Smart Growth News

Vermont

DOE Announces $20.5 Million for Community Renewable Energy Projects

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu has announced the selection of five projects to receive more than $20.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support deployment of community-based renewable energy projects, such as biomass, wind, and solar installations. These projects will promote investment in clean energy infrastructure that will create jobs, help communities provide long-term renewable energy and save consumers money. They will also serve as models for other local governments, campuses, or small utilities to replicate, allowing other communities to design projects that fit their individual size and energy demands.

''Smaller, more localized renewable energy systems need to play a role in our comprehensive energy portfolio,'' said Secretary Chu. ''These projects will help create jobs, expand our clean energy economy, and help us cut carbon pollution at the local level.''

The selected projects will be leveraged with approximately $167 million in local government and private industry funding. DOE estimates that these projects will provide enough clean, renewable energy to displace the emissions of approximately 10,700 homes.

Projects selected for awards include:

City of Montpelier (Montpelier, Vermont)
This project will further Montpelier's energy goals by supporting installation of a 41 MMBtu combined heat and power (CHP) district energy system fueled with locally-sourced renewable and sustainably-harvested wood chips. The CHP system will be sized to provide heating to the Vermont Capitol Complex, city owned schools, the City Hall Complex, and up to 156 buildings in the community's designated downtown district for a total of 176 buildings and 1.8 million square feet served. By providing 1.8 million KWh of power to the grid, the system will maximize its operating efficiency and reduce thermal costs for users in the community. Montpelier will conduct outreach to encourage replication regionally and nationally through its project partners, the Biomass Energy Resource Center, the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, and Veolia Energy North America. DOE share: $8,000,000.

Forest County Potawatomi Tribe (Forest County, Wisconsin)
The Forest County Potawatomi Tribe proposes to implement an integrated renewable energy deployment plan that will provide heating, cooling, and electricity for the Tribe's governmental buildings, displacing natural gas and propane. The renewable energy installations will include: a 1.25 MW biomass combined heat and power facility that will provide heating, cooling, and electricity; a biogas digester and 150 kW generation facility; three 100 kW wind turbines (788,400 kWh/year); and three dual-axis 2.88 kW solar PV panels (14,000 kWh/yr) located at the Tribe's Governmental Center. DOE share: $2,500,000.

Phillips County (Holyoke, Colorado)
This project proposes a community-owned 30 MW wind energy project with an ultimate goal to build a 650MW wind farm within Sedgwick, Phillips, and Logan counties in Northeastern Colorado. This project will impact the local economy by sharing the project's revenues with local landowners and other project participants, by generating local jobs, substantial property taxes, and providing clean renewable energy for the area's primary communities. Plans for sharing this ownership model are part of the business plan and will be coordinated with DOE to increase national delivery of the message. DOE share: $2,500,000.

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) (Sacramento, California)
SMUD will install the state's first-ever ''Solar Highway,'' which will feature three PV system installations on 2 miles of highway right-of-ways (300kW of concentrating PV, and 400 and 800 kW of flat plate PV distributed at 2 sites), with total capacity of 1.5 MW. SMUD will also install a full scale co-digestion process of fats, oil, and grease (FOG) and liquid food processing waste with sewage to produce biogas with estimated power recovery of 1-3 MW, and install two low-NOx anaerobic digesters fed by two dairy facilities that will produce 500 kW of combined heat and power and generate 600 kW of electricity through a molten carbonate fuel cell. The projects will demonstrate that solar PV and anaerobic digesters can be readily implemented through collaborative partnerships, and avoid siting issues and transmission constraints that pose barriers to renewable energy capacity additions. SMUD will partner with the State of California (CEC, CalTrans, and CARB) and DOE to promote replication of their approaches, technologies, and implementation strategies statewide and nationally. DOE share: $5,000,000.

University of California at Davis (Davis, California)
UC Davis' proposed Waste-to-Renewable Energy (WTRE) system is one component of a campus oriented mixed housing and commercial development venture. The system would generate power from a renewable biogas fed fuel cell. The organic waste will enter a receiving station in which it can be collected and prepared for digestion. Once the appropriate mix has been created in buffer tanks, the waste will flow to the reactor where methanogenic bacteria will generate methane and carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, etc. These gases will flow to the Bio-methane Upgrade System for hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide removal, so that cleanup is to a level appropriate for use in a fuel cell system, and the cleaned gas is stored. Housed alongside the WTRE system within the Community Energy Park will be an advanced storage battery and a 300kW fuel cell that will be fueled by the on-site biogas and provides electric power to West Village end-users. DOE share: $2,500,000.   1/21/2010

Resource(s): http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=290

Smart Growth Expert Outlines Key Issues for Vermont Voters

Reminding voters that Vermont’s land consumption grows 2.5 times faster than its population, and that land-use decisions “have long-range social and economic impacts,” Smart Growth Vermont Executive Director Noelle MacKay tells them to ask gubernatorial candidates, local contenders and themselves how each would ensure the things Vermonters most want.

Mackay mentions clean air and water, downtown businesses, safe neighborhoods, a sense of belonging, affordable housing, open spaces and local agriculture. She points out that scattered development “costs us all more money,” both in long-distance driving and in municipal spending on public services, infrastructure and maintenance. “We believe that land-use issues should be guided by a set of smart-growth principles that incorporate centralized development, protection of natural resources and our working landscape, development of transportation options, and healthy neighborhoods where we can walk or bike to our destinations and have ready access to recreation,” she writes in a Burlington Free Press guest column. “These principles strengthen our communities and help us retain Vermont’s unique sense of place.”

Consequently, Director MacKay outlines some key questions for gubernatorial candidates, beginning with this: “How would you make sure new development take place within planned growth centers and that more jobs, homes and investment are made in our town centers?” They also should say how would they “encourage more Vermonters to get out of their cars,” what legislation, policies and appropriation they would pursue to expand affordable housing, and what would they do to “make active working lands for farming, forestry, natural areas, public recreation and other open space a priority,” and to ensure support of the state’s rural economy. In local races, residents should quiz their city council or select board candidates about the town’s plan provisions to encourage smaller lots in its center, along the lines of the traditional development patterns; about regulations and bylaws to protect scenic vistas and open lands; about neighborhood sidewalk and trail links, and means to expand carpooling; and about ways to focus growth in town centers and avoid strip development along scenic roads.

No less important are questions individuals should ask themselves. One is, “Should I locate my business in the town center so my employees and I can walk to work?” Others include: can I buy, rent or build my next home within downtown walking distance, drive fewer miles a day, support local farms by buying more of their products or spend a little more at a local merchant’s store instead of driving out to a big-box. And finally, “What can I do in my own community to make a difference?”

Inviting readers to visit Smart Growth Vermont’s web site for additional information, including more on smart-growth principles, Director MacKay stresses, “Understanding these principles and knowing where to turn for help are two major steps toward a brighter, cleaner future for Vermont.”

Learn more at www.smartgrowthvermont.org.   1/17/2010

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com

Opinion: Gov. Douglas' Environmental, Development Policies Leading Vermont in ''Race to the Bottom''

As they strive for economic development, states usually take a race-to-the-top or a race-to-the-bottom approach -- the first based on planning, local assets protection, sound growth guidelines, and infrastructure and community investment to gain competitive advantage; the other fixed on removal of environmental, developmental and public interest standards ''to make business costs more 'affordable,''' writes Vermont Natural Resources Council's (VNRC's) Sustainable Communities Program Director Brian Shupe in a Burlington Free Press guest opinion, alarmed by Republican Governor Jim Douglas' race to the bottom.

Throughout the past four decades, Vermont ''has nurtured a unique brand rooted in environmental stewardship, engaged citizens and a world-renowned landscape,'' and most of its strategy has worked, Director Shupe points out, citing two key U.S. Department of Commerce figures.

They show that between 1980 and 2007, the six New England states increased their job and housing-unit totals by 38 and 28 percent, respectively, with Vermont increasing them by more than 60 and almost 40 percent, and only New Hampshire recording higher gains.

''The economic value of Vermont's attractiveness as a destination for creative people with a business sense'' is also well documented in a recent Council for Vermont's Future report, ''Vermont in Transition: A Summary of Social, Economic and Environmental Trends,'' he continues, calling it unfortunate that Governor Douglas ''has become frustrated with Vermont's race to the top'' and that he and his supporters ''are pushing for perceived short-term gain instead of real long-term prosperity.''

This ''penny-wise/pound-foolish philosophy puts Vermont's future at risk,'' he warns, reminding readers that the governor dismantled the state's historic preservation office, jeopardizing restoration of historic buildings in downtown areas, that he has repeatedly sought deep cuts in the Vermont Housing and Conservation Fund, and that he continues attacks on environmental protections ''under the guise of 'permit reform.'''

His ''economic development strategies will encourage sprawling development and environmental degradation in hopes that prosperity and affordability will miraculously result,'' Director Shupe concludes. ''Vermonters care too much about the qualities that form the foundations of our economy, however, to follow the governor in his race to the bottom.''

More about VNRC's public and legislative efforts to ensure the state's quality of life and sustainability at www.vnrc.org/alerts and www.vnrc.org/article/articleview/23807/1/620. -- Burlington Free Press   3/30/2009

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Affordable Housing, Green Infrastructure Key to Vermont's Economy

''Our affordable housing, farms and forests are the underlying foundation or infrastructure of Vermont's economy,'' writes Green Mountain Power CEO Mary Powell in The Burlington Free Press after its New Year series of editorial calls for bipartisan cooperation, balanced growth and green economy, stressing that lower-income residents need less costly homes near work, and that by funding the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) ''we can protect our most vulnerable Vermonters and at the same time provide a short-term economic stimulus and a long-term return to all of us.''

Since 2002, she observes, VHBC housing investments have ''generated $286 million in housing renovation and construction,'' created 10,040 jobs and put 2,782 permanently affordable units ''in smart growth locations,'' which also helps the state reduce overall energy use.

Similarly advantageous are VHBC investments in farmland and forestland protection -- they also generate jobs and pump cash into local economies. ''When farmers use the proceeds from selling development rights to expand their operations, build new barns, or transfer the farm to the next generation,'' she writes, ''local workers are usually employed,'' while VHCB outlays leverage millions of dollars in federal Farm and Ranchland Protection matching funds and often in private local contributions.

Noting that the state's energy future and economic future ''are inextricably linked,'' the Green Mountain Power CEO points out that many farmers ''are at the forefront of devising new methods for creating on-farm energy through methane digesters, wind towers and biofuels.''

And joining the daily's editorial appeal for sustained VHCB funding as a top priority, she asks lawmakers to realize that ''the cost of building affordable housing and protecting our landscape will be much lower now than in more prosperous times when public investment competes with the private sector for skilled construction workers, for open land and for capital.'' -- The Burlington Free Press   1/20/2009

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Efficient School Spending, Green Growth Emphasized in Vermont Gov. Douglas' 2009 State of the State Speech

''Now is not the time to spare sacred crows,'' said Republican Governor Jim Douglas in his fourth inaugural speech, stunning the legislative Democratic majority not with the general idea of seeking sustainability ''through the transformation of education, human services and economic development,'' but with the proposed means of its implementation, primarily by dismantling education funding Act 60 and Act 68, which would involve a freeze of per-pupil spending for the 2009-10 school year, and by broadening environmental Act 250, so construction proposals ''are not only judged on impact, but also on the positive economic, social or cultural benefits.''

Under the current system, based on property tax hikes and general fund transfers, he noted, the state would have increased education spending by almost $283 million between 2006 and 2010 fiscal year -- a 23-percent increase, in contrast to a 4.4-percent enrollment drop, which means that for each of the 4,300 students who left the roll, schools added $65,000 in costs.

Warning against the expected 2010 education spending increase by 6.1 percent per pupil and the proposed school budget increases of 5 to 11 percent as ''unsustainable in any season, and especially when our economy is facing such severe retrenchment,'' he blamed politics for too often blocking change.

''We must also be prepared to examine school consolidation, governance, special education costs, and other opportunities to achieve efficiencies,'' he said, proposing meantime to ''freeze per-pupil spending for schools and categorical grants at current levels,'' strengthen local control ''by holding school districts directly responsible for tax increases,'' and halt general fund transfers for education and the State Teachers' Retirement System.

''The education fund has not shared any of the sacrifice seen by other areas of the state governments,'' he argued. ''If we continue to excuse education spending from equal treatment, we force health care and human services -- the lion's share of the remaining general fund -- to shoulder the burden of balancing a responsible budget.''

The anticipated total savings from these proposals would let the state reduce the gap between overfunded K-12 education and underfunded early and higher education, he said, proposing a 20-percent increase for the latter two and ''an integration of the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges into a single organization'' as a way to ensure further academic and administrative efficiency.

Turning to other challenges, the governor asked lawmakers to pass his Economic Growth Plan in the next 100 days, saying the bipartisan understanding of ''the value of renewable, clean and affordable energy'' should help establish Green Growth Zones, which would ''join commercial, residential and renewable energy facilities in an arrangement that benefits an energy producer with access to a ready market, and benefits business and individuals with reduced rates for clean power.''

He also called for ''greater regulatory certainty to assist in the creation of a Smart Grid'' and for legislation to reduce ''the time, expense and uncertainty'' of obtaining project permits and approvals.

''As we strive to protect that which is so special about Vermont, we must recognize that a 'working landscape' requires Vermonters to be actually working -- not simply admiring the view,'' he continued. ''We must preserve and strengthen our gold standards of environmental protection, but we can do so while making it easier for companies to invest in Vermont and grow with certainty. We can build a better, more practical system based on clear guidelines, professional assistance, a good dose of trust and strong penalties for non-compliance.''

Accordingly, ''(w)e must bring greater predictability to all interested parties by ensuring that once you've obtained your permit from an agency of state government, that permit will not be challenged in an Act 250 proceeding,'' Governor Douglas said, ready to counter ''the chilling and costly effect of our lengthy appeals process by instituting 'on the record review' -- one formal hearing, where all evidence is submitted and examined,'' and to ''expand the use of the self-certifications, general permits and permits by rule that are now used in stormwater, air pollution control and other programs.''

He expressed belief that with state guidance and trust in business to design proper systems, ''self-certification will allow agency staff to spend more time in the field ensuring compliance, rather than micro-managing proposed permits upfront.'' -- Vermont Office of the Governor   1/8/2009

Resource(s): www.vermont.gov/governor/

Smart Growth Vermont Praises State Lawmakers for Recent Work

''In an era of $4-a-gallon gasoline, more and more Vermonters are looking to live closer to their work, schools and services,'' writes Smart Growth Vermont Executive Director Noelle MacKay in a Rutland Herald guest opinion, giving state lawmakers high marks for the recently approved varied-income housing bill and economic stimulus package, and for rejection of Republican Governor Jim Douglas' plan to cut the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) budget by $5.2 million.

Through more development in and near urban cores, she stresses, ''we can bring new vitality to our town and villages, reduce our energy costs, and lessen development pressures on the countryside.''

The long-debated housing bill contains two elements of the governor's much heralded proposal to accelerate construction of affordable and market-rate housing in ''smart growth'' areas, but the ultimately passed Vermont Neighborhood Program is simply ''the next logical step in an ongoing series of programs to keep development in and around Vermont's cities and villages.''

It comes in the wake of the 1998 Downtown Bill and the 2002 Village Center Bill, both offering communities regulatory relief and increased public investment and tax credits, while the 2006 Growth Center measure reduces the environmental Act 250 review of projects in areas covered by 20-year community plans.

As a result, ''Vermont has 23 designated downtowns, 78 designated village centers and one new town center,'' with the first proposed growth centers ''rapidly moving through the approval process.''

Director MacKay also praises lawmakers for a special $150,000 increase in tax incentives to encourage downtown redevelopment and create jobs, with a total of $1.75 million in 2009, and for their decision to sustain solid VHCB investment in land preservation.

''Under the pressure of tough economic times, balancing the need for housing while protecting Vermont's rural countryside is not an easy task,'' she writes. ''There are no silver bullets or quick fixes. Our lawmakers are to be commended for their thoughtful approach and measured actions.'' -- Rutland Herald   5/29/2008

Resource(s): www.rutlandherald.com/

More Work May Be Needed on Vermont Affordable Housing Plans

Introduced early last year, Republican Governor Jim Douglas' New Neighborhoods initiative to encourage construction of 12,000 homes for average working families by 2010 through regulatory relief, incentives and reliance on local plans has general support from the Burlington Free Press, but Associated Press writer Dave Gram notes in The Boston Globe that although the Democratic majorities in both houses want to spur lower-cost housing, the administration's push ''may be nearing a head-on collision with 'smart-growth' advocates' desire to focus new development in or near existing town and village centers.''

Like the governor's plan, House Bill 863 aims to curb sprawl and sets up incentives for in-town housing, but also disincentives for dispersed development.

Affordable housing advocates, including nonprofit Housing Vermont president Andy Broderick, support the bill, while the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Vermont leads critics, its government affairs director Tayt Brooks voicing three main complaints.

He says the environmental 250 Act's new exemptions for small projects apply mostly to towns already built up, with little room for development; the stronger review standards for outside construction make it unlikely; and the requirement for at least 20 percent of affordable units, including $220,000 single-family homes in urban areas, undermines builder profits.

Bill backers dismiss these claims, especially the one about builders' inability to profit from $220,000 homes, the Associated Press writer reports, with Democratic Representative Tony Klein showing director Brooks a photocopy of an advertisement for homes now under construction in Williston at a starting price of $189,900.

Nevertheless, Agency of Commerce and Community Secretary insist that the bill means limiting residential development to fewer than 1,000 acres, adding, ''It will make matters worse for working Vermonters and their ability to find housing.''

A Burlington Free Press editorial expresses similar concerns.

''While H. 863 would also ease permitting on housing development in town and village centers, offsetting measures that tighten regulation on development in rural areas raise questions about the net gain in housing opportunities the bill would create,'' it says, noting that lawmakers still have time for some changes to ensure ''more buy-in from those outside the Statehouse who must make the housing plan work.'' -- Burlington Free Press, The Boston Globe   3/13/2008

Resource(s): www.boston.com/ ; www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Burlington Neighborhood Getting a Smart-Growth Boost

Relieved from gentrification pressures in the 1970s by hundreds of housing subsidies, the old neighborhood just south of the busy Burlington downtown is now getting a smart-growth boost focused on mixed uses and greater density, reports Burlington Free Press writer John Briggs, with the Redstone company finishing, preparing or planning conversion of several structures in the TD Banknorth block, its former associate Eric Farrell rehabilitating two century-old brick houses and the Champlain Housing Trust raising a four-story building for its offices and some businesses, topped by low-income housing on two upper floors.

The project ''will meet a lot of needs,'' said trust real estate development director Amy Demetrovitz.

Its 20 affordable apartments -- 15 reserved for people earning less than 60 percent of the area’s median income, and 5 for those making at most 50 percent -- will keep jobs downtown, and ''it's a green building,'' with much of the parking underground.

City housing director Brian Pine called the project another way to insure that the neighborhood ''remains a place for people the market does not serve well.''

Smart growth, ''usually characterized by pedestrian-oriented development maximizing the site's potential, building it out as fully as possible,'' he pointed out, ''means more density, more activity, more uses in your core downtown.''

Redstone development manager Eric Hoekstra also stressed the block’s overhaul advantages.

''It's mixed-use, mixed-income development with market rate and affordable housing, a nonprofit office and commercial offices,'' he noted. ''It's a place where dense development makes sense. The zoning ordinance, the Legacy Plan and the municipal plan all anticipate focusing our development efforts in our downtown, where we have access to infrastructure and transportation.''

What's rather unusual, the writer observes, the block's transformation for greater density is proceeding without much local opposition.

Officials know the reasons.

''The mix of things makes a project that people are generally going to support,'' said Mayor Bob Kiss.

And Council Member Andy Montroll, chairman of the Zoning Rewrite Committee, added, ''Over the years, we've made some zoning changes that would allow such building while it remains compatible with the neighborhood. And it's an indication that when developers meet these goals, the opposition is greatly muted.'' -- Burlington Free Press   2/10/2008

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Gov. Douglas' New Neighborhoods Plan May Have New Life in 2008

Stopped by environmentalists and their legislative friends last year as presented by Republican Governor Jim Douglas too late, incomplete, and risky for the state's seminal 1970 land-use Act 250, his New Neighborhoods plan to encourage affordable housing by relaxing regulations and offering municipalities tax incentives may have a better chance this year, reports Vermont Press Bureau writer Peter Hirschfeld, quoting Vermont Natural Resources Council's (VNRC's) Sustainable Communities Program Director Steve Holmes, who said the group would accept the act's flexibility for some housing projects, but only if they adhered to smart growth principles of high density and adequate infrastructure, and if the Act strengthened oversight of development outside downtown centers.

''I'm one of the skeptics of the whole idea of making changes to Act 250 the centerpiece of this proposal,'' he told the writer. ''However, the VRNC is at the table talking about this because we believe it . . . is a way to at least ensure that any housing that is built, affordable or not, is within the general urbanized areas of the state.''

After the stalemate at the previous session, said Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Greg Brown, his unofficial ad hoc committee of housing advocates, environmentalists and developers found some points for agreement, but left other issues for lawmakers to resolve.

Among them is the question of how much Act 250 can be relaxed to encourage construction, the writer observes, noting that one New Neighborhoods version would raise the project review threshold from the current 10 or more units to 200 units for the state's largest city, Burlington, with the numbers sliding down for smaller communities.

Eligible projects would have to offer at least 15 percent of units as affordable and be located in designated urban areas of towns with local development review authorities.

''It means permitting would be done locally and Act 250 would not duplicate what's been done at the local level,'' explained state Agency of Commerce and Community Development Commissioner Kevin Dorn. ''It would save the builder a lot of time and money and risk, and that money can be passed on to the consumer.''

House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs Democratic Chairwoman Helen Head dismissed a proposed New Neighborhoods provision that would leave towns any property tax revenue from new construction for three years as bad for the state's education fund, but said she and other Democrats are optimistic about a solution.

''The idea of creating a new policy that's going to make it easier to create housing in the state is still very much on our minds,'' she stressed. ''We are looking at ways that we can exempt some of these projects from Act 250 review and I'm hopeful we can do that as long as the proposals are consistent with the smart growth work.'' -- Times-Argus   1/8/2008

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/

Smart Growth Helping Vermont's Green Mountains Get Greener

In their book entitled Location Efficiency as the Missing Piece of The Energy Puzzle: How Smart Growth Can Unlock Trillion Dollar Consumer Cost Savings, Mary Jean Burer, David B. Goldstein, and J. Holtzclaw assert that the nation's economy would gain more than $2 trillion if all of its residential construction in the next 10 years incorporated smart growth principles, notes Burlington Free Press writer Sara Buscher, reporting the increased popularity of ''green design'' and sustainable development in the Green Mountains.

''It relates to a concern about the price of energy and the growing concerns about climate change,'' stressed Vermont Department of Housing and Community planning coordinator and state representative Sue Minter, whose agency is always looking for ways to mitigate sustainable design costs through tax credits and other developer incentives.

Smart Growth Vermont Executive Director Noelle MacKay noted that although some newcomers still want to live in the middle of nowhere rather than in dense downtown areas, hardly anybody opposes green design, and sustainability is bound to become even more popular over time, together with city living.

According to the group's poll, conducted by the University of Vermont's Center for Rural Studies, one out of three Vermonters would be ready to trade a suburban home for a place downtown if money were no object, and two out of three Chittenden County residents would adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

There are higher percentages ''looking for that 'walkable' neighborhood, as South Burlington is doing with City Center,'' she observed, an observation confirmed by Coldwell Banker Hickok and Boardman Realty owner Brian Boardman.

Having had five clients relocate to downtown Burlington or its Hill Section in the past 18 months, he said, ''There definitely is an interest in moving in-town and paring down from two cars to one car and walking to work.'' -- Burlington Free Press   12/17/2007

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Williston Growth Center First to Gain Approval by Vermont Downtown Redevelopment Board

Having six months ago decided to designate 700 acres around Taft Corners as a growth center, initially with 356 townhouses and 20 acres of retail space, a proposal just endorsed by the Vermont Downtown Redevelopment Board, Williston officials became the first to take advantage of a 2005 state program's economic incentives for construction in or near urban areas, reports Burlington Free Press writer Nick Martin, noting that the program requires municipalities to fit 50 percent of development over the next 20 years into such growth centers, which must abut already developed land.

''This is an example of how Vermont can support commercial and residential development in areas that everyone can agree are appropriate,'' said Republican Governor Jim Douglas. ''At the same time, growth centers like this will be reducing development pressures on important natural resources outside the designated areas.''

The growth-center concept has been debated for more than 10 years, noted Smart Growth Vermont Executive Director Noelle MacKay, pointing to the state's tradition of downtowns and villages, and their appeal to Vermonters and vacationers alike.

''Historically we have put money into developing downtown areas,'' she said, stressing that state investments in designated centers will ''encourage growth in and around our downtown areas, so in 20 years we still have a community that looks like Vermont.''

The program, the writer observes, offers towns state funds for infrastructure and entitles center developers to lower fees than they normally pay to offset their projects' impact on rural land.

Among other towns working on growth center plans, he adds, are Bennington and Colchester. -- Burlington Free Press   10/30/2007

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Smart Growth Vermont Debuts New Name, Launches Strategy to Create Innovative Land Use Solutions

The success of its primary initial mission to raise public awareness of the costs and side effects of sprawl evidenced by a recent poll showing that 73 percent of respondents see the problem, the Vermont Forum on Sprawl, funded in 1998, changed its name to Smart Growth Vermont in line with a newly-launched three-year strategy for state and community-level work to bring together diverse interests, seek common ground and create innovative land use solutions.

''Whether we're talking about attracting business and jobs to our downtowns, taking action to reduce the threat of climate change or providing housing opportunities for all Vermonters, how we use our land is a key factor in addressing these challenges,'' says Executive Director Noelle MacKay on her group's new Web site. ''Smart growth provides a vision, framework and tools for creating land use policies that respect our unique landscape.''

Formally announced at the presentation of the 2007 Smart Growth Awards, reports Burlington Free Press writer Candace Page, the new name should also help eliminate the occasional mistaking of efforts to contain sprawl as an attempt to stop all development.

On the contrary, Director MacKay said in an interview, ''We are about enhancing what we have here in Vermont -- compact centers and a rural landscape that draws people, keeps them here and sells our products worldwide.''

Current Smart Growth Vermont's projects, the writer notes, include assisting Bristol with its master plan, helping Cornwall create village center regulations, and guiding Waitsfield in its application for a state growth center designation.

Details on its 2007 Smart Growth Award winners at http://www.smartgrowthvermont.org/news. -- Burlington Free Press   9/14/2007

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Vermont Hopes to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Placing Housing Near Job Centers

As Governor Jim Douglas' Commission on Climate Change drafted its recommendations on the 2005 legislative call for a 25 percent all-source reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2012 -- from 9 to some 6 million metric tons within five years, reports Burlington Free Press writer Tim Johnson, its transportation-focused group proposed a million-ton tailpipe emission cut through several governmental measures, including smart-growth planning for housing near job centers, promoting car alternatives and ''instituting pay-as-you-drive insurance.''

With each gallon of gasoline generating about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, and transportation alone accounting for 44 percent of greenhouse gas emissions statewide, the state spent just 9 percent of its 2006 transportation funds on transit and programs for pedestrians and bikers, the writer notes, citing ''The Vermont Transportation Energy Report 2007'' by the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition.

The new report, he writes, shows that despite high gas prices, Vermonters still burn as much fuel as ever, though their total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) declined slightly from 7.72 billion in 2004 to 7.69 billion last year.

They still seek bigger cars and still buy more vehicles than they have licenses and household members, with the average numbers of people and vehicles per household at 2.6 and 3.9, respectively.

A climate change commission member, Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Director Scott Johnstone, said Vermont is a rural state ''and people have a long way to go to get to their jobs and activities,'' with many not yet aware that almost half of the greenhouse gas emissions come out of tailpipes.

That's why he appreciates the 9.3 percent bus ridership increase from 2005 to 2006, and places ''great hope in VMTs leveling off,'' stressing, ''That's a huge change from the trend of the last 40 years.'' -- Burlington Free Press   8/8/2007

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Public Hearings, Workshops to Lay Groundwork for Wells' First Zoning Regulations

''One of the big things you hear today is smart growth,'' said Wells Planning Commission Chairman Joel Davidson as he prepared for a just-launched series of public hearings and workshops that will lay the ground for the town's first zoning regulations, a neglected prerequisite for building permit issuance and a necessity suddenly made obvious by discovery of a number of new houses absent from town tax assessment rolls.

''Far too often you see towns like Wells, (where) developers come in and buy up land they see as dirt cheap,'' the chairman observed. ''Some are decent developers who want to see the town grow well. Others want to make a quick profit and run.''

And those can burden a town with overwhelmed infrastructure, overcrowded schools and other fiscal and service problems, he pointed out, describing the commission's reach for public input as the ''first step into basically setting up some semblance of control on how our town is going to proceed into the future.''

The ''Wells' Future in a Nutshell'' meeting on July 25, reports Rutland Herald writer Gordon Dritschilo, focused on local demographic trends.

For August 1, the commission prepared aerial photographs and waste capacity data, expecting residents to discuss how they see the town in the years ahead.

The August 15 meeting will address the future of rural areas and land around the southern tip of Lake St. Catherine, with recapitulation of ideas and initial verification of common goals scheduled for August 29. -- Rutland Herald   7/23/2007

Resource(s): www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Wording Refinement Requested to Protect Farmland in Vermont's Land-Use Act 250

''It's so easy to stick a shovel in the ground of prime agricultural soil,'' commented state Senate Natural Resources Democratic Chairwoman Virginia Lyons on her and the Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative's request for the state's Natural Resources Board to refine some wording in its proposed rule changes for the state's land-use Act 250, pointing out that otherwise developers could build outside locally ''designated growth centers'' much more easily than lawmakers intended.

Establishing the designation process last year, reports Burlington Free Press writer Nancy Remsen, lawmakers decided developers must pay fees for community loss of prime agricultural soils growth centers to preserve other farmland.

For every prime acre they develop in growth centers, they must pay for saving one acre elsewhere, but for every acre taken outside such centers they must save at least two acres; with ''the fee mitigation option'' available in all cases only in ''appropriate circumstances.''

In a letter to the Natural Resources Board last year, the writer notes, the Senate Natural Resources Committee specified that ''appropriate circumstances'' mean a parcel must have limited agricultural viability, adjacent parcels must be in other uses, and the preservation of other farmland would be better for farming now and in the future.

In contrast, the board's rendition of ''appropriate circumstances'' requires only the following findings by a district environmental commission: ''The agricultural viability of the project tract containing primary agricultural soils is limited; or the subject tract is surrounded by non-agricultural uses such as commercial uses, industrial uses or residential development.''

The legislature, stressed Senator Lyons at a Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules session, wanted both conditions to be met, not just one or the other.

Natural Resources Board Chairman Peter Young called the Senator's requested wording change ''substantive,'' unsure how other board members may react.

The committee decided to delay action on the proposed rule changes till June 20. -- Burlington Free Press   6/7/2007

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Pressure Is On for Vermont Politicians to Produce Housing and Growth Solutions in Next Legislative Session

Though Vermont's housing prices exceed the means of two-thirds of its households, frustrate renters and threaten jobs, the crisscrossing tensions between the administration of Republican Governor Jim Douglas, the Democratic legislative majorities, and various interest groups blocked the governor's ''New Neighborhoods'' housing package at the last session, during which for-profit and nonprofit developers urged state and local zoning updates to cut the red tape and facilitate smart growth, affordable housing activists sought more funds, and environmentalists cautioned that any relaxation of the state's 1972 development Act 250 could reignite sprawl.

Lawmakers, reports Associated Press writer Ross Sneyd, left the Act 250 intact and put the ''New Neighborhoods'' package on the shelf, concerned about a possible diversion of state education money to low-cost housing and the lack of provisions to keep that housing affordable forever.

To ensure progress at the next session, lawmakers will focus on the problems during the summer and hold public hearings in the fall, while key stakeholders have already begun meetings to work out common strategy.

Champlain Housing Trust CEO Brenda Torpy, whose group builds affordable units in Chittenden, Grand Isle and Franklin counties, mostly in older neighborhoods, says she must spend too much of her time and budget on bureaucracy, calling some state regulations ''duplicative.''

Home Builders and Remodelers Association Government Affairs Director Tayt Brooks compares the housing demand to that for moderately priced and most expensive cars.

''There's a big market for selling Toyota Corollas,'' he points out. ''But we've designed a system where the only things we can build and sell are Ferraris. Until we make some adjustments to where we can build and sell Corollas, that's the system we're stuck in.''

Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition coordinator Erhard Mahnke expects the government to get involved in housing as it did after World War II, making homeownership easy for veterans and generations of others in the next decades.

''The market's not taking care of housing,'' he stresses. ''I think there is political will when people come together to tackle important issues. I'm very optimistic that the next year will be the year that the Legislature focuses on housing.'' -- Times Argus   5/29/2007

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/

''New Neighborhood'' Initiative Stalls in Vermont's Legislature

The lack of affordable housing, especially near commercial centers, makes it ''harder to attract employees and harder to keep them,'' complained Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce Executive Director George Malek about stagnant New Neighborhood Initiative legislation, with House Democratic Speaker Gaye Symington blaming the Republican administration for neglecting to involve diverse stakeholders and ''craft a bill that would reconcile the Vermont policies of environmental protection, smart growth and true affordability.''

Redirecting the blame to the speaker, Commerce Secretary Kevin Dorn announced the bill was vetted, widely endorsed and ''people view it as a responsible smart-growth solution to this problem.''

The bill, reports Barre-Montpelier Times Argus writer Patrick Joy, would have streamlined the housing construction permitting process in some high density areas and allowed towns to hold on to education tax dollars from the new housing for three years as an incentive.

Sharing the wide disappointment over meager progress on affordable housing this session, Speaker Symington stressed she couldn't support a measure that would weaken state Act 250 environmental safeguards, leave the possibility that a housing unit will be affordable only to the first owner, and raid the education fund.

''The day I see a house built that gives more to education funding than it takes to educate the children in that house -- it's just ridiculous,'' she pointed out. ''To use education funding dollars as an incentive for development is completely inappropriate.''

The focus and controversy about the New Neighborhood Initiative bother Vermont Housing Finance Agency Public Affairs Manager John Fairbanks as detrimental to other housing bills that could otherwise have advanced in both chambers.

''The answer is not simple,'' he said, ''from my perspective, the people in charge of public policy have not, by and large, been able to work well together to come up with solutions and work effectively to get more affordable housing in the state.''

Overshadowed, the other housing bills in the Senate and the House, the writer adds, include everything from expanded tax credits to mobile-home-owner protections to property transfer tax cuts. -- Times Argus   4/21/2007

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/

Warehouse Conversion, Boarding House Renovation Will Bring More Housing to Downtown Brattleboro

Continuing its work to preserve local assets and expand affordable housing, the Brattleboro Area Community Land Trust purchased another two old buildings -- an empty warehouse, for conversion into 29 apartments and the trust's new headquarters, and a large boarding house, for renovation and continued single-room rentals.

The $5 million warehouse conversion project is ''the epitome of smart growth'' as ''new housing without sprawl,'' said Land Trust Executive Director Connie Snow.

This ''underutilized building in a great location, within walking distance of downtown,'' she noted, will offer ''everything from studio apartments to a four-bedroom apartment,'' while adding to the town's tax revenue even with unit deed restrictions and other covenants.

Town officials stressed that their trust counterparts do a great job and deserve tax breaks on many purchases, reports Brattleboro Reformer writer Bob Audette, quoting Selectboard Vice Chairman Dick DeGray and appraiser Leo Barile.

''A lot of properties they purchase are properties that no one else wants,'' said the former, with the latter elaborating, ''It won't increase the tax rolls as if a private entity went in and did the work, but then a private entity won't spend the money (on many of these properties).''

That applies to the boarding house, too, said town lister Al Jerard, confident that renovation will boost its assessed value.

Funded largely through federal tax credits for affordable housing and historic preservation and a community development block grant, with aid from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Fund and low interest construction loans from Chittenden Banks, the projects also put money in the hands of local carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other workers.

''At any one time,'' observed Stevens and Associates engineering and consulting firm principal Bob Stevens, ''there will be a half dozen subcontractors and their crews on the job.'' -- Reformer   2/23/2007

Resource(s): www.reformer.com/

FHA, VAT Drop Appeal of Decision Halting Chittenden County Circ Construction

In planning for decades, construction of the 10-mile Circumferential Highway (Circ) from I-89 southeast of Burlington to I-89 north of the city, its four-mile middle section through Essex built in 1993, was to continue in 2004, but U.S. District Court Judge William Session halted the project because of an insufficient environmental impact study (EIS), and now the Federal Highway Administration and the Vermont Agency of Transportation have dropped their appeals, which reopens the search for best ways to ease the area's congestion woes.

Smart Growth Coalition attorney Brian Dunkiel said the move to drop the appeal ''reflects the quality of Judge Session's decision.''

Conservation Law Foundation Staff Attorney Sandra Levine agreed, saying, ''This creates a great opportunity to move forward and find some very effective solutions to the traffic problems in Chittenden County.''

With the state's environmental study continuing since the highway was blocked, Transportation Secretary Neale Lunderville promised its completion within a few months and a final report in late spring or early summer.

He declined to elaborate, saying, ''We've been careful not to prejudge the outcome of the EIS.''

Attorney Dunkiel pointed out that the state has ''alternatives that cost significantly less money -- tens of millions of dollars less -- than the Circ.'' -- Burlington Free Press   1/13/2007

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Gov. Douglas Promotes ''Next Generation'' Wireless Infrastructure to Lead Vermont's Economic Growth, Enhance Public Safety, Health Care, and Education

''Unlike building more roads or bigger buildings to support growth, the commercial infrastructure of tomorrow will be almost invisible, but for a handful of towers and antennas,'' said Republican Governor Jim Douglas in his inaugural second two-year-term speech, proposing to make Vermont the first true ''e-state'' by 2010 and outlining a related Vermont Way Forward vision, ''a four-part strategy of environmental leadership, job creation, technological advancement and innovative education.''

The strategy, he said, will advance the state's traditional industries ''through pioneering approaches to rural development,'' use scientific innovation for faster cleanup of lakes and streams, and strengthen its agrarian roots ''with technology that allows farmers to grow locally but compete globally.''

Although Vermont made great environmental progress, motor vehicles still account for 45 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions, the governor observed, asking lawmakers for a one percent tax cut for fuel-efficient and hybrid vehicles, reduction of individual and business taxes on bio-diesel for transportation, a tax incentive to make bio-fuels ''as affordable as regular home heating oil,'' and support for his effort to increase the use of alternative fuels in state vehicles and buildings.

Stressing the need to retain current employers and employees, and to recruit firms specialized in ''the growing field of environmental engineering,'' which deals with air pollution, storm and wastewater, hazardous materials, water supply contamination and related problems, Governor Douglas pointed to ever stronger demand for these services, especially in newly industrialized countries.

''Many of these countries, such as China,'' he said, ''are just now recognizing the effect of rampant growth and are beginning to develop and implement strategies to address prior and future impacts, and, in turn, looking for environmental solutions.''

Accordingly, the state ''will marshal public and private resources'' for this portion of its economy, he continued, promising an executive order to create an Environmental Engineering Advisory Council, which will guide this work.

Though ''a safe and reliable system of roads and bridges is essential for today's economy,'' the critical infrastructure for Vermont's future ''will not much look like a car, a culvert or a bend in the road,'' he told the audience, showing it his cellular phone.

''In my hand, there is wireless mobility, complete access and clear connections. In my hand is fairness and equity for all of Vermont. In my hand is both freedom and unity,'' he declared. ''In three years, this phone will be capable of downloading email, images and video at speeds faster than most home broadband today. It will allow Vermonters to work from anywhere, anytime, unimpeded by spotty coverage, bad connections and the constant aggravation of dropped calls.''

To help it happen, the governor proposed a Vermont Telecommunication Authority, which will partner with the private sector ''to build a next generation infrastructure that supports universal broadband and cellular coverage,'' with $40 million in state bonds expected to leverage more than $200 million in private investment.

Ready to propose a series of ''responsible modifications'' to the state's permitting laws, to balance its environmental values with the need for quick progress, he stressed that the ''advantages of a state-of-the-art telecommunication platform extend well beyond the economic value of the Vermont Way Forward,'' enhancing the state's public safety network, extending the reach of its health care, and improving education.   1/5/2007

Resource(s): www.vermont.gov/governor/

Vermont Forum on Sprawl Recognizes Successful Projects in State With First Annual Smart Growth Awards

To advance the shift from outdated development patterns and salute those who lead the way, the Burlington-based Vermont Forum on Sprawl gave its first five annual Smart Growth Awards, with the Arthur Gibb Award for Individual Leadership going to Brattleboro Area Community Land Trust Executive Director Connie Snow.

Named after a forceful defendant of Vermont's ''values and unique landscape,'' the late Republican state Senator (1971-86) Arthur Gibb, the award recognizes her two decades of work to rehabilitate Brattleboro's historic buildings, provide housing options downtown and villages, and help human service groups with ''service-enriched'' housing for special needs residents.

''Connie's work is done face-to-face, day-to-day, and requires much more than a good mind and good organization,'' said Windham Foundation Trustee Liz Bankowski. ''It requires trust, an essential element of her success, and one of Art Gibb's defining traits.''

The other Smart Growth awards, reports Burlington Free Press writer Candace Page, went to the city of Winooski and its public and private partners for a $160-million downtown redevelopment project; to F & M Development Corporation, assisted by Burlington Community Land Trust, Cathedral Square Corporation and the city of South Burlington, for redevelopment of ''a suburban-style shopping plaza into a high-density, pedestrian oriented residential neighborhood;'' to the town of Groton, Housing Vermont and Gilman Housing Trust for rehabilitation of five historic buildings in the town's center as a village with 19 affordable apartments, small businesses, other facilities, and improvements on the street and adjacent green space; and to the Putney Planning Commission and the Windham Regional Commission, assisted by ORW Landscape Architects and Planners and Terra Firma Designs, for a ''visual plan to explore growth and development options'' in the village.

The Vermont Forum on Sprawl, said Executive Director Noelle MacKay, ''established these awards to show how Vermonters are working together to create successful smart growth projects around the state.'' -- Burlington Free Press   9/7/2006

Resource(s): www.vtsprawl.org/ ; www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Montpelier’s “One More Home” Accessory Apartments Program Could Help City Ease Housing Shortage

Always keen “to do some smart growth,” Montpelier planners launched an innovative “One More Home” program, which offers between $1,500 and $6,500 to homeowners seeking to convert unused space in their homes, carriage houses or garages into small apartments to help them pay for architectural planning, city permitting and other services, excluding construction, with Montpelier Housing Task Force Chairman Jim Libby saying, “Apart from some parking concerns, in most cases a neighborhood barely notices if there were accessory apartments.”

Under the two-phase initiative, reports Times Argus writer Patrick Joy, homeowners can receive up to $1,500 to defray 50 percent of the planning and service costs with no obligation to pursue conversion. Those who decide to construct the apartments can retroactively obtain the other 50 percent of their “soft” costs and an additional $2,500 for such further expenses.

Funded by grants of $106,000 from the Vermont Community Development Program and $3,500 from the Forum on Sprawl, the initiative aims for just 10 accessory apartments in the first two years, with city community development specialist George Seiffert telling the writer it’s “a way to start addressing Montpellier’s housing need while working within already existing structures.”

The need is enormous, the writer observes, citing city data. Montpellier lost 18 apartments between the late 1980s and last year, when the new River Station complex finally added 39 rental units, although they didn’t help lower-income families. The single-family and high-end condo market fared much better in the last 20 years, adding 183 and 355 residences, respectively. But those in search of affordable housing found little relief, since average area prices soared from $93,000 in 1996 to $188,750 last year, while the average income grew only from $24,036 to $33,824.

Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition coordinator Erhard Mahnke points out that accessory apartments can help average Vermonters afford a home. “Duplex ownership is often a passport to homeownership for moderate income people,” he says. “Buying a single-family home and adding an accessory apartment can provide some additional income.”

And the “One More Home” initiative is a great model “to create incremental new units around the state without having to go through a long development process,” he stresses. “It will be unit by unit, not 20 or 30 at a time, but it can add to the affordable housing stock.” -- Times Argus   8/25/2006

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Burlington Mayoral Candidates Address Growth Issues in Newspaper Forum

In their answers to the Burlington Free Press Editorial Board's question: ''Since the city can't grow out, how and where should it grow?'' four mayoral candidates -- Progressive Bob Kiss, Democrat Hinda Miller, Independent Louie 'The Cowman' Beaudin and Republican Kevin Curley -- sounded a basic theme of downtown vibrancy, higher-density, good design, affordable housing and accessible open space, with individual variations, but the Republican seemed to show the fastest political-effectiveness learning curve by directly addressing smart growth.

''We must employ 'smart growth' concepts, using mixed-uses and/or increased density neighborhood development,'' he responded, promising to bring together city officials, planners, private developers and residents ''to identify and design local growth locations so the city can grow, respectful of our past, present and future.''

Stressing the importance of the zoning rewrite and the Burlington Development Municipal Plan, but also noting that some residents don't want the city to grow, while others want significant growth, he said ''the question is not how much, but how'' it will grow, favoring limits on infill ''to reflect the existing development pattern.'' For him, he added, the key word is ''scale,'' and a key concern -- ''transportation infrastructure.''   2/12/2006

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Affordable Living Crisis Is Focus of Vermont Gov. Douglas' State of the State Speech

Alarmed by an ever-worse ''crisis of affordability,'' which robs Vermont of young people, threatens its middle and low-income residents and already makes it the second-oldest state nationwide, Republican Governor Jim Douglas focused his entire State of the State speech on the urgent need to ensure that all can afford ''to live, work and raise a family,'' asking lawmakers to reduce health insurance costs and property taxes, stressing the obligation to boost affordable housing, and promising legislation to revitalize historic downtowns and village centers as new Opportunity Zones, to encourage planning and ''stimulate smart growth by streamlining permitting.''

With education costs outpacing the rate of inflation, the gross state product and worker wages, but school enrollment dropping by eight percent since 1999, the governor proposed ''capping education property tax growth at no more than the rate of inflation,'' or roughly 3.5 percent, allowing municipalities to spend more if approved by a 60-percent supermajority of local voters.

In addition, he proposed ''a package of changes to restructure the income sensitivity program, including a measure to close loopholes in the prebate/rebate system -- loopholes that allow owners of million-dollar homes to get five-figure prebate checks.''

Noting that the state's average household income has risen by 3.7 percent, but the median home price by 10 percent a year over the past five years, the governor emphasized his readiness to work with the General Assembly and housing providers to ''make affordable homes a long-term priority.''

He expects his proposed Opportunity Zones, which will strengthen ''the traditional New England settlement patterns that make our communities such wonderful and unique places,'' to encourage construction of more homes and more mixed-use projects.

''Our downtowns and our village centers are key to this state's continued economic growth and integral to our quality of life; we must do everything we can to help them prosper.''

Equally important to Vermont's economy and future jobs is its commitment to the environment. ''Protecting our land, air and water is not a partisan issue -- it is a value that all Vermonters share,'' and the state must become ''the silicon Valley for environmental industries, or as Lieutenant Governor Dubie envisions, the Green Valley.''

As an international leader ''for marketable environmental products and the center of a global bazaar of environmental ideas,'' he continued, Vermont will need highly skilled workers, ''a sturdy infrastructure'' of roads, bridges and telecommunication, and affordable energy supplies. ''Where we can, we must employ renewable energy sources and reduce demand by conserving more and promoting efficiency,'' he said, proposing ''more substantial and direct investment'' in the University of Vermont, and state colleges and projects ''to fund innovative research, programs and equipment to support the sustainable technology sector.''

The governor pointed out that thanks to Independent Senator James Jeffords, the federal transportation bill has included the University of Vermont among the country's ten National Transportation Research Centers that will lead studies on new mobility and sustainability technologies.   1/5/2006

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/

Wilmington, Whitingham Voters Reject Plan for New Rural High School

Urged by Wilmington and Whitingham school officials to pass a $17.1-million bond for replacement of the 102-year-old high school in downtown Wilmington with a new one on their border at Route 100, voters in both towns turned the bond down in a combined 667-397 vote, siding with the Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative and the recently formed Neighborhood Solution for Local Issues group, which campaigned against the rural-site project as too costly for mostly low-to-moderate-income residents and likely to induce strip development and sprawl.

School district officials argued that the downtown high school, expanded in the 1950s and the 1980s, has some structural weak spots, an inefficient heating system and no access for handicapped students, reports Rutland Herald writer Daniel Barlow, quoting Twin Valley School Board member John Conlon, who said ''it has essentially lived out its usefulness.''

He noted that a Feasibility Study Committee looked at several other solutions for 18 months before opting for construction, that the new school would incorporate ''green'' building concepts, that the state promised almost $6 million for the project, and that many local households with up to $80,000 annual income are eligible for the state's prebate and rebate tax programs and their 20-year bond service burden would be negligible.

But neighborhood group activist Richard Sugarman pointed out that it would be ''cheaper and more efficient to renovate the old school,'' doubting whether ''all the options have been explored.''

After the vote, Twin Valley School Board Chairman Ed Metcalfe expressed disappointment, but also said the facility committee will likely revisit some discarded options, including renovation of the downtown school. -- Rutland Herald   12/8/2005

Resource(s): www.rutlandherald.com/

Wilmington, Whitingham Residents Skeptical of Need for New High School in Rural Setting

With the Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative having cautioned state Commissioner of Education Richard Cate that the proposed $17 million Twin Valley High School on a 55-acre rural tract between Wilmington and Whitingham will invite sprawl, residents of both towns voiced similar concerns at the first of three informational sessions ahead of the December 6 bond vote, also worried about the bond's impact on their property taxes.

What they heard, reports Brattleboro Reformer writer Darry Madden, left many in the audience unconvinced that downtown Wilmington high-school students need a new building on the outskirts.

While school business manager Ronda Lackey explained that the majority of local property owners -- those who make under $75,000 or will make up to $90,000 in 2007 -- pay or can pay for education according to their income rather than home values, which makes their school tax negligible, Twin Valley School Board member Ed Metcalfe called the proposed school an example of smart growth, stressing that its design will incorporate area wetlands for wastewater treatment, maximize natural light, use a woodchip furnace and include other ''green'' features.

''I would really, really disagree that a town the size of Wilmington or Whitingham would generate sprawl around a 350-student high school,'' he added.

But Conservation Law Foundation attorney Sandra Levine noted that Vermont taxpayers will pay ''half of the bill'' and questioned the sense of building a school ''in the middle of a farm field,'' where every student ''will have to be bused.''

And Wilmington resident Matthew Yakovleff pointed out that Route 9 ''doesn't look like an approach into a quaint New England town anymore,'' telling officials he doubts their explanations that the downtown school can't be renovated. ''I think you guys have glossed over the land-use implications,'' he said. ''It draws the town out.''

He also dismissed board member Ted Blackburn's argument about ''inconsequential'' differences in school renovation and construction costs. ''But you're talking about hard cost,'' he countered. ''I'm talking about soft costs, about a quality of life.'' -- Brattleboro Reformer   11/10/2005

Resource(s): www.reformer.com/

Housing Tax Credits, Other Incentives Sought to Ease Cost of Housing in Vermont

''It's up to the state to promote smart growth. And nothing could be smarter than ensuring that all Vermonters have a roof over their heads,'' says the Bennington Banner in an editorial on Republican Governor James Douglas' promise to ask lawmakers in January for a series of affordable-housing tax credits and other incentives, with a focus ''on building housing in Vermont's traditional towns and village centers.''

Noting that officials are already compiling a land-bank list of state properties that could be sold at a discount to builders of affordable units, the editorial says the state's ''overheated housing market,'' stoked partly by out-of-state buyers of second homes, makes the governor's action more urgent than ever.

As the governor readies his administration for work with builders and nonprofit housing groups ''to generate new ideas on how to approach the housing crisis,'' he could involve ''Bennington County's own Regional Affordable Housing Corp., whose volunteer board of architects, builders and planners has shepherded several projects to completion.''

The Bennington County Industrial Corp., the editorial adds, makes it clear that without workforce housing, ''it is that much more difficult to attract new employers to the area.'' -- Bennington Banner   10/15/2005

Resource(s): www.benningtonbanner.com/

Roundabouts for Burlington Area Highway Project Would Save State Nearly $7 Million

The long debate about whether the Burlington area would best relieve the most congested Route 2A stretch -- from I-89 in Williston four miles north into central Essex Junction -- by building a series of modern roundabouts or by completing the parallel arch of the Chittenden County Circumferential Highway (Circ) may be turning the way the Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative has hoped for, with the state Agency of Transportation finding that indeed only the group's roundabout plan addresses all corridor congestion, mobility and safety issues, and Vermont Independent Senator James Jeffords securing full federal funding for this option, which makes it the least expensive for state taxpayers.

According to the usual transportation cost split, in which the federal government pays 80 percent of a project and state and local government cover the rest, reports Associated Press writer David Gram in the Boston Globe, Vermont would dip into its strained budget for $10.4 million to pay 20 percent of the $52.2 million price of the three-mile second Circ segment, currently under environmental review.

But Senator Jeffords' provision in the new transportation bill makes the proposed Route 2A roundabouts eligible for 100 percent federal funding, reducing the state's costs for related improvements to $2.7 million.

Nevertheless, Agency of Transportation spokesman Ian Grossman sees the roundabout plan as an alternative ''worth seriously looking at but certainly no more or less than the other ones that are moving forward.''

Greater Burlington Industrial Corp. vice president Sam Matthews says her group still wants the full Circ, whose third segment would eventually link its present four-mile center to I-89, another four miles to the northwest.

With the choice up to the state agency and the Federal Highway Administration, after the environmental review is completed late this year, conservationists and smart growth advocates stress the roundabouts' traffic and cost effectiveness.

''Truck go through roundabouts all over the country and they've proven very effective at reducing congestion,'' says Conservation Law Foundation expert Sandra Levine. And a Smart Growth Collaborative advisor, Burlington lawyer Brian Dunkiel, wants Republican Governor Jim Douglas to support the roundabouts alternative. ''With the preliminary information coming in that the improvements to Route 2A are more effective at meeting the needs of the region and less of a burden on state transportation funds,'' he asks, ''at what point is the governor going to lead communities toward least-cost transportation investments?'' -- Boston Globe   8/17/2005

Resource(s): www.boston.com/news/globe

Bellows Falls Rail Tunnel Improvements Could Boost New England Freight Business

The 154-year-old railroad tunnel in the small town of Bellows Falls in southern Vermont, a 400-foot-long ''bottleneck'' in the state's rail network, will have its floor lowered thanks to $2 million from the nearly $40 million package secured for the state by Independent Senator James Jeffords in the new federal Transportation Equity Act, which will make the tunnel passable for double-stacked container and automobile cars and help revive freight between the northeast coast and Canada, triggering business throughout all of New England.

When the tunnel work and other crucial bridge and railbed improvements are done in about five years, reports Associated Press writer Ross Sneyd in The Providence Journal, Vermont railroads will be able to carry the industry standard of 268,000 pounds per railcar, making them competitive with any freight network. It will also open up ''the opportunity to take more trucks off our already crowded highways,'' said Rail America regional vice president and New England Central Railroad owner Charles Moore.

Vermont Agency of Transportation rail director Charles Miller called rail ''an underutilized resource,'' pointing out that trains can move 396 tons per gallon of fuel, in contrast to trucks carrying only 136 ton per gallon. Vermont Railway president David Wulfson was equally optimistic. ''The railroad's been overlooked for years,'' he said. ''Now that fuel prices are what they are and trucking costs are what they are, more people are looking at railroads than ever have.'' -- The Providence Journal   8/8/2005

Resource(s): www.projo.com

Williston Group Suggests Multi-Use Boulevard to Replace Local Section of Circ Highway

Stalled for some 30 years, the state's plan to complete the 16-mile circumferential (Circ) highway across the Chittenden County suburbs east and north of metro Burlington -- from Williston, through Essex to Clochester, the only four-mile section opened in Essex -- is being hotly debated again, with the Smart Growth Collaborative proposing a broad Williston area urban boulevard, not only for vehicles, but also for cyclists and pedestrians.

The boulevard, or Circ Street, reports the Associated Press, would be part of a wide grid network near the IBM plant south of the Winooski River, which would let people choose where to drive, thus easing gridlock on main thoroughfares.

Costing about $9 million less than the $52 million earmarked by the state for the Williston-Essex highway section, Circ Street would stop before the river, eliminating the need for a new bridge.

''It will not cross the river,'' said Smart Growth Collaborative spokesman Michael Oman, ''because that link is one of the things that makes the Circ a sprawl inducer.''

The collaborative's proposal and a state consultant's ongoing environmental study, the news agency notes, both deal only with their preferred traffic-relief solution for that section of the planned Circ route.   6/3/2005

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/

Vermont's Governor Shifts Policy Priorities Away from Affordable Housing to Job Creation

In a sudden shakeup of policies set mainly under Vermont Democratic governors, Republican Governor Jim Douglas' administration changed the top priority of the ''consolidated housing plan'' from home affordability to job creation and left out some of its previous anti-sprawl language, with Housing Vermont nonprofit finance group member Kenn Sassorossi concerned about the arbitrariness of the changes and Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition spokesman Erhard Mahnke alarmed by the omission of a promise that the Department of Housing and Community Affairs ''will generally not support projects that constitute sprawl.''

Under federal HUD regulations, the department must substantially rewrite the housing plan every five years and make minor changes annually, reports Associated Press writer David Gram in the Barre Times-Argus, quoting Commissioner John Hall, who expects the plan's annual funding of $12 million to decline in years ahead, defends the planned shift of $8 million from affordable housing to job creation, and explains the lack of some key phrases in the almost-completed draft by the need to shorten the 150-page document.

''There are two components to affordable housing,'' he observes, naming unit prices and personal incomes, the latter dependent on jobs. He also argues that ''(i)f everything's a priority nothing's a priority,'' but notes that the draft will be worked on till May 20 and promises to heed some of public input.

Draft critics, the writer adds, see the housing crisis as the most harmful, pointing out that the state's unemployment rate has long stayed below the national average, but some working people can't find housing in their income bracket and must live in emergency shelters. -- Times-Argus   4/8/2005

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/

Bennington Voters Reject Cap on Big-Box Stores After Tense Campaign

Having forced a special election, outspent ''smart growth'' advocates and used class face-off innuendos, foes of a four-month-old Bennington zoning bylaw that would have put a 75,000-square-foot cap on big-box stores, including a new Wal-Mart, gained the upper hand in a record turnout of 3,913 voters, defeating the cap by a nearly 56 percent margin.

''They can't afford to shop at L.L. Bean ... and Lord and Taylor,'' said former state Republican Representative Michael Silver about cap opponents, while former state Democratic Representative Richard Pembroke said he heard from many voters that they thought the cap would simply make Wal-Mart move its goods and tax dollars some seven miles west, to Hoosick, N.Y.

Wal-Mart wants to raze its 50,000-square-foot store and build a 112,000-square-foot one, with Ohio developer Jonathan Levy submitting a permit application just days before the Selectboard passed the size-cap last January, reports Rutland Herald writer Peter Crabtree. He notes that the bylaw, in the works for about three years, also required developers to fund community impact studies for projects larger than 30,000 square feet.

Cap foes argued that a larger Wal-Mart promises almost 150 new jobs and some $100,000 more in property taxes. On the other side, Citizens for a Greater Bennington and the Vermont Preservation Trust warned voters that an expanded Wal-Mart poses a threat to small local businesses, which will cause a net loss of jobs and tax revenue.

''I'm sure there's a compromise out there somewhere,'' said disappointed Selectboard Chairwoman Sharyn Brush after the vote. ''We'll just have to find out what it is.''

Preservation Trust coordinator Margaret Campbell restated support for smart growth, voicing optimism. ''We're not giving up,'' she stressed. ''We'll be there helping the community come up with the best large retail bylaw that we can.'' -- Rutland Herald   4/6/2005

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/

Gov. Douglas Approves Move of Public Building Away from Downtown

Despite Republican Governor James Douglas' declared support for locating public buildings downtown, where they are easily reached on foot or by transit, benefit from local services and help spur business, his administration is moving the expanded Environmental Court from downtown Barre some five miles north to a suburban commercial park just across the Berlin town line.

Dismayed, Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative spokeswoman and Conservation Law Foundation attorney Sandra Levine said, ''The Environmental Court of all buildings should not be in a sprawl location.'' Vermont Forum on Sprawl executive director and Collaborative member Elizabeth Humstone drove the point further, stressing, ''This is not smart growth. It is not exactly setting up a model for other to follow.''

In a letter to Vermont Court Administrator Lee Suskin and Buildings Commissioner Thomas Torti, reports Vermont Press Bureau writer John Zicconi, the Smart Growth Collaborative asked them to reconsider the relocation. Administrator Suskin was ''not happy'' with the move of the environmental staff to Berlin on February 1, but noted that environmental cases are mostly filed by mail, pre-hearing conferences conducted by phone, and judges travel to hear arguments locally, all of which leaves about 10 percent of cases for hearings in the new Berlin building, making its traffic impact and any other public inconvenience negligible.

Commissioner Torti agreed a new downtown location for the court would be ''ideal,'' but since it couldn't be found in the county, the next best option is the commercial park, already plugged to water and sewer systems and designated by Berlin for future growth.

But director Humstone was little impressed by the commissioner's promise to look for ''a more central location'' at the end of the 10-year Berlin building lease, whose voidance would be costly and impractical. Since the state is moving a public building that inevitably brings people to the outer suburb, she said, the action ''is promoting sprawl development.'' -- Times-Argus, WCAX.com   1/11/2005

Resource(s): www.timesargus.com/ ; www.wcax.com/Global/category.asp?C=18195&nav=4QcR

New England's Smart Growth Sensibility Praised at Enosburgh Town Forum

Traditional New England development patterns of mixed-use villages, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and compact downtown centers are among the roots and goals of smart growth, said Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative's Technical Assistance Program Coordinator Evan Goldsmith at an Enosburgh Town Planning Commission forum, stressing the need for planning to prevent sprawl, or ''incremental growth'' in areas that people want to keep pristine.

Echoing a presentation by Conservation Law Foundation expert Sandy Levine, who defined sprawl as low-density, car-dependent, inefficient land use detrimental to the environment, wildlife habitat and quality of life, reports County Courier writer Jedd Kettler, the collaborative's assistance coordinator pointed out that smart growth requires less public money than the expansion of services and infrastructure in the countryside.

Preservation Trust of Vermont Executive Director Paul Bruhn commended Enosburgh officials for their downtown efforts, which included an opera house renovation and a high school expansion, but his colleague Ann Cousins cautioned them against further commercial development on rural edges as potentially harmful to the center's vitality. The writer notes that the Enosburgh Town Planning Commission and the Village Planning Commission, in their advisory roles for long-range town and village plans, support downtown location for a new or refurbished town clerk's office. -- County Courier   11/24/2004

Resource(s): www.thecountycourier.com/index.php

Williston Adopts Ordinance to Protect Land During Two-Year Review of Growth Plan

Ready to launch a two-year process of updating the town's growth plan, the Williston Selectboard wants meantime to protect the three quarters of its land zoned rural and agricultural from a random crop of homes with a just-adopted ordinance that requires builders in those zones to keep 75 percent of each parcel undeveloped.

What's more, reports Burlington Free Press writer Matt Sutkoski, open areas on adjacent parcels must be contiguous, while multiple homes must be clustered on different size lots to prevent a cookie-cutter look. To facilitate proceedings, landowners are strongly encouraged to discuss their home projects with planners informally, before full Development Review Board hearings.

Some residents fear the ordinance could make it harder to sell their parcels and could also push home prices even higher. Intended as a stop-gap measure, the ordinance might get incorporated into the town's updated plan and become permanent, said selectboard member Virginia Lyons, urging landowners, developers and residents to get involved in the work on plan updates, because they will guide local development for years to come. -- Burlington Free Press   9/21/2004

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Commerce Group to Outline Traffic, Land-Use Plans for Walkable Retail Along Brattleboro's Putney Road

Encouraged by the Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative to help prevent Brattleboro's sprawl and strip development along Putney Road, the Putney Road Business Association will form a committee to outline a long-term traffic and land-use solution for the strip and to participate in the Brattleboro Planning Commission workshops on the next town plan, with store owner Gary Goodemote, saying at a public meeting, ''We have to make our road into something that is different and appealing to keep attracting business and customers,'' who should be able to park and ''walk to the stores.''

He expects the association's plan committee to consider intersection improvements, landscaping, pedestrian and bike paths, and homes and apartments, which would create a sense of community.

The meeting, arranged by outgoing Planning Commission chairman Spoon Agave, reports Brattleboro Reformer writer Daniel Barlow, featured two Smart Growth Collaborative speakers, including Beth Humstone, who said long-term planning and community commitment to smart growth are the only ways to halt sprawl and strip development. She advised participants to focus on development clustered around intersections, with buildings closer to the road, parking lots in the back, and trees along the dividing open space.

An effort to pass a similar town ordinance failed last year, the writer reports, adding that residents can discuss the next town plan on a community web site, www.ibrattleboro.com -- Brattleboro Reformer   4/9/2004

Resource(s): www.reformer.com/

Smart Growth Presentation Outlines How Vermont Towns Can Grow and Still Protect Traditional Character

Vermont towns can protect their traditional character, save open space and reduce infrastructure costs by channeling development to older areas and spurring infill, said smart growth presenter Elizabeth Humstone at an anti-sprawl forum held by the Bennington County Regional Commission and the Vermont Smart Growth Collaboration in Bennington, with local residents most concerned about possible construction of a ''big-box'' superstore, likely another Wal-Mart, just a half-mile from a school and the edge of Green Mountain National Forest.

The presenter and three other panelists, reports Bennington Banner writer John LeMay, agreed that Bennington did well to prevent big-box retail dominance and its side effects by forcing Wal-Mart in the mid 1990s to take a vacant Woolworth store rather than build a two times larger structure. Economist Thomas Muller said Wal-Mart wants to build 1,000 superstores nationwide within five years, but the advantages of the company's low prices aren't so great considering that most of its merchandise comes from China, reducing the market for American-made goods, and that the typical Wal-Mart superstore drives two local supermarkets out of business, while replacing their jobs with non-unionized, lower-paying ones.

Despite Wal-Mart defense by the fifth panelist, real estate appraiser David Buckley, who argued that restrictions on big boxes amount to protectionism, the economist was firm that superstores offer ''no net benefit to the local and state economy.'' -- Bennington Banner   1/15/2004

Resource(s): www.benningtonbanner.com/

Gov. Douglas Stresses ''Responsible Growth'' in State of the State Address

Proud of the alternative he offered ''to the often-heated contest between those who seek economic growth and those who seek environmental preservation,'' Vermont Republican Governor James Douglas said in his State of the State address, ''This third way resists the extreme impulses of ideology and recognizes that in Vermont, our economy and environment are codependent. We must accommodate each for the betterment of both.''

Gov. Douglas cited the Winooski downtown redevelopment as a ''good example of smart growth'' and promised it continued administration support. Listing economic progress, fiscal stability, road and bridge improvements, and job creation among his top priorities, the governor stressed, ''We cannot discuss Vermont's jobs environment without discussing our natural environment.'' As all Vermonters ''share the goal of clean water,'' which he wants ''to achieve as fast as possible,'' the governor urged the General Assembly to stay in session until it breaks the impasse over the complicated issue of storm water runoff that ''continues to pollute unabated.''

Calling it natural for Vermont ''that our discussions of development are steeped in principles of responsible growth,'' the governor mentioned his recent announcement of ''a collaborative effort to explore ways to formalize smart growth planning and speed the creation of designated opportunity centers,'' which he envisions as able to ''offer permitting and tax incentives for businesses wishing to grow in Vermont.''

Concerned about high energy costs, he restated his commitment to renewable energy exploration and use, pointing out that ''(o)ne way to reduce electric bills, and contribute to environmental protection, is to conserve energy,'' but that the state can hardly expect families and businesses to do so if the government fails to lead in conservation and efficiency. Thus, he promised within weeks ''a far-reaching plan to transform state government into a role model for environmental stewardship,'' which will include ''a new management system for the state's fleet of vehicles'' and should reduce their tailpipe emissions ''by 25 percent, more than 34,000 tons of pollutants, by 2012.''   1/6/2004

Resource(s): www.vermont.gov/

Gov. Douglas Describes Vermont's Steps to Smart Growth at Burlington Forum on Sprawl

Having said in his January inaugural address that ''the choice we face today is not a choice between jobs and the environment,'' but ''between both and neither,'' Republican Governor Jim Douglas expanded his concept of ''the third way -- the Vermont way'' at a recent statewide Forum on Sprawl in Burlington, stressing, ''It is not left of center, nor is it right of center -- it is the center. The third way is about escaping rigid, doctrinaire philosophies that demand unyielding allegiance to one special interest or another, and employing a balanced, common sense philosophy that is in the best interest of everyone'' and increasingly known as Smart Growth. Pointing out that ''Vermont in many areas and in many ways embodies the principles of Smart Growth'' -- its pedestrian-friendly villages and downtowns vibrant with ''a lively mix of uses'' -- the governor stressed that this ''historic settlement pattern'' has been advanced in recent years by ''state policy that supports smart growth;'' that his administration has taken steps ''to combat sprawl'' through brownfield reuse, downtown revitalization and a long-standing ''strategy of investing in conservation of key agricultural and recreation lands along with building affordable housing;'' and that he has sometimes ''had to oppose the President of the United States and the leader of my own political party when I believe that his policies may have a negative impact on our environment.'' Proud of the 1999 downtown revitalization program, under which the state invested more than $23 million in 15 designated downtowns to help their revival and fight sprawl, the governor expressed special satisfaction with a $175 million effort, including $40 million in state loan guarantees, to reinvent the core of Vermont's oldest industrial city of Winooski just northeast of Burlington. This project, the governor emphasized, ''is important to me for three primary reasons: it fights sprawl, it will create affordable housing and will add hundreds of new jobs.'' Mentioning his infrastructure policy, the governor acknowledged that some in the audience have different views on the need for some of road investments, but he said we all agree that the state should ''reduce incentives for sprawling land use patterns by investing public dollars in concentrated settlement patterns.'' Then he concluded, ''In our pursuit of smart growth, we must embrace the codependence of our economy and our environment. And, I believe, we must recognize that there is no pure way to eliminate sprawl that allows for both environmental protection and the creation of more and better paying jobs -- that is why achieving a balance is so vitally important.''   11/12/2003

Resource(s): www.vermont.gov/governor/index.shtml

Report Outlines Steps for Improving Land Use Strategies in New England

''Sprawl is neither the ordained nor the inevitable outcome upon the New England landscape,'' but the necessary public-private steps to ''improve land use patterns and reduce the cost of local government'' must begin with legislation to eliminate gaps between land use laws of the region's six states and with incentives for municipal cooperation, asserts the New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine's Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service in its just-posted online ''Model State Land Use Legislation for New England.'' The 97-page study proposes the creation of municipal service districts, an outcome-based comprehensive planning law and omnibus model state-level land use control legislation. It points out that in the face of growing sprawl costs, ''it is incumbent upon all levels of government to respond in a comprehensive, forceful, and effective manner.'' Specifically, the states and municipalities should acknowledge that they share land use authority; that the state can and will assert its authority to fulfill its financial, social, environmental and other responsibilities when they are jeopardized; that primary land use decision-making authority can and should reside at the local level, with state review warranted if state interests and responsibilities are at stake; and that ''when the state asserts authority over municipalities, it must be done equally and fairly across the state.'' To help the six states ''enact all or a portion'' of the proposed legal framework, the study organizes the material in three increasingly specific parts, entitled ''A mechanism to create a form of regional governance tailored to New England,'' ''A far-reaching set of amendments to the state-level, comprehensive land-use planning statutes of Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont'' (since Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire lack such statutes), and ''A set of 10 individual provisions which, taken together, represent omnibus land use legislation.'' The study also defines or clarifies definitions of impact fee; implementation program; moratorium; rate of growth, or ''cap'' ordinance; capital budgeting; cluster development; floating or unmapped zoning; high density development; infill development; locally unwanted land use (LULU); Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY); overlay zoning; planned unit (mixed use) development; and transfer of development rights.   7/18/2003

Resource(s): http://efc.muskie.usm.maine.edu/pubs.htm

Overhaul of Vermont's Act 250 Likely; Updated Permit, Appeals Process Expected

Having successfully balanced economic growth with land preservation for more than 30 years, Vermont's Act 250 needs a permit process overhaul urged by Republican Governor Jim Douglas during his electoral campaign, agrees a Burlington Free Press editorial, expecting the governor, the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-led Senate to approve basic simplification and then reconcile differences ''in a spirit of compromise in a conference committee.'' As proposed by the governor, the editorial says, the new act would consolidate permit appeals, move them from citizen boards to a future Environmental Court, restrict the right to appeal and eliminate review of some permits issued by the Agency of Natural Resources. The editorial notes Senate Natural Resources Chairwoman Virginia Lyons' observation that many permit complaints really relate to local zoning or land-use plan absences, but also points out that one of the act's ''primary drawbacks ... is its mind-numbing complexity.'' In favor of a process ''that ensures maximum public involvement within a reasonable time frame,'' the editorial concludes: ''Act 250 has been the cornerstone of Vermont's highly regarded environmental policy and reflects the deep love of the land that most Vermonters share. As long as that ideal dominates legislative decision-making Act 250 should emerge from the 2003 session stronger, more workable and more responsive to the public interest.'' -- Burlington Free Press   4/9/2003

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Bennington's Proposed Smart Growth Scenarios Considered for Statewide Growth Models

The Vermont Forum on Sprawl and the Vermont Business Roundtable released an initial report from their three-year joint study of three chosen sites with good redevelopment potential in the context of the state permit policy, reports Bennington Banner writer Bobby Gates, focusing on proposed downtown Bennington ''smart growth'' scenarios as possible models statewide. According to the study group, he writes, the downtown area would get a boost from redevelopment of an old hotel or from a new civic center, both of which would offer plenty of parking space and attract additional housing. ''We decided early on we wouldn't be restricted by zoning,'' stresses Vermont Forum on Sprawl executive director Elizabeth Humstone, while Vermont Business Roundtable vice chairman, Lang Associates president Staige Davis notes that in contrast to the usual polarization of land use debates and the stereotype of friction between business and environmental advocates, both groups sought to ''work better together'' and presented ''some solutions that everyone can agree with.'' Davis also thinks the time is right for their move since new Vermont Governor James Douglas ''is open to change,'' with Humstone saying she will take the study findings to the new secretaries in the departments of natural resources, and commerce and community development. -- Bennington Banner   2/6/2003

Resource(s): www.benningtonbanner.com/

Gov. Douglas Emphasizes Environmental, Transportation Projects in Vermont State of the State Speech

Equally committed to a frugal budget and to the ''neediest Vermonters'' -- since ''every dollar we spend beyond our capacity to pay is a dollar that must be repaid by our children'' and since ''a society is judged by how it treats the most vulnerable'' -- Republican Governor Jim Douglas told most state agencies to save 5- 10 percent of their previous appropriations, but recommended in his State of the State speech ''spending on projects important to our environment'' and increasing outlays for state road and bridge repair and for ''town highway programs.'' With only an $30 million deficit expected next year, the governor proposed $7 million to upgrade water and pollution control facilities, $750,000 to help farmers abate non-point source runoff, $500,000 each to maintain dams and upgrade parks, and $350,000 for the Kehoe Conservation Center. Pointing out that a ''strong transportation infrastructure is vital to economic progress and the safety of Vermonters,'' the governor asked for $3 million in state bonds to move on three top road projects and for an additional $11.7 million -- a 55 percent increase -- for road and bridge improvements. ''This is an important investment,'' he said, ''that will begin to reverse the neglect of our roads, and help put our economy on the road to recovery.''   1/28/2003

Resource(s): www.nga.org/governors/1,1169,C_SPEECH^D_4941,00.html

Sewer Capacity Woes Delay Building Projects in Williston, VT

With a 57 percent population jump over the last decade to 7,650 residents, making it Chittenden County's fastest-growing town, Williston has followed a building cap of 65 units annually with an affordable housing ordinance that sets a fast-track four-phase approval process, but the first project needed eight months for two phases and now faces a likely four-year delay of the third phase, because the town lacks sufficient sewer capacity. Burlington Free Press writer Molly Walsh reports that developers Gerald Milot and Brett Grabowski, who propose to launch their Taft Village project by building 33 affordable rental units and 36 small homes in the $160,000 range, want the town to allocate the sewer capacity or at least continue the review, because should they lose the first two permits, valid only for six months, they would have to start the whole process anew. Faulting officials for inconsistency, Grabowski says, ''We at times feel that we're meeting resistance.'' Other developers also are upset. Snyder Cos. vice president Mark Lords expects to wait at least five years for permits to build housing in a designated growth center, calling the lack of sewers a third growth constraint after impact fees and the phasing policy. RLM Associates partner Mac Teeson, whose firm wants to add 18 units to its 68-unit Bittersweet Village, believes officials ''are using sewers to slow growth.'' Town manager Rick McGuire denies the charge, stressing that the town must keep its sewer capacity reserve of 16,800 gallons a day for health emergencies and that it seeks an additional 200,000 gallon capacity at the Essex Junction plant, but the plant's upgrade will take two to three years. -- Burlington Free Press   9/9/2002

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Lake Champlain Residents, Developer At Odds Over Housing Project

In line with Burlington's ordinance for the Lake Champlain waterfront, which requires builders to offer 25 percent of new housing in some areas as affordable units, Frank Von Turkovich of Keystone Development Corp. included 37 low-priced two-bedroom units in his 148-apartment Appletree Terrace project for part of 41 woodland and meadow acres over the lake, but local residents are fighting him in Environmental Court under the state's development control law. They view the project as threatening nearby wetlands, violating a tree-removal ordinance and creating too much density, reports Burlington Free Press writer Cadence Mertz, quoting plaintiff Nancy Kaplan, who besides being concerned about its impact on road and schools, also saw a fox running by her back yard and once a fox is lost, ''it's gone forever.'' Environmental Court Judge Merideth Wright is likely to decide the case next month. -- Burlington Free Press   8/6/2002

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Developer Seeks Narrow Streets, Setbacks for South Burlington Subdivision

As in most Chittenden County municipalities, South Burlington subdivision rules require wide streets and other design staples of car-oriented suburbs, but Burlington's Retrovest Cos. is set on breaking this wasteful land-use habit and seeks more than a dozen rule waivers for its 310-unit South Village project, with much reduced street widths, narrow alleys, shallow front yards and shared garages. ''If you look at a lot of pre-War and historic neighborhoods where buildings are brought close to the street, pedestrians feel safer and things are really more on a human scale,'' Retrovest vice president Ken Braverman tells Burlington Free Press writer Molly Walsh. ''So if you're sitting on your front porch and someone walks by on the sidewalk, you feel like you could have a conversation.'' South Burlington city planner Juli Beth Hoover promises flexibility except ''where there is a really overriding public objective in sticking to the standards.'' The writer observes that narrow streets are coming back, promoted by such national movements as New Urbanism, and that Burlington, which already permits some unconventional projects, will be revising its code next year to make them easier. Noting that narrow streets take less land and reduce stormwater runoff pollution, Burlington city planner Mark Eldridge says, ''A lot of people don't like a sea of asphalt.'' -- Burlington Free Press   8/6/2002

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

National Affordable Housing Trust Legislation Finds Support in Vermont

With more than 30 percent of Vermonters spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent, a Burlington Free Press editorial urges strong support for National Affordable Housing Trust legislation to provide federal matching funds to 280 state and local governments with affordable housing trust funds, which would double the state's and Burlington's annual trust outlays on low-cost housing to almost $12 million and $350,000, respectively. Legislation sponsor, Vermont Independent Representative Bernie Sanders, who made it part of a larger housing bill likely to pass the U.S. House before the August recess, calls the housing shortage ''one of the major crises facing America.'' He says his legislation stems from community efforts and is backed by 2,800 grassroots groups representing all interests, including businesses worried about workers inability to find inexpensive housing. Quoting Burlington Community and Economic Development Office director Michael Monte, who says ''There has been so little for so many years of major housing initiatives on the federal level,'' the editorial concludes: ''In the richest country on earth, almost 28 million Americans pay more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing and 800,000 people are homeless. There are times when government has to step in. Helping people achieve the basic right of shelter is one of those times.'' -- Burlington Free Press   7/14/2002

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Open Space Protection Plan in the Works for Vermont Town of Jericho

As development chips away at forests and farmland around Burlington in Chittenden County, public concerns over incoming growth rise elsewhere, writes Burlington Free Press correspondent Lauren Esserman from the small town of Jericho in Chittenden County, some 60 miles to the south, where a 2000 survey found 80 percent of respondents wishing to preserve its rural character and the 2001 Town Plan charged the Jericho Open Space Committee with inventorying local land and devising an open space protection master plan. The correspondent reports that the committee is evaluating five aspects of the area's landscape: its scenic roads; wildlife and outdoor recreation; water resources; forestland; and farmland and other open spaces. Once it devises the protection plan, the Planning Commission and Selectboard will consider policy tools for its implementation, with the commission expected to revise zoning regulations next year. Noting that under new financial strains, the selectboard decided to phase out tax abatements that help landowners resist pressures to sell for development, the correspondent writes that some residents think town voters should decide whether to pay for program continuation through a tax increase. She quotes Jericho Underhill Land Trust chairwoman Livy Strong, who says all residents want to preserve their town's rural character, but ''The hard part is how.'' -- Burlington Free Press   6/11/2002

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com/

Vermont Study Compares Municipal Taxes, New Growth

''Property taxes should not drive land use planning,'' concludes a preliminary comparative study of municipal taxes and land use in Vermont, showing that its largest and new-growth towns needed the highest tax raises to maintain or expand services in the past decade, while smaller and growth-cautious towns kept their taxes lower. But tax policy specialist Deb Brighton told local officials at a presentation for the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission and the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce in Berlin that the study shouldn't be construed as anti-development, since it advocates a ''balance between different types of land use'' and since a-few-dollars-higher property taxes can indicate that ''this town really cares and (is) the best town.'' Conducted by the Vermont League of Cities and the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and now being presented for comments across the state before its final version is published, reports Times Argus writer Robin Palmer, the study also identifies land preservation as a tool for keeping lower taxes, unless it leads to sprawl elsewhere or to a loss of local students. The tax specialist explained that towns can incur higher costs if they need more schools to accommodate new students, but also if present schools lose students.   4/14/2002

Resource(s): http://timesargus.nybor.com/

Vermont's Preservation, Energy Conservation Measures Hailed

Emphasizing energy as one of the key issues brought into national focus by the September 11th terrorist attack, Governor Howard Dean pointed out in his State of the State speech that Vermont has the nation's lowest pollutant emissions per capita together with one of the highest efficiency-related energy savings and promised a budget proposal to transfer $750,000 from the Petroleum Violation Escrow fund ''to promote renewable resources, especially wind and solar power.'' Vermont should strive to meet its all new energy needs for the next ten years ''through conservation, efficiency and renewable energy,'' the governor said, since it's essential for the state and the nation to reduce dependence on energy sources from undemocratic and hostile nations. The governor asked residents to remember that Vermont is ''an exceptional place to live,'' still ''a state where one person can make a difference.'' As an example, the governor mentioned an opponent of ''the controversial clear-cutting bill'' he signed early in his tenure, the late forester Warren ''Jersey'' Drown, who became his close friend and whose advice to lower the parking lot in front of a new state building in Newport now makes Lake Memphremagog visible from Main Street. Voicing satisfaction that by the time he leaves office next January, the state ''will have over a million acres of farm and forest land preserved so our great grandchildren may enjoy and work these lands as we have,'' the governor concluded, ''The values of our founders -- thrift, compassion and conservation -- remain the values of Vermont's present and future.''   1/8/2002

Resource(s): www.nga.org/governors/1,1169,C_SPEECH^D_3038,00

With more than four million tourists "in ...

With more than four million tourists "in search of the perfect flame-red maple," leaving local businesses $1.1 billion richer after five weeks of glorious foliage each autumn, a Burlington Free Press editorial credits much of this financial windfall to "a range of state policies and taxpayer investments" that helps preserve its rural and forest landscape. The editorial emphasizes the success of two tax-based programs. The 1980 "Agricultural Land, Forest Land, Conservation Land and Farm Building Use Value Appraisal Program" taxes land on its current use instead of its fair market value, with the state paying towns the difference -- $4.2 million for 1,700 farms in 2000. This "current use" program covers about 1.6 million acres, or 27.5 percent of the state's land area. The other program, run by the 1987 Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, has preserved 251 farms and 83,000 acres through conservation easements, while spending a total of $130 million to protect 307,000 acres of rural and forest land, and to build 5,700 units of affordable housing. 08.31.2001   9/4/2001

Resource(s): www.burlingtonfreepress.com

The Burlington-based Planning Commissioners Journal, founded in ...

The Burlington-based Planning Commissioners Journal, founded in 1991 by its editor, a land-use attorney and former state planning official Wayne M. Senville, asked the Democratic, Republican and Green Party presidential candidates for their position statements on the federal role in dealing with sprawl. The journal posted the responses from Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush side by side on its web site, while still awaiting a reply by Ralph Nader. Vice President Gore said that as a longtime advocate of environmental protection and smart growth, who shares the growing public concern about sprawl, he has launched his initiative to restore livable communities. He pledged that as President, he will help communities meet growth challenges not through a top-down federal role, but by giving communities more choices and more of the tools and resources they need to preserve green spaces, ease traffic congestion, promote regional cooperation, improve schools and enhance economic competitiveness, so they can grow according to their own local values. Governor Bush said One way to address sprawl is to make cities more attractive to families and businesses. Inner-city schools must be made more effective, we must continue to combat crime, brownfields must be cleaned up and redeveloped, and taxes and regulations must provide an atmosphere where entrepreneurs can flourish. He promised he will direct the EPA to establish high standards for brownfield cleanups that will provide more flexibility than the current Superfund standards. He stated that he will reform the Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund; extend permanently the Brownfield cleanup tax incentive; fully fund the $900 million Land and Water Conservation Fund; and establish the Private Stewardship Grant Program. Noting that an important component of dealing with sprawl is infrastructure, he said the federal government must recognize that solving traffic congestion requires a comprehensive approach that provides maximum flexibility. More at www.plannersweb.com   9/12/2000

Opposing a Home Depot project for the ...

Opposing a Home Depot project for the city of Ruthland, Governor Howard Dean stresses that such huge stores destroy downtown areas, fuel suburban sprawl and tear the fabric of the community. "National chains," the governor says, "suck money out of the community and knock out smaller hardware stores for miles. When the Home Depot was built in Williston, 20 hardware stores in Chittenden County closed." A Home Depot spokesman, John Simley, says the Atlanta-based chain will go to great lengths to ease local concerns, including those about traffic jams, but won't give in to opposition. If an area is zoned for retail, he says, "and we have a right to build there, we will."   9/13/1999

Burlington: The editor of the Planning Commissioners ...

Burlington: The editor of the Planning Commissioners Journal of Burlington, Wayne M. Serville, has augmented his popular Internet Planners Web with a new site, a Citizens Planners Web. Designed for laymen on local planning commissions, the site has links to the U. S. Bureau of Census and offers transportation data, federal legislative updates and the Journal's informative Sprawl Resource Guide.   7/1/1998

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