Catherine Dimitrick, NRPC staff, told the Northwest Regional Planning Commission that the draft regional plan was found “in compliance with all the planning goals” by the Land Use Review Board but that the board provided extensive advisory comments on the future land‑use map.

“The good news is that they found that our plan was in compliance with all the planning goals,” Catherine said. She added the board “did have several comments on our future land use map” and requested additional information for named areas including Fairfax South Village, Grand Isle Station, Georgia South Village, Highgate and Richford.

The comments amount to a roughly 45‑page set of notes that staff are still digesting. Catherine said NRPC has documented the technical basis for mapping decisions and will request guidance from the Land Use Review Board on whether the agency intends to provide more iterative direction or expects NRPC simply to resubmit supplementary documentation.

A timeline presented to the commission sets a January 14 Plan & Policy Committee review of a new full draft, with that draft provided to the board before its January meeting. Staff said mid‑February will be the deadline for any last substantive comments so an adoption draft can be prepared and a 30‑day warned adoption hearing can be scheduled with the objective of an adoption vote at the March board meeting.

Commissioner Bob (last name not given) cautioned against an NRPC role that would preempt municipal judgment. “I would rather see the towns defining where the protection should be as opposed to us telling the towns where they're supposed to be,” he said, urging staff and the board to avoid policy shifts that assign protections centrally.

Barclay Morris, chair of NRPC’s Transportation Advisory Committee, noted the different approaches other regions have seen in preliminary reviews and supported staff follow‑up to seek clarity on what the Land Use Review Board expects.

Staff said they will gather supplementary documentation — including letters of concurrence from local planning commissions or select boards where requested — and will resubmit the information to the Review Board. If the Review Board’s comments remain vague, Catherine said NRPC has substantial documentation demonstrating that mapping decisions conform with statute.

What happens next: staff will circulate the updated draft to the Plan & Policy Committee on Jan. 14, collect any final comments by mid‑February, and prepare the adoption draft and a warned hearing for the March meeting.