Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Targets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CCRPC PAC weighs draft housing-target methodology, schedules reconvening before public release
Summary
Staff presented a draft methodology allocating 50% of the regional housing target to urban municipalities (with ceilings/floors), reducing rural shares toward 3.8% by 2050, and including ADUs. PAC members raised concerns about mapping granularity, undevelopable land, and potential sprawl; the committee agreed to reconvene March 19 to decide on recommending the methodology to the LRPC.
Taylor Newton, CCRPC Planning Program Director, presented a revised draft methodology for assigning municipal housing targets at the PAC meeting on March 12. The proposal would allocate 50% of the regional housing target to urban municipalities (then divide that amount by municipal land area) while capping any one municipality at 40% of the urban target and setting a floor of 7%. Rural municipalities would receive a reduced share intended to move from the present 7.6% of county housing toward about 3.8% by 2050. ADUs are included in the targets, and mixed urban/rural municipalities would receive allocations based on the draft regional future land use map and infrastructure.
Newton said the targets focus on the 2050 mid-target and follow the State Housing Needs Assessment priorities — stabilizing vacancy, addressing homelessness, accounting for natural loss of homes, and responding to demographic shifts. He emphasized that municipalities must create the regulatory environment to enable housing growth and that towns would not be penalized if targets were not met.
PAC members pressed staff on multiple points. Joss Besse and Bolton Chair Steve Barner asked how undevelopable or public land is accounted for; Barner said Bolton may not be able to meet assigned targets given local constraints. Cymone Bedford urged attention to smart-growth principles and the needs of older residents who may seek ADUs instead of center-area housing. Chris Yuen characterized the methodology as "a bit sprawl-ier than he would hope," while Paul Conner and others observed that advocating for lower targets for one town shifts pressures onto others.
CCRPC staff said they are developing analytical methods to map environmental benefits and burdens alongside the future land use map and will share methodology materials with PAC. The committee agreed to reconvene tentatively on Wednesday, March 19 at 2:30 p.m. to decide whether to recommend the methodology to the Lakes and Regional Planning Committee (LRPC) and to finalize talking points ahead of a planned public release of the draft map and targets.
