Regional planners tell lawmakers Act 181 maps will leave most Vermont land rural; H.134 would target small-scale housing on current‑use parcels

Regional planning commissioners told a state legislative committee that maps being prepared under Act 181 will place only a small share of Vermont land in the new Tier 1 growth areas, and they described how H.134(a bill to change current‑use penalties to encourage small residential lots) would interact with that mapping.

Charlie Baker of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission said the RPCs are “heavily engaged in implementing the Act 250 changes that got voted on last session, Act 181,” and presented draft regional land‑use maps to show how village centers, planned growth areas and rural areas may be designated. He cautioned the maps are preliminary: “This is very much a draft. Please don't take anything to the bank here.”

The commissioners and legislators focused on three practical points: how Tier 1a and 1b areas will be defined, how far current‑use parcels lie from those growth areas, and what types of infrastructure or soils will make parcels eligible for development under the tier rules. Baker and other RPC staff…