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Winooski council sets June 16 public hearing on proposed transportation demand management rules
Summary
The council voted to introduce amendments to the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations that would require larger developments to include transportation demand management measures and possible parking reductions; staff will refine details and return for public comment on June 16.
Winooski City Council on Monday introduced amendments to the city’s Unified Land Use and Development Regulations that would require larger housing and commercial projects to submit transportation demand management (TDM) plans and make them eligible for reduced parking requirements.
The planning commission’s proposed changes, discussed at length with staff and the council, would apply to projects of 20 dwelling units or more and commercial developments of 5,000 square feet or greater. The proposal establishes tiered trip-reduction targets (higher requirements for larger, denser projects), a points-based menu of TDM strategies and a tradeoff allowing developers to seek parking reductions when they meet TDM thresholds. Council voted to set a public hearing on the amendments for June 16.
The proposal maker described the ordinance’s goals as reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips and greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging “non‑private vehicle use” through measures such as improved bike parking, marketing, ride credits with Green Mountain Transit (GMT), shower and locker facilities for employees, car‑share spaces, micro‑mobility charging and unbundled parking. The presenter said the 20-unit/5,000‑square‑foot applicability is a local equivalency drawn from trip‑generation guidance and that the planning commission built the point values by comparing examples from Burlington, South Burlington and state guidance from VTrans.
Councilors asked staff for more specificity in several areas before the public hearing: whether employee showers and lockers should be counted across multiple businesses in a single building; whether the shower/locker requirement might instead be tied to bike‑rack counts; and whether the marketing strategy (currently valued at two points) could include documentation or acknowledgement that building occupants received transit information. Planning staff agreed to refine the GMT ride‑credit point spreadsheet and to return with clarifying language on the shower/locker and marketing items for the June hearing.
The commission’s policy review also calls for two‑year monitoring of TDM plans to track effectiveness and adjustments over time. In discussion, staff noted that GMT wants notice of major projects so the transit agency can plan service changes.
The council’s June 16 public hearing will give residents an opportunity to review the proposed ordinance language and the staff‑supplied point spreadsheet prior to any final vote.
