The Rutland Town Planning Commission reviewed a draft excerpt of Ferrisburg’s unified development regulations—specifically Article 13, which addresses subdivisions—during its Aug. 21 meeting and agreed to pursue technical assistance from the regional planning commission to adapt a usable set of subdivision rules. Commissioners repeatedly raised concerns about provisions in Ferrisburg’s document that reference zoning authority the town does not possess.

Acting Chair Dana Peterson summarized the commission’s charge from the select board: focus on updating subdivision regulations rather than pursuing a broader unified development code. Commissioners said Ferrisburg’s Article 13 is denser and more current on statutory topics the town lacks, including references to stormwater, flood hazard cross references, and cluster development. Peterson and others noted the Ferrisburg material appears to be a small section—about seven pages—of a much larger unified development document of roughly 60 pages.

Commissioners said many provisions in Ferrisburg’s subdivision section rely on zoning or related authorities, which raises the question of enforceability in Rutland. Member Jerry observed that provisions about tree removal, site preservation and development standards would have “no teeth” without zoning backing. Commissioners discussed two possible approaches: adopt and surgically remove zoning‑dependent provisions, or draft new subdivision rules from scratch guided by regional planning staff.

The commission recorded several technical observations about Ferrisburg’s draft: it includes stormwater references not previously in Rutland’s text; it cross‑references flood hazard regulations (Rutland currently has a separate flood ordinance); article language calls for registered engineers for final plats; and it specifies plat/mylar formats and margins. The draft also contains terminology and typographical errors that appear to have come from scanned source documents.

Members expressed support for inviting someone from the Regional Planning Commission to advise the commission on whether to adapt an existing document or draft a new one. The commission asked staff to place that request on the next agenda and to have Barbara follow up on outreach to the regional planning commission. No formal change to the town’s regulations was adopted at the meeting; the discussion was recorded as an initial review and direction to pursue outside technical assistance.