Planning commission recommends annexation of 391 acres for EPIC campus; rezoning and plat approvals advance to council
Loading...
Summary
The Vermont Planning Commission voted to recommend the common council approve annexation of roughly 391 acres to the city of Verona, with related rezoning of a parcel to suburban industrial and a plat creating five lots and four outlots on the EPIC campus; motions passed with two abstentions and conditions tied to the annexation agreement and April elections.
The planning commission on Monday recommended the common council approve the annexation of about 391 acres from the town of Verona to the city of Verona, along with a zoning map amendment and a plat that would create five lots and four outlots adjacent to EPIC’s campus.
Planning staff summarized the application and said the town of Verona had approved the annexation request before the applicant submitted it to the city. Staff recommended approval of the annexation, the rezoning of Parcel 1 from rural agricultural to suburban industrial, and the related plat with conditions noted in the staff report.
The chair moved that the commission recommend council approval of the annexation with two conditions: the annexation becomes effective upon execution of the annexation agreement and it becomes effective only after April 9, 2026, because of elections. Commissioner Hankard seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote, recorded as 4–0, with Commissioners Hernandez and Powers abstaining.
The commission also recommended approval of a zoning map amendment to rezone approximately 3 acres at 2514 Country View Road from rural agricultural to suburban industrial; that motion, which included a condition that the rezoning become effective upon annexation, passed by the same 4–0 voice vote with Hernandez and Powers abstaining.
Commissioners voted to recommend approval of a plat to create five lots and four outlots for EPIC Systems Corporation (1979 Milky Way), with the condition that the plat becomes effective upon annexation. Alder Swanson moved that recommendation; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote with the same abstentions noted above.
Planning staff told the commission the rezoning would make Parcel 1’s zoning consistent with adjacent suburban industrial property already part of EPIC’s campus, and that the annexation and plat paperwork also address realignment and dedication of Country View Road, including cleaned‑up right‑of‑way for the newly created Country View Road and Country View Court.
What happens next: the commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to the common council for final action, and the annexation’s effective date is conditioned on execution of the annexation agreement and the post‑election date noted in the motion.
Reporting note: staff said there are three existing residents within the annexation area; staff offered to provide exact residency counts to commissioners on request.
