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Resident at planning commission meeting urges denser downtown, warns current plan undercounts density and flags walkability concerns
Summary
During public comment a resident urged the commission to plan for higher downtown densities, criticized how density calculations excluded stormwater treatment areas, and stressed the need to balance vehicular flow with walkability for future infill.
A resident who addressed the South Burlington Planning Commission during public comment urged commissioners to support denser development in the downtown planning area and criticized the way density has been calculated in recent planning documents.
The speaker said the current density figures "are too low" for a downtown and that the calculation appeared to exclude stormwater treatment areas: "If you're not including the stormwater treatment areas, then you're not taking the actual density into account. The density ... is low," the resident said.
The commenter acknowledged design work that supports walkability but cautioned that much of Shelburne Road and parts of Dorset Street are vehicle-dominant corridors where truck and delivery access is important. "This is not a place for people. That's a place for cars," the resident said, citing an example of large delivery trucks serving a grocery store. At the same time the speaker urged the commission to ensure interior blocks and secondary streets are designed for people to walk and to allow enough vehicular flow where needed.
The resident also thanked commissioners for previous questions and answers at earlier meetings and urged commissioners to continue rigorous review of consultant work and assumptions. The comment concluded with a call to make future development financially sustainable so it can cover ongoing costs.
The planning commission did not act on any regulatory change during public comment; commissioners later discussed the CCRPC draft map in the substantive portion of the meeting.
