Planning Commission forwards amended zoning bylaw updates to Selectboard

The Windsor Planning Commission voted unanimously June 25 to approve an amended draft of proposed zoning bylaw amendments and to forward the package to the Selectboard for review and public hearing. The motion was moved by Vice Chair Harry Falconer and seconded by Commissioner Mike Welker; all four commissioners present voted yes.

Vice Chair Harry Falconer opened the warned public hearing and summarized the principal amendments, including compliance with the Vermont HOME Act, revised dimensional standards to reduce existing lot nonconformities, and "increasing the required elevation in the Flood Hazard Overlay District from one foot to two feet above base flood elevation." After hearing public comment on several articles, the Commission agreed to incorporate a targeted change to Article 6 to exempt modifications required under the Americans with Disabilities Act from local zoning permitting and to delete an editorial sentence in Article 7 that had been left in the draft inadvertently.

Commissioners discussed but did not change a provision listing "garden center" as a conditional use in several districts; they decided instead to document the concern and revisit conditional- and permitted-use lists during the Town Plan process and the next comprehensive zoning update. The Commission also noted minor technical corrections—such as formatting issues with text boxes—that will be resolved before transmittal.

The Commission may send members to a future Selectboard meeting to brief the Selectboard on the amendment package and assist with the Selectboard's review and hearing schedule. The Selectboard will receive the package next as the procedural step toward local adoption.