South Burlington — The City Council voted to warn a public hearing for Sept. 2 on a package of land development regulation (LDR) changes and an update to the official map, but narrowed the planning commission's height proposal for a small area near Centennial Woods.

The council’s action leaves the area north of the DoubleTree hotel zoned as “high‑scale mixed use” rather than adopting the planning commission’s broader height increases there, and directs the planning commission to study building‑height limits for that location and return with a recommendation. The council vote was 4‑1; Councilor Elizabeth cast the lone dissent.

Why it matters: The LDR amendments would streamline review and increase design flexibility in the city center, change permitted heights in several commercial areas, and add technical standards for bedrock removal and on‑site processing. Opponents and some councilors said the proposed taller buildings risked changing the character next to Centennial Woods and could affect views, light and neighborhood scale; supporters said greater height can concentrate housing where infrastructure exists.

Planning staff presented the packet that the planning commission forwarded; Paul Connor, director of planning and zoning, told the council the draft contains a mix of form‑based code updates, use‑category consolidations and technical edits. Connor explained how the draft treats transitions to lower‑scale neighborhoods, saying, “any property within a 150 feet of a low‑scale neighborhood … is limited to 5 stories maximum and has a step‑back requirement on that side.”

Council discussion focused on a thin “finger” of high‑scale zoning that juts toward Centennial Woods. Several councilors and members of the public urged lower maximum heights for that specific area; others — citing future development pressure and the desire to put density near transit — said the city should preserve flexibility. Resident public comment urged keeping taller buildings below the tree canopy, with one speaker asking councilors to “put some restrictions in the 5 to 7 range.”

Outcome and next steps: The council voted to warn a public hearing on LDR 25‑01 through LDR 25‑07 and Official Map 25‑01 for 7 p.m. on Sept. 2, 2025, while expressly leaving the high‑scale mixed‑use area north of Williston Road unchanged and directing the planning commission to revisit height limits there. Councilors who voted yes were Andrew, Anne, Laurie and Lori; Elizabeth voted no. The planning commission will consider the council direction and provide its statutory report on consistency with the city plan before the hearing.

Background: The LDR package is the most significant rewrite of portions of the city center rules since the form‑based code was adopted. The council made the change to avoid what several members described as “spot zoning” questions and to ask the planning commission for a focused follow‑up study rather than pausing the entire package.

What to watch: The public hearing on Sept. 2 will be the principal forum for neighbors, developers and organizations to weigh in on the full suite of LDR changes; the council’s instruction to the planning commission will produce a narrower follow‑up process on heights north of the DoubleTree.