RPC outlines year‑and‑a‑half schedule to update regional plan; outreach to focus on housing and flood resilience

Tasha, a staff member with the regional planning commission, presented a brief outline of the commission’s planned update to the regional plan and said the work will occur over the next year and a half.

The update will focus on a limited set of topics that the regional plan committee has identified as priorities: bringing the plan into alignment with Act 181, updating the housing chapter to reflect post‑pandemic changes, strengthening flood‑resilience sections in response to recent flooding, and adjusting the economic development section to match the comprehensive economic development strategy used by the Northern Vermont Economic Development District.

Tasha described outreach planned between February and May that will center on mission and vision questions and ask residents and municipal officials how they see the future of Lamoille County. Outreach methods will include interactive phone‑based polling software (available in real time on a display), SurveyMonkey for people who prefer that format, and paper surveys available in libraries and town offices. Staff plan targeted conversations with select boards and trustees.

Brian Levin, who participated in the regional plan committee and identified himself in the meeting as someone involved with the Northern Vermont Economic Development District, said adding language that aligns the regional plan with that federally designated economic development region can enhance the county’s ability to obtain federal economic development dollars.

Tasha and committee members emphasized a narrow scope for this update. As one committee member put it during discussion, the goal is to “not get too expansive with our review” and to focus on changes that are required by statute or that respond to recent local events such as flooding.

The meeting packet included a one‑and‑a‑half‑page summary of the proposed approach and an announcement that public outreach materials and a short survey have been distributed in the commission’s newsletter.

Enhanced energy chapter The transcript notes that the Johnson Town and Village Plan includes an enhanced energy chapter; commission members said the regional commission could not vote to approve that chapter until the community’s plan is confirmed. The enhanced energy chapter will be scheduled for a future meeting after the town completes its confirmation steps.

Timeline and next steps - Public outreach: February–May (mission/vision questions; housing and flood resilience emphasized). - Committee meeting cadence: monthly or bimonthly, with staff and commissioners encouraged to promote community participation. - Trustee and select‑board outreach: staff plan an evening forum on April 10 at the Green Mountain Tech Center for select boards and trustees to discuss shared issues.

Provenance (selected transcript excerpts): - Topic introduced: “In your packet was a very short 1 and a half page summary regarding our work on the regional plan... that is just a brief outline of how we're going to proceed over the next year and a half to update our regional plan.” - Committee focus: “not getting too expansive with our review of the plan... really sticking to the things that we know we need to address.”