Planning Commission updates LDR report after council edits; leaves DoubleTree-area zoning change out for further study

The South Burlington Planning Commission on Aug. 12 approved a narrowly targeted update to the planning-commission reports that accompany proposed land-development regulation (LDR) amendments after the City Council made edits to the version the commission had advanced. The commission also agreed to defer a proposed zoning change affecting a small parcel behind the DoubleTree hotel so staff can study that piece more thoroughly. Why it matters: The reports document how proposed bylaw changes align with the municipal plan and state requirements; council edits created a need to amend one planning-commission report to ensure the report accurately reflected the version the council advanced to public hearing. What the commission did: Planning staff explained that City Council accepted most of the commission’s recommended revisions to the LDR amendments but asked the commission to re-examine one narrow area: a small UVM-owned parcel and neighboring parking area behind the DoubleTree that had been proposed for transfer from the high-scale mixed-use (HSMU) district into the T4 form-based code district. Council asked the commission to study that island parcel further rather than adopt an immediate change. The commission approved edits to the planning-commission reports to remove the now-withdrawn change from the report and made a minor grammatical correction. Vote and procedure: The commission voted to approve the revised report for LDR 25-07 and found no additional report amendments were needed for the other LDR items. The motion carried on a voice vote with all present commissioners voting in favor. Planning staff said City Council will hold its public hearing on the amended LDRs on Sept. 2. Ending: Staff said the review of the DoubleTree-area parcel will be scheduled and returned to the commission for recommendation before any final zoning change is proposed.