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Regional planning commission revises draft land-use map after state review, schedules public hearings
Summary
The Rutland Regional Planning Commission unveiled a revised draft future land use map after Land Use Review Board feedback, shrinking tier 1b eligible areas from about 3% to 2% of the region and replacing contested village-area buffers with a new 'transition' category; the commission set a first public hearing in March and invited towns to review maps and request changes.
Devin Erie, executive director of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, told commissioners the commission has redrafted its future land-use map after receiving feedback from the Land Use Review Board on Nov. 21. The board’s comments required removing village-area buffers adjacent to planned growth areas and changing how rural parcels are mapped.
Erie said the changes reduced the region’s tier 1b eligible areas—those most likely to qualify for Act 250 exemptions—from about 3% to roughly 2%, and replaced parcel-level circular buffers with a parcel-snapping approach. "We are not restricting development in any land use category," Erie said, adding the map only marks potential eligibility for Act 250 exemptions and that the plan itself remains voluntary for landowners.
The mapping revisions create a new 'transition' land-use category to denote locations where utilities and higher density might be appropriate in the future but are not assumed today. The commission also overlaid Vermont Conservation Design priorities to inform where rural conservation is indicated and noted that the elimination of the prior 300-foot rural buffer reduced the rural general category by about 30 percent.
Erie emphasized the draft remains negotiable: the commission will use the first public hearing to gather town and public feedback, make reasonable modifications that do not contradict Land Use Review Board requirements, then hold a second hearing before seeking adoption in May. He said the first public hearing will be held at the commission’s March 17 meeting, followed by four supplemental regional meetings to increase access.
Commissioners asked for clearer outreach materials and a concise 'cliff notes' version of statutory definitions. Erie said the RPC will re-share the outreach packet, include links to a new map-comparison tool developed by RPC GIS staff, and circulate a short explainer and the YouTube overview produced for the region.
The commission urged towns to review the draft maps now and to compile requested changes ahead of the hearing period. Erie cautioned that the commission must conform to the Land Use Review Board’s directive or risk a plan rejection that would delay Act 250-related benefits for the region.
