Morristown boards adopt 2026 zoning bylaws after debate over maintenance, RVs and data-center planning

The Morristown Select Board and Village Trustees voted to adopt updated zoning and subdivision bylaws on a motion to approve the 2026 package "with a minor amendment to Section 435," following a public hearing that drew extended comment on demolition documentation, camper and RV storage, and planning for potential data centers.

The boards heard a detailed overview from Tyler Lisha, the town's zoning planning administrator, who said the planning commission completed its review and transmitted a report on June 1, 2026. Major edits include renumbering and reformatting the bylaw, changes to the use table to reflect state law on dwelling types (duplexes allowed where single-family was by right; three- and four-unit dwellings permitted by right in areas served by municipal water and sewer), relocation of conservation subdivision language into the subdivision section, clarified development-review board (DRB) procedures for multiple principal uses, and a new short-term-rental section moved out of the definitions and into the regulatory text.

Tyler said the short-term rental revisions do not change substantive standards but clarify administration: rentals of up to four bedrooms in a building do not require a separate use permit though the building itself must meet permit/recording requirements; five to eight bedrooms would require DRB approval; nine or more bedrooms would be treated as a hotel use. He also said the town removed a section that would have authorized local administration of certain Act 250 reviews because complying with the municipal administrative procedures requirements described in the packet would be onerous for the DRB.

A substantial portion of the meeting focused on proposed changes in Section 435 addressing maintenance, demolition and documentation. The final motion adopts the bylaws while directing the amendment discussed at the hearing: clarify that homeowners should document an existing structure when demolishing and rebuilding to the same exterior dimensions and that demolition-specific notification language be reordered (the boards agreed to move the demolition text earlier in Section 435 and to tighten wording). The lister's office argued documentation is important so assessors can verify pre- and post-work conditions if wholesale demolition and rebuilds occur.

Public comment centered on proposed permit rules for campers, recreational vehicles and storage trailers. Several residents said the current bylaw (as the zoning administrator acknowledged) already directs campers and RVs to be parked in a defined driveway. The draft revisions would allow property owners to apply for a permit to store a camper or RV in a non-driveway location (for example, on a dedicated pad) so long as setbacks and other standards are met; Tyler said enforcement is complaint-driven and that routine temporary uses such as primitive camps are already limited by existing rules (primitive camps: defined in the bylaw; the transcript cites three consecutive weeks and a total of 60 days per calendar year as existing limits). The fee referenced for simple recording was $15.

Trustees and select board members also discussed whether the town should pursue an interim bylaw (a two-year moratorium) to study ‘‘high-impact’’ uses such as data centers. Speakers referenced Royalton's approach as a model — a high-impact threshold tied to electricity consumption (e.g., 20 megawatts), large daily water withdrawals, acreage of impervious surface, PFAS-contaminated wastewater risk, noise thresholds, and local job metrics — and suggested the planning commission perform additional research and draft specific interim language if the boards want protection while policy is developed.

After the public discussion, each body voted to close the public hearing and then approved the 2026 zoning bylaws with the agreed amendment to Section 435. The hearing record and packet were left open for written comments as noted during the session. The boards adjourned at the close of the meeting.

What happens next: the boards adopted the bylaws with the specific edits discussed for Section 435; trustees and select board members invited further submissions to the zoning office and encouraged residents to engage with the planning commission if they want additional changes — particularly on campers/RV storage and any interim regulation for high‑impact data-center uses.