Rutland RPC readies final vote on 2026 regional plan as Act 181 revisions advance

The Rutland Regional Planning Commission's executive committee was told on May 11 that the commission plans to adopt the 2026 Rutland Regional Plan next week and will submit the plan to the state land use review board for review.

Executive Director Devin said the committee's upcoming final public hearing will be shorter than earlier hearings and will build on prior outreach. He said the RPC will seek both adoption of the plan and authority to submit the plan to the land use review board, which then has about 60 days to make a determination. "We are submitting immediately. So exciting stuff," Devin said.

Devin also summarized Senate bill 325 (Act 181 revisions), telling the committee that the legislation expected in conference committee would repeal tier 2 and tier 3 classifications and streamline regional plan amendment processes; he cautioned additional amendments are possible in conference committee. Committee members discussed town opt-ins: most core towns have submitted resolutions but a few outliers remain (Proctor was named, and Castleton was discussed as a possible late addition). Devin said the RPC is willing to accept opt-in resolutions up until adoption.

Rutland City is noted as eager to apply for tier 1a status and has received assistance with its map package from RPC staff. After adoption, the RPC will submit the plan to the land use review board and schedule a one-hour hearing; staff said they will keep other agenda items light to accommodate that hearing.

Next step: the RPC expects to present the adoption vote to the full board next week and to submit the approved plan to the land use review board for its statutory review period.