LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
PROGRESS ON SMART GROWTH AGENDA IN LEGISLATURE

LARGE SCALE RETAIL
The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs has taken extensive testimony on the draft Large Scale Retail Bill (S.66), including testimony from Forum staff and our legislative partner the Preservation Trust of Vermont and Vermont Smart Growth Collaborative member, the Vermont Natural Resources Council. The bill would require that proposals for retail stores in excess of 75,000 square feet (100,000 square feet in designated downtown development districts) fund an independent community and economic impact study as part of any Act 250 review process. The committee, which is expected to vote on the bill mid-March, has not resolved whether such a study should be required as part of a municipal review process. A similar bill was approved by the Vermont Senate last year, but the session ended before action could be taken in the House.

DOWNTOWN TAX CREDITS
In 2006, the annual overall cap on tax credits for Vermont's designated downtowns and village centers was increased to $1.5 million. Even with the increased cap, all of the credits were awarded in the first three months of the fiscal year, leaving a backlog of projects for the next fiscal year. The current backlog totals over $1.4 million and is growing weekly. The Forum and our partner, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, will participate in the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs committee meeting on March 23rd and encorage the legislature to increase the cap in their proposed budget.

GROWTH CENTERS
Although we expect no changes to the Growth Centers Program this year, Senate Natural Resources Chair Ginny Lyons introduced a bill (S.148) that would make a technical correction to an inconsistency that exists between designated growth centers and designated new town centers. Both designations are required to accommodate 50% of the projected growth in a community for a 20 year period, although a growth center may be adjacent to a designated new town center.

The bill proposes to eliminate the 50% requirement from new town centers – which are intended to function as the “central business district” for the surrounding growth center in communities that lack a traditional downtown – and replace it with a requirement that a new town center not exceed 125 acres (approximately a ¼ mile walking distance). The Forum supports the technical correction, and has worked with potentially affected municipalities and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission to reach a consensus for the correction.

HOME LOCATION MORE IMPORTANT THAN GREEN BUILDING FOR REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

The greatest source of greenhouse gases generated in Vermont is from automobile emissions. And, like much of the nation, Vermonters have increased the average number of number of vehicle miles traveled by approximately 33% between 1980 and 2000. This is largely due to the way in which we are building low density, automobile-dependent communities. According to data from the Natural ResourceS Defense Council, the location of a home is a more important determinate of energy use than either green building technology or automobile fuel efficiency.

In the chart above, four scenarios are examined (from left to right): (1) a conventional home in a suburban location with a conventional automobile; (2) a “green” home in a suburban location with hybrid vehicles; (3) a conventional home in an urban location with a conventional automobile; and (4) a “green” home in an urban location with hybrid vehicles. The chart demonstrates that smart growth land use policies are most effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

FORUM PRESENTS TO COMMUNITIES

The Forum is actively reaching out to area communities, conducting a series of training and educational workshops on a variety of land use and community planning topics. Last month, staff presented a workshop on planned residential developments to planning commissioners, development review board members, and conservation commissioners in the Town of Hinesburg. The Forum also gave a presentation on land use planning for highway corridors, including strategies to avoid strip development, as part of a public forum in the Town of Troy. In the coming months, the Forum will be conducting workshops for the towns of Windsor and Waterbury. Most of these programs are funded through the Municipal Education Grant Program, administered by the Department of Housing & Community Affairs, which offers small grants of up to $800 for communities to seek professional advice on issues of local concern. For more information or to contact us about training in your area, click here.

DOWNTOWN BOARD ADOPTS GROWTH CENTERS IMPLEMENTATION MANUAL

At its February meeting, the Vermont Downtown Board approved a new Growth Centers Implementation Manual prepared for the Growth Centers Working Group. This group is comprised of various state agency representatives, and the consulting team of Brandy Saxton of PlaceSense, Kathleen Ryan and Kennedy Smith of the CLUE Group, LLC. The manual provides clear direction for Vermont communities seeking growth centers designation, and includes useful advisory information to help local planners understand the principles of smart growth, and how those principles apply to growth centers planning. Forum staff participated in the manual review process, and commends the consulting team and working group for a job well done. To read the manual on-line, click here.

VERMONT NEWS

National Geographic Magazine names Northeast Kingdom as Geotourist Spot

Vermont's Northeast Kingdom (NEK) has become one of the first Geotourism spots recognized by National Geographic. The program encompasses a website, map and guide which highlight the region's various points of interests and natural beauty. For more information, click here.

Vermont Clean and Clear Water Quality Database Launched

The Vermont Clean and Clear project through the Agency of Natural Resources has a new website that provides information about water quality improvement projects around the state. This database is searchable, and will allow the user to see updated information about the projects. For more information, or to see the database, click here.

Center for Whole Communities Announces 2007 Events

The Center for Whole Communties has released its 2007 Event Calendar. These workshops and events focus on farm, forest and wildlife preservation and activities. For more information, or to sign up for the workshops, click here.

NATIONAL NEWS

Americana International Environmental Technology Trade Show and Conference
March 20-22
Montreal, Quebec

The Americana International Environmental Technology Trade Show and Conference will highlight renewable energy systems, pollution remediation technology, green systems and products, and other advances in environmental technology. For more information on the event, click here.

LEED for Neighborhoods Call for Projects

The U.S. Green Building Council is looking for pilot projects to test the new LEED for Neighborhoods rating system program. Letters of Interest will be accepted through April 6, 2007. For more information, or to express interest, click here.

NEIGHBORWORKS AMERICA TRAINING INSTITUTE
May 7-11
Phoenix, AZ

The NeighborWorks Training Institute will convene three days of training in Phoenix this May. Educational sessions will include Affordable Housing, Community and Neighborhood Revitalization, and Community Building and Organization. For more information, or to register, click here.