Smart Growth Vermont

E-News April 2010

Welcome to Smart Growth Vermont's April E-newsletter! This month, learn how you can protect vernal pools, read about Burlington and find out how easy it is to use public transportation.

April is Keep America Beautiful month. Do your part for the environment by recycling old household products, plant a garden or participate in community cleanup days.

Like what you read in our e-newsletter? Let us know. Better yet, support this publication and our work in Vermont communities by becoming a sustaining member. Find out more.

              

Community Update


Mt. Mansfield Scenic Road Assessment in Essex and Jericho

With detailed assessments of Essex and Jericho's scenic corridors in hand, Smart Growth Vermont is working with the two towns, supported by the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization, to consider and prioritize the range of regulatory, non-regulatory and conservation options for protecting scenic views. Jericho's Planning Commission will take the issue up at its April 20 meeting, and Essex Planning will do so at its May 13 meeting. We are developing a Scenic Roadscape Protection Manual and accompanying bylaw and town plan language for each town. For more information on the project and to see summaries of the assessment data and maps, please visit the Community Planning Partnership section of our website.

Do You Live in Pittsford?


If the answer is yes, join us this Saturday, April 10, from 10 to noon to discuss how the Forrest Farm can enhance the village center. This fall, we heard from residents that they would like to see a community center, town green, senior housing and a restaurant or bakery. We have invited speakers from Hardwick, Morrisville, Putney and Burlington to share how their community made similar projects a reality – their partners, their challenges, their lessons and the benefits these projects brought to the community. Join us at the Lathrop School Gym on Route 7 to learn more and discuss how similar projects could be developed in Pittsford.

Downtown Indicators Partners Meet, Share Ideas


Early in March, Smart Growth Vermont and our partner, the Center for Rural Studies, hosted a meeting with members from our test communities and our steering committee. Participants discussed the data findings for the indicators of downtown health gathered by the test towns. Ideas were exchanged on how to best utilize this information and folks shared what they felt were their top five indicators. After lively discussion, negotiation and debate, some of the indicators that came out on top included retail and commercial vacancy rates, first floor mix by business, value of private and public investment in development projects and square footage of infill potential.

Focus group meetings in each community will be held in April to gather community feedback before we finalize the indicators and begin to draft a handbook for communities in Vermont and around the country on how to measure the health of their downtowns. Once the handbook is published on the web, we will conduct trainings for our downtowns. For more information on this project, check out the project’s webpage.

Help Us Improve our Community Action Guide


Two years ago, Smart Growth Vermont launched a new section on our website called, Connect to the Land: A Guide for Taking Action. We wanted to share  information and resources with Vermonters interested in improving environmental quality in their daily lives. We provide a list of simple things that you can do along with additional resources available, as well as showcase Vermonters who are making a difference by supporting their local economy, conserving the natural environment and connecting with neighborhood farms and artisans.

We have added some new examples to this section and are seeking ideas from our readers. Take a look at this section and help us improve it. Do you know any Vermonters taking action? Maybe you know of a resource that should be included. Help us improve this valuable resource and you will do your part to improve the community and environment in our state.

Send your ideas via email to Serena.

Upcoming Events

If you have a little free time and are interested in leaning more about vernal pools, participate in a mapping project. Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Arrowwood Environmental are partnering to map Vermont's vernal pools. Volunteers will be trained and asked to field-verify the presence of potential pools. For more information, visit, www.vtecostudies.org

Also, check out  Upcoming Events on our website! You'll find information about conferences, lectures and presentations on a wide variety of topics.

And save the date. Our 2010 Arthur Gibb Award for Individual Leadership event will be held Wednesday, September 15, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the T.W. Wood Gallery and Art Center on the campus of the Vermont College of the Arts in Montpelier.

Smart Growth in Action: Fundamental Principles


Principle 4: Protect and preserve environmental quality and important natural and historic features of Vermont, including natural areas, water resources, air quality, scenic resources, and historic sites and districts.

The quality of our environment is heavily dependent on how we use, develop and steward the land. The decisions we make at the federal, state and municipal levels and the personal decisions we make every day have an impact on the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the ecosystems that our wildlife depend upon. In planning and developing land for the future, we must balance our needs for homes, business and services with the impact on open space and wildlife habitat, air and water quality, recreational opportunities and the economic value of tourism. If we are not careful in our planning efforts, we run the risk of damaging the qualities that make Vermont special. 

Historically, Vermont developed around town and city centers, with homes clustered close to jobs and services. Over the past thirty years, newer homes, businesses and services have been built further away from our centers, taking valuable land out of food production and threatening the health and diversity of our environment. Scattered development has interrupted critical wildlife habitat and corridors and exacerbated pollution from storm water runoff. Vermont loses over 1,500 acres of significant wildlife habitat every year to development, which contributes three times more phosphorus to our water than the same number of acres in agriculture.

Vermonters have an opportunity to change current trends and to restore the health of our water, air and scenic resources. One solution is to concentrate a majority of new development in and around our town centers, while incorporating green infrastructure into site designs.

Towns have a variety of tools and methods available to protect and enhance environmental quality, historic sites and our working landscape. Conservation easements and Vermont’s Current Use program provide tax incentives to farmers and landowners who struggle to keep their properties and livelihood intact. Clear town plan language and regulatory tools such as overlay zones, cluster zoning, conservation developments and adaptive reuse can help protect these important resources. Check out our Toolbox for tools and case studies your community can use.

Active citizen participation is also critical to preserving what Vermonters value most. Attend town meetings, volunteer to monitor rare and threatened habitat and wildlife areas, and spread the word to friends and neighbors to get involved when important land use decisions are up for review.

Community Spotlight: Burlington


Burlington's annual Jazz Fest. Photo courtesy of Church Street Marketplace.

Named one of America's most liveable cities, Burlington is an urban hotspot that retains its agricultural roots. Entertainment, incredible sunsets over Lake Champlain, family friendly venues and ease of access by bike or foot are just a few of the attributes that make the city a favorite.   

Burlington is likely most famous for Church Street which is located in the heart of downtown. The addition of this open air mall was the result of a one day experimental street fair in 1971 which attracted 15,000 people. The event was such a success that the following year organizers arranged for a week long fair that included special events and an opportunity for retailers to display their goods, with a turnout of roughly 50,000 people. The following years were spent planning and reviewing mall designs to incorporate a permanent open air mall, which was completed in 1981.

Today, Church Street is home to 88 eating and drinking establishments, over 200 retail stores and numerous events, including eclectic street performances occurring most days of the year. During the summer and winter months, residents and visitors enjoy fresh local food and other goods at the Farmers and Artists Market, which runs every Saturday from mid-May through October in City Hall Park and the third Saturday each month from November through April at Memorial Auditorium.  

Lake Champlain is one of Burlington's most important resources and the City has spent the last decade cleaning up contamination, removing vacant structures and adding parks, benches and a very popular and well used walking path along the waterfront. Thanks to these efforts and to a revised Waterfront Revitalization Plan, this section of Burlington's downtown will continue to draw residents and visitors alike.

The current Revitalization Plan calls for twenty-two projects, some of which have already begun, including the creation of a mixed use neighborhood, a newly installed bus station and a restroom facility. Future initiatives include the renovation of the Moran Plant, the addition of a public market, a multi-modal transportation center and the re-design of Depot Street to make this a safer walking and bike path.

Burlington continues to grow as a healthy, environmentally responsible city, thanks to the efforts of dedicated residents, community organizations and city officials.

Vermont News

Bus Service Expected for Hinesburg Residents

Residents of Hinesburg voted overwhelmingly to approve bus service from Hinesburg to Burlington and Bristol. The Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) and Addison County Transportation Resources (ACTR) offered a proposal to the Town's Selectboard for weekday service, which will include two bus runs in the morning and two in the afternoon. The vote confirmed Hinesburg's seat on CCTA's Board of Directors, which will now allow the Town to pursue federal and state funding to subsidize the local service.

Transportation Options Made Easy in Burlington


Have you thought of taking your bike on the bus, but felt intimidated by the process? Or, are you curious about how Car Sharing works? Well, the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization hopes to make it easier for Burlington residents to feel comfortable using alternative transportation options.  Check out these How To videos and see how easy it is!

Vermont's Local Food Movement Reaches Barrier

The local food movement in Vermont continues to gain momentum as people realize the benefits to their health, the environment and the local economy. However, a shortage in slaughterhouses nationwide is straining small farms and keeping some from expanding their operations. Read more.

National News

Federal Historic Tax Credit Program Proves Economic Worth


A recent report conducted by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has found that the Federal Historic Tax Credit Program has contributed to the creation of 1.8 million new jobs since the program's inception in 1976. The program has also been successful for generating tax revenues that exceed implementation costs, making it one of the most efficient federal program's for job creation. Read more.

No Time? 21 Top Time-Saving Cities

Real Simple magazine set out to find the top cities that are easy to get around.  Cities were ranked in five main categories each with various criteria, including walkability, average commute, recycling access and cost, bike friendliness and number of farmers' markets and community gardens. Among the top rated were: Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; and Boston, MA.  Read more.

© 2011 Smart Growth Vermont  |  110 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401
info@smartgrowthvermont.org  |  www.smartgrowthvermont.org  |  802-864-6310

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