Regional planning commissions map growth areas under Act 181 to direct housing benefits

Catherine Dimitrick of the Northwest Regional Planning Commission told the committee the RPCs are updating 11 regional plans to implement Act 181, including a new future land use mapping approach that aligns town-to-region-to-state targets. "Act 181 required all regional planning commissions to update their regional plans," she said, adding that the plans introduce a "future land use map" and expanded public participation requirements.

Dimitrick explained the tiered approach: downtown centers, village centers and adjacent growth areas can be mapped as eligible for Act 250 jurisdiction changes (tier 1), which enables certain project exemptions in designated areas if a municipality opts in. "All the regions that are going through this process will all have maps that look like this," she said, showing an example map where about 2.1% of a region's land area was eligible for tier 1 changes. She emphasized the RPCs' goal to concentrate changes in compact, non-sprawling areas and said the process does not alter local regulations.

Dimitrick and Devon York also reviewed RPC-run programs funded by the HOME Act (regional housing navigators) and local pilots such as ADU design grants; they noted uptake varies by county and that water/wastewater availability is a persistent constraint. RPCs reported hundreds of outreach events and many meetings with select boards and planning commissions to educate local decision-makers about targets and future land use categories.

Committee members asked about interactions with development review boards and local capacity-building; Dimitrick said RPCs plan trainings and have been meeting with local boards and the Land Use Review Board to meet statutory deadlines.