Addison County planners outline Act 181 mapping, opt‑in exemptions and housing targets

At an Addison County Regional Planning meeting, staff reviewed Vermont’s Act 181 and the regional process to create consistent future land‑use maps that will determine where Act 250 review does and does not apply for housing.

The presentation advised towns that the new framework replaces project‑based triggers with location‑based “tiers,” and that municipalities will be asked whether to opt in to Act 250 exemptions in Tier 1 areas. Staff emphasized that opting in would not change local zoning or local development review, but would change whether housing in mapped areas must go through Act 250 review.

Katie Reichertmeyer, a staff member with Addison County Regional Planning, said the session was intended as a “preview of — or review of — Act 181 and the future land‑use mapping process,” and walked attendees through the tier system and the new Future Land Use Area (FLUA) categories that regional planning commissions must use to produce consistent maps across the state. Reichertmeyer and other staff said the new system is intended to concentrate growth in existing or planned centers by providing Act 250 exemptions in those areas.

Under the new rules presented, Tier 1 areas (broken into 1A and 1B) are growth centers and planned growth areas that can receive either broader exemptions (1A) or a partial exemption (1B). The partial exemption for Tier 1B described in the presentation permits up to 50 housing units per 10 acres to be exempt from Act 250 review within the defined area; Reichertmeyer noted that the mapping work will determine which…