will likely need to clarify public-records and meeting procedures as planning work proceeds.

The commission chair closed the item by asking staff to return with an application draft and a proposed work plan and budget for the commission to review prior to any final city council submittal.