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Grafton planning commission votes to draft letter opposing Act 181 road rule and tier‑3 mapping
Summary
At a meeting, the Grafton Planning Commission voted to draft a letter opposing the state's Act 181 implementation — citing overly broad tier‑3 mapping and a 'road rule' that members say would constrain rural roads and driveways — and directed a member to prepare a draft for review on April 28.
The Grafton Planning Commission voted to prepare a formal letter opposing the state's implementation of Act 181, directing a member to draft text addressing concerns about the road rule and tier‑3 mapping and to circulate it to commissioners for comment.
Commission members said the draft maps and road rule were prepared with insufficient field work and local input. “The initial draft of tier 3 mapping was overly broad,” one committee member said, adding that maps appear to be “structural” rather than grounded in site‑level assessments. Another member urged stronger action, arguing the legislation “should be repealed entirely, start from scratch, and actually interact with the local level.”
Members discussed recipients and timing for the letter, including the governor, leaders of both legislative houses, the regional planning commission and VLCT (Vermont League of Cities and Towns). Commissioners also agreed to copy their selectboard so the town’s governing body could consider supporting the statement.
The motion approved by voice directed a named member to produce the first draft and circulate it privately for comment; the commission will reconvene on April 28 to finalize the letter and determine distribution. Members said the draft should call out specific technical objections — including the scope of tier‑3 boundaries, the justification for long contiguous ‘wildlife corridor’ designations along road corridors, and the potential effect of a road‑rule designation on driveways and building access.
Commissioners cited reports and testimony from outside groups while framing the town’s response. One member noted that VLCT has testified the implementation framework is “unworkable” for rural municipalities; another recommended reviewing an analysis by Annette Smith of Vermonters for a Clean Environment to ground the commission’s technical objections.
Next steps: the commission will accept written comments on the draft, post the draft as required by open‑meeting rules, reconvene April 28 to finalize the letter, and, if approved, send it to the named state officials and regional partners.
Action recorded: the commission passed a motion instructing a member to prepare and circulate the draft letter; that motion, along with reconvening details, will be recorded in minutes for the April 28 meeting.
