In the majority
Stick season
Hinsdale, Lyons elected to Senate leadership
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November 21, 2024
Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg
In Hinesburg
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Beaver moon rising
Planners debate changes to rural, village zoning PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
The Hinesburg Planning Commission discussed its controversial Rural Residential 1 zoning change last week for the first time since the selectboard unanimously killed the proposal in July. Changes to that zoning district have been in the works since 2021, when the town adopted its town plan and identified the district for changes. The district, which extends from the village growth area to the town’s northern border near Mt. Pritchard, has long been criticized as one-size-fits all, when in fact, it encompasses a variety of landscapes with different land use potential. Under the proposal, the RR1 district would be sectioned off three ways. The Richmond Road corridor, a densely populated area just above the village growth area served by
municipal infrastructure, would change to a Residential 3 district. The Residential 4 district, which extends above Residential 3, would act as a “transitional” zoning district, allowing one home per 3 acres. The final proposed change, the Rural 1 district, which encompasses large portions of land to the north and east of the village, would mirror the town’s more rural districts, like Rural Residential 2, by restricted densities to one home per 10, 12 or 15 acres, based on the quality of road access and other factors. The selectboard’s disapproval of the changes was rooted in the Rural 1 proposal. Feedback regarding the larger plan, which seeks to create more housing in identified areas while conserving natural resources in others, was otherwise positive. PHOTO BY SILVIE DOYLE
See ZONING on page 12
Silvie Doyle captured this shot of a rising beaver moon on Nov. 16 from Hinesburg Road.
Charlotte planning commission adopts village planning final report LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Charlotte is overhauling its vision for both its east and west village areas. The Charlotte Planning Commission accepted a final report
of a village planning project earlier this month that is expected to update zoning bylaws to guide future growth. “Charlotte wishes to direct the majority of future growth into the village areas, existing and new community settlement areas, and
hamlets so as to preserve the Areas of High Public Value within the rural areas,” the 2018 Charlotte Town Plan read. That goal is what the extensive two-year-long project is looking to accomplish by minimizing sprawl in some of the town’s cherished
rural areas. The report notes that the goal of the current town plan to focus growth in the east and west villages contradicts some of the town’s current land use regulations, like the 5-acre lot size minimum in both village centers. According to the report, most
of the existing lots and buildings in Charlotte’s villages could not be created today under the current land use regulations. From January to April, in partSee PLANNING on page 12
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