Planning Commission

Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7 PM.

The Planning Commission serves as leaders of the community on planning matters. Based on the input the public provides, the Planning Commission conducts its primary responsibilities of preparing and amending the Town Plan and the town’s land-use regulations (zoning and subdivision). The commission holds discussion sessions and public hearings to determine whether our current regulations are meeting our present and future needs, and whether they align with new state regulations concerning land use.  

We meet 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7 to 9 PM. Meetings may be fully remote on Zoom or may be hybrid, with an in-person presence in the Town Center Meeting Room as well as on Zoom.  Please check the meeting date and the agenda to see what type of meeting will be held and what is to be discussed. This information will be posted 5 days prior to the meeting, and often there will be additional materials for you to look at before the meeting. The public is invited to attend any of our meetings and provide comments at any stage of our deliberations. You may also view the video recordings of our meetings (at MMCTV) and email us your comments.  Important note:  we currently have two vacancies on our 7-member board. This sometimes makes it difficult to hold a meeting due to a lack of quorum. Please consider volunteering for this important board if you are interested in planning for Richmond’s future and working out the details of neighborly living  with a shared set of rules.

UPDATES ON CURRENT ACTIVITIES

(September - October 2024):

1)  Public Hearing at the Selectboard on Village Residential Neighborhoods  scheduled for October 7, 2024

In May, the Planning Commission (PC) approved a draft of two new zoning districts: The Village Residential Neighborhoods North and the Village Residential Neighborhoods South. These village neighborhoods have been separated out from their underlying zoning districts in order to meet the needs of the residents and also to follow new state requirements (Act 47). The amendments were approved by the PC on August 7, 2024  after our public hearing on July 17, 2024. This  packet of amendments is now in front of the Selectboard for their part in the public hearing and adoption process. 

Proposed Richmond Zoning Amendments - Revisions to the Zoning District Map, New proposed districts labeled Village Residential Neighborhood North and South and new section labeled Residential Density as well as amendments to sections 6.1, 6.13, and 7. The materials for this hearing are listed below under the Proposed Richmond Zoning Amendments heading and will be on the Selectboard Meeting Homepage for October 7, 2024.                                    

2)  Public Hearing at the Planning Commission on Amendments to the Flood Hazard Overlay District (FHOD) scheduled for October 16, 2024

On September 4, 2024 the Planning Commission approved a packet of amendments on which we are seeking public comment  The Selectboard and the Three Parks Committee have asked us to see what can be done with our zoning regulations to allow us to move the playground structure up onto the “plateau” (where the bandshell is) to keep it from getting damaged repeatedly by flooding events as happened in 2023 and 2024.  We have been working with Kyle Medash, Chittenden County Floodplain Manager at the VT Agency of Natural Resources, and Tyler Machia, our Zoning Administrator,  and have developed a strategy that, with refinements, we feel will continue to protect the Volunteers Green floodway area from further development,  but will allow for relocation of existing structures and also continue to provide some options for those property owners who are close to, but not in, the floodway. After the PC hears from the public on these documents, we will make any changes we think are warranted, and then forward the packet on to the Selectboard for their public hearing process. The materials for this hearing are listed below under the Proposed Richmond Zoning Amendments heading and will be also be on the Planning Commission Meeting Homepage for October 16, 2024.                                                               

3)  Planning Commission continued discussion on amendments to the Jolina Court Zoning District (JC)

Buttermilk LLC is planning to develop a second building on their Jolina Court parcel  Since the development of their first building there have been significant changes in commercial real estate, construction costs, and the Vermont housing market. In order to proceed with building 2, Buttermilk is seeking zoning changes including removal of the first floor commercial requirement and an increase in the number of units that can be built.    We know that we need more housing of all types to meet our statewide housing goals, so we would like to enable this development to move forward.  Next discussion:  September 18, 2024, 7pm -- we will look at the most recent draft proposed for the amended zoning, which involves a “density bonus” strategy for allowing an increased number of dwelling units.

7 members – 4-year term