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Selectboard sets Oct. 7 public hearing on new village residential zoning districts
Summary
The Selectboard scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 7 on a Planning Commission proposal to create Village Residential Neighborhood North and South districts and implement Act 47-required density standards, prompting questions from residents about ADUs, duplex allowances and mapping.
The Richmond Selectboard voted to set a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, to consider zoning amendments that would create two new Village Residential Neighborhood districts (North and South) and revise density and multifamily standards to comply with Act 47.
Planning Commission chair Virginia Clark and Town Planner Keith presented maps and the rationale: the new districts would formalize village-scale, walkable neighborhoods and adopt dimensional and multifamily-building standards that reflect Act 47's requirements (including provisions allowing 0.2-acre lot-size equivalents and three- and four-unit multifamily buildings by right, with site standards). The commission emphasized that the changes aim to preserve neighborhood character while meeting state statutory density requirements.
Residents raised technical and policy questions about how setbacks, conversions of existing accessory structures into ADUs, parking (one parking space per residential unit is the municipal maximum requirement under Act 47 provisions), and how pre-existing nonconformities would be treated. The planner said some nonconforming structures could be considered for conversion under limits and that multifamily standards were added to mitigate visual impacts.
Board members and planning staff emphasized the public hearing is the forum for detailed debate and that the draft is not final; they encouraged residents to review materials before Oct. 7.
