Commission says yes to researching increased height in Heritage Village Center; residents urge preserving pedestrian scale

Planning staff won Planning Commission approval to begin a text‑amendment process this week to study increased building heights in the Heritage Village Center, but several residents and commissioners urged the town to follow the Heritage District redevelopment plan and to hold fuller public review.

Planner Kristen Devine told commissioners the proposal would raise the base height in the HVC from the current 55 feet to 75 feet, with proposed incentives that could allow up to an additional 15 feet (to 90 feet) in some locations off Gilbert Road; parcels on Gilbert Road would be subject to step‑back standards, Devine said. “We are looking to increase that to 75 feet,” Devine said. The staff presentation said higher heights are being explored to help create an “18‑hour” downtown with a mix of uses,…