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VLCT urges caution as Act 181 reshapes Act 250 mapping; asks for delay to protect farmers
Summary
Vermont League of Cities and Towns representatives told a legislative committee Jan. 14 that Act 181’s location-based mapping of Act 250 jurisdiction could concentrate new municipal permitting authority in small growth centers, potentially exposing some farmers to permitting costs; VLCT urged slowing implementation and delaying an 800-foot "road rule."
Josh Hanford, director of intergovernmental relations for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, told a legislative committee on Jan. 14 that the league supports local authority in most of the state but is urging caution around implementation of Act 181 because the law creates location-based Act 250 jurisdiction that could change where municipalities wield land-use control.
Hanford said VLCT represents all 251 Vermont municipalities and that many are small and volunteer-run; he and Samantha Stian, VLCT municipal policy and advocacy specialist, emphasized that the draft mapping process identifying Future Land Use (FLU) areas and the tiers under Act 181 could leave as little as 0.5 percent and as much as about 11 percent of county land eligible for a tier 1 designation, and that statewide eligible area is currently estimated below 3 percent.
"Act 181 creates a location based jurisdiction of Act 250," Stian said, explaining that the law changes how Act 250 triggers and exemptions are applied. She added that the current…
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