Montpelier planning commission previews online City Plan 2025, seeks final public input

The Montpelier Planning Commission on a public input session reviewed the web-based Montpelier City Plan 2025, walked attendees through interactive maps and the implementation matrix, and said a formal public hearing is scheduled for March 24 as the commission moves toward adoption.

The commission’s planning director, Mike Miller, summarized the new format and materials now available on the city website and encouraged residents to submit comments before and after the public hearing. “The actual website is the plan,” Miller said, noting the document was reviewed by city attorneys and state reviewers and that “this plan will be valid for 8 years.”

The City Plan 2025 replaces the older “master plan” format and breaks the plan into 12 chapters, each with two parts: a storyboard (interactive story map) and an implementation plan. Miller demonstrated the site’s story maps, which include current and future land-use maps, zoning overlays, and other layers such as floodplains, river corridors, open space and potential trail corridors. He highlighted the Country Club Road area as a key concept on the future land-use map and described how new state rules could affect growth-center and tier eligibility under Act 250 and Section 248 permitting.

Commissioners and staff emphasized two features intended to improve public use: interactive mapping and a consolidated implementation matrix that identifies aspirations, goals, strategies, responsible parties and relative costs. Miller said the site also offers PDF downloads (a combined archival PDF is 218 pages) and static print copies available at the planning department, the clerk’s office and the city manager’s office.

Commissioners present said they appreciated the work that went into the web-based format and asked staff to continue collecting and cataloging public comments during the warning and hearing process. Miller said the Planning Commission approved the warning for the March 24 public hearing last week and that additional public-input meetings are scheduled, including a public input meeting two weeks after this session.

Votes at a glance — recorded procedural actions during the meeting included approval of the meeting agenda, approval of minutes (with a typographical name correction noted for Josh Jerome), and a motion to adjourn. Each procedural vote was taken by voice; outcomes were recorded as approved by the commission. The meeting record shows the agenda motion was moved by Sean and seconded by Maria and that minutes and adjournment were approved by voice vote.

The planning director asked members to continue to submit comments and said staff will compile a matrix of suggested post-hearing edits for commission consideration. Miller said some implementation items will be pursued as programs (for example, applying for future state tier designations), some as projects (for example, Country Club Road concept work), and others as policies or plans. He reiterated the plan’s intent to be an adaptable, web-based resource that the commission can amend chapter-by-chapter as priorities or local conditions change.

With no members of the public present at the session, the commission’s discussion focused on next steps for review and the logistics of capturing and responding to written comments received by staff. The commission planned one more regular meeting immediately before the public hearing to review outstanding comments and any suggested edits to the implementation matrix.