Town planner presents zoning, density and incentives to spur affordable housing in Jericho

Town Planner Chris Shaheen reviewed the Planning Commission’s "Enable Housing" materials and reported on the status of approvals from the PC and SB on several recommendations. Shaheen, who has served as town planner for 18 months, presented a PowerPoint and a recent survey of peer towns to identify practices that have enabled small affordable projects.

Committee members focused on lot sizes, frontage requirements and density. SJ Dube said the committee should clarify how the town defines “affordable,” including which area‑median‑income (AMI) cutoffs apply locally versus countywide, and suggested referencing the CHP structure used elsewhere. Committee members compared proposed lot sizes to neighborhoods in Burlington, Essex Junction and Bristol and discussed whether district purposes support smaller lots and higher density.

Members reviewed incentives the draft regulations would allow. The minutes record that some PUD (planned unit development) bonuses and incentives for affordable units have already been adopted; the committee discussed density bonuses and an energy‑efficiency bonus that some developers used to justify additional units. Shaheen reported two recent Jericho projects that used the density bonus: one that went to mediation and another that increased from six to eight units. Members noted many projects cap at nine units to avoid triggering Act 250 review.

The committee clarified that in some districts classified as Forest and RAR, four‑plexes are not permitted; only single‑family homes or duplexes are allowed in those zones, so the proposed changes would not change density allowances there. Chuck Lacy urged limiting the conversion of productive agricultural land and emphasized that households earning roughly $50,000–$60,000 are effectively priced out of rural options.

Shaheen also outlined non‑zoning strategies in his list, including addressing wastewater capacity, public education for development options, leveraging the state's Home for All preapproval initiative, and land acquisition strategies. When the minutes reference approvals from the “PC and SB,” the document uses the abbreviations; the minutes do not define “SB.”

The committee discussed permitting mobile homes as another possible affordability option and was told that permitting mobile homes is on Shaheen’s list to consider. No formal votes on zoning changes were taken at this meeting; further work, public input and decision points were deferred to future meetings.