Planning commission debates wording, access and slope standards in proposed Subdivision Regulations revisions

John Roe opened a discussion of proposed revisions to the Town ivision/Subdivision Regulations and deferred a major discussion of "use" until a draft of arguments can be completed and shared with the commission. Kevin Geiger of the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission responded to questions on the draft memo and suggested specific language and process changes. Geiger noted that the statutory term "consistent with the Town Plan" is loose and advised that any mandatory Town Plan provisions should be copied explicitly into a regulation standard rather than relying on the term "consistent."

Geiger urged the commission to consider regulating access points and driveways to reduce forest fragmentation and stormwater runoff; he said towns can state average and absolute grades and condition them to a particular site, and that some towns accept a letter from the fire department instead of imposing numeric grade requirements. On standards 19 and 20 Geiger cautioned that regulation should not create lots that are unworkable for agriculture or forestry. Other recommended edits discussed included documenting the Boundary Line Adjustment (BLA) path (Section 209), replacing the word "variance" with "waive" (Section 301), permitting an 18-month window for applications missing requested information (Section 304), and simplifying fines language (Section 400) by referencing the statute rather than prescribing fines.

Commissioners also noted that administrative processes (filing of plats, permit appeal windows) should align with appeal periods, and that if the DRB and Planning Commission are the same body the structure is cleaner. The discussion closed with a plan to circulate a drafted argument on the "use" issue for future discussion.