Jericho planners debate lot frontage and dimension changes to "enable housing"

The Planning Commission continued its "Enable Housing" work on Jan. 6, weighing scenarios that would reduce lot sizes and frontages to encourage smaller, denser housing outside Village Centers. Town Planner Chris Shaheen presented model scenarios drawn from Vermont's Homes for All Toolkit and illustrated village, commercial and low-density models to show how reduced minimums would affect building envelopes and site feasibility.

Commissioners focused on whether to set minimum road frontage at 80 feet or 150 feet in Low-Density Residential areas. Heidi Klein said the Commission's goals are "more housing, more flexibility and to allow property owners to do whatever they can to create something that works for them without requiring them to have to go through a PUD process." Erik Glitman emphasized the housing objective, while Chris Brown and others questioned how shared driveways and fire-department access requirements should affect frontage rules. The Commission also discussed smaller PUD lot scenarios (6,000 sq ft examples) and proposed aligning Commercial District setbacks with Village District reductions to better support the envisioned development patterns.

The discussion did not reach a final vote but members signaled support for further analysis, additional research on driveway/frontage rules, and drafting zoning language and incentives for small houses ahead of an anticipated public hearing in April.