Richmond Planning Commission sets Nov. 19 public hearing for updated town plan

The Richmond Planning Commission approved the draft town plan documents and voted unanimously to set a required public hearing for Nov. 19, the commission chair said at the Oct. 15 meeting.

Virginia Clark, chair of the Richmond Planning Commission, opened the meeting and framed the primary item as the commission’s review of the draft town plan and scheduling of the statutory public hearing. Commissioners discussed a compressed timeline that aims to deliver final approvals to the select board in early January so the plan can be warned for the town meeting in March.

“[W]e have our presentation on November 4th,” Clark said, describing the Nov. 4 public presentation at the library that will include a select-board invitation and outreach such as a postcard and a newspaper notice. The commission agreed to the presentation date and to a Nov. 19 public hearing as the formal 30-day warned public hearing.

Commissioner Mark moved to approve the documents "as per the documents presented" with the caveat that an adjustment to the inclusion language dated 10/14/25 be included; Ian seconded the motion. The roll call produced a four-to-zero vote to approve the documents for public hearing.

The meeting focused in part on required mapping changes under Act 181 that will alter Richmond’s future land use map. Clark and other commissioners described the need to replace the 2018 “fuzzy” map with a new, standardized map to align with regional planning requirements. Clark said the commission has been coordinating with the regional planning commission and will remain aligned with regional drafts as they evolve.

Commissioners also reviewed the plan’s appendices and implementation materials. Staff member Keith noted the new appendix—labeled "data and additional information"—will consolidate historical society updates, the regional energy plan, and a housing committee strategic plan. An implementation table listing action-item owners is included but many entries are ongoing and will need timeline refinement before the final hearing.

Steering committee members who helped draft the plan received public thanks from commissioners. Chelsea Brooks, a steering committee member, and others said they thought the plan was well researched and broadly balanced. A discussion of required child-care language referenced state guidance: a commissioner read or cited “Goal 13 from 24 V.S.A. §4302,” which directs municipalities to consider availability of safe and affordable child care and integrate child-care issues into planning. Commissioners located existing child-care references in the community development and education sections and agreed that tightening that language would be a simple edit if required by regional review.

The commission also handled logistics for the Nov. 4 presentation. Rebecca volunteered to coordinate refreshments and identified several vendor options (Cresto/Crestell Coffee, Sweet Simone, Stones Throw Pizza) with estimated catering costs of about $300–$500 depending on attendance; the commission identified a planning budget and indicated office funds could cover the expense.

Next steps: the commission will publish the warned documents and hold the Nov. 4 public presentation, solicit and tabulate public comments, then hold the Nov. 19 public hearing. Following public comment and any recommended edits, the commission will forward the plan to the select board for the required public hearing and potential placement on the March town meeting warning for voter approval.