There is still time to register for the 2008 Arthur Gibb Award celebration this Wednesday, December 10 at the Vergennes Opera House, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm.

Paul Bruhn, founder and Executive Director of Preservation Trust of Vermont, is being honored by Smart Growth Vermont for his significant contribution to preserving Vermont’s landscapes, village centers, and historic landmarks. Since 1980, Preservation Trust has touched the lives of Vermonters in almost every city and town in the state, from the Latchis Hotel & Theater in Brattleboro to the Opera House at Enosburg Falls.

Smart Growth Vermont invites you to join us in celebrating the legacy of Arthur Gibb as exemplified by Paul Bruhn and Preservation Trust of Vermont. You can register online or call the office to reserve your tickets.

Legislative Smart Growth Study Committee Launched

Smart Growth Vermont is currently participating in a Smart Growth Study Committee that was established as part of the legislation that created the new Vermont Neighborhoods program in the last session. Chaired by Senator Ginny Lyons, the committee includes representatives from the Vermont Association of Realtors, the Vermont Law School, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies, the Vermont Planners Association, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, the Vermont Homebuilders and Remodelers Association, and the Vermont Natural Resources Board, along with Senator Bill Carris and Represenatives Tony Klein and Ira Trombley.

The mandate of the committee is to discuss and evaluate possible updates to Act 250 rules as well as other topics related to promoting smart growth. During negotiations about the above mentioned legislation, Smart Growth Vermont had advocated for changes that would better protect Vermont's working rural lands. However, this topic turned out to be very contentious, and it was decided that this and other issues would be examined by a Study Committee.

Bennington Receives Growth Center Designation Despite Concerns

On September 22, 2007, the expanded Downtown Development Board approved Bennington’s application for Growth Center Designation. Smart Growth Vermont commends Dan Monks, Bennington’s Town Planner, and the Planning Commission and Selectboard for their track record of responsible land use planning and growth management, as well as their efforts to maintain their downtown as the heart of their community.

However, the implementation of the growth center program continues to fall short of the intent of its enabling legislation. Together with Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Vermont Natural Resources Council, Smart Growth Vermont once again raised two concerns about the process.

The first was the size of the proposed growth center. The program calls for establishing compact growth centers that can accommodate at least 50% of projected growth over a 20 year time period. Bennington's growth center is far larger. By the town's own calculations, the growth center will accommodate 458% of the projected manufacturing growth, 300% of projected office growth, and 236% of projected commercial growth. "Supersizing" a growth center makes it difficult to meet the goal of compact and orderly growth that is the cornerstone of the growth centers program.

The second concern is the potential impact of the growth center on Bennington's downtown. Bennington has done an admirable job to date of supporting its historic downtown. However, a recent regional economic impact analysis associated with a proposed Wal-Mart expansion indicates that retail development outside of the downtown will adversely impact "as many as 10-15% of the existing businesses, mostly [those] selling clothing, beauty and hair products, sporting goods, electronics, floral products, home and hardware goods and eye wear.” The report goes on to state, “There are also many vacant storefronts in the downtown area that will be even harder to fill in the absence of retail property uses and related demand from retail uses.”

By approving Bennington's growth center in spite of these flaws, the expanded Downtown Development Board has once again allowed the establishment of a growth center that will most likely result in “a scattered or low-density pattern of development at the conclusion of the 20 year planning period” -- which is exactly what the program is intended to avoid. The risk is that development patterns within those growth centers will be characterized by scattered, automobile-dependent sprawl rather than smart growth, as is called for in the statute. We hope the Board will reconsider its stance when reviewing future applications.

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

Smart Growth in Action: Harvest Celebrations

Vermont is one of the most spectacular places in the world come autumn, and people across the state gather to celebrate Vermont's beauty and agricultural heritage on farms and orchards and at farmers markets.

This season, take the opportunity to participate in one or more of the numerous harvest celebrations taking place throughout Vermont. For instance, Brandon's Harvestfest is coming up Saturday, October 4, and will feature hayrides, pumpkins, a bazaar and an apple pie festival.

The Dummerston Apple Pie Festival is also a popular destination during the fall. For over 40 years, upwards of 1,500 apple pies are made for this event, so you're sure to find the perfect one.

Vermont's largest apple pie event can be found in South Hero, which draws hundreds of people for cider pressing contests, a flea market, craft sale, and music. Oh, and plenty of apples!

Foliage and Art and Craft festivals can also be found throughout the state during this season, including the Stowe Fall Foliage Arts Festival, the Weston Craft Show, and the Northeast Kingdom Fall Festival.

What's more, the crunch of a juicy apple and the heft of a lantern-bound pumpkin are even more satisfying when you know you are supporting Vermont's working rural landscape. When you go to a harvest festival, you're not just having a good time -- you're demonstrating your support for the local agricultural economy as well.

One other thing to keep in mind: harvest festivals are easier on the planet when we are thoughtful about how we get to them. Consider limiting your carbon footprint by carpooling with friends, taking a bus, or biking. That apple will taste better still.

Community Spotlight: Get Your Spook On

Autumn is upon us, and with it comes crisp, cool air and the gift of brilliantly colored leaves. It is also time for getting spooky, and Vermonters do it in style. Folks across the state enthusiastically decorate store fronts and homes with pumpkins, scarecrows, witches and ghosts. Meanwhile, many of Vermont's downtowns sponsor Halloween-themed events, a strategy that increases exposure for local businesses and offers family fun all in one.

Queen City Ghostwalk, for example, offers residents and visitors a peek at the darker side of some of Burlington's buildings. Tour guide Thea Lewis blends first-hand accounts with his own research to present stories of paranoia, passion and mystery on a guided tour through buildings in Burlington's downtown. You can catch a tour every Friday and Saturday from the end of August through mid-October, and then nightly until Halloween.

Windsor also celebrates the season and makes the most of ever-earlier nightfall with the annual Moondance Festival. Street performances, a parade and children's activities offer folks of all ages the opportunity to celebrate the moon's enchantment.

If Jack-o-Lanterns are your thing, then check out Bennington. The Great Pumpkin Challenge, an event that aims to set the world record for carved and lit pumpkins in one place, is reaching high this year in hopes of beating Boston's record of 30,000 lanterns. Other events throughout Bennington's downtown will include a haunted house at the Bennington Banner headquarters, a costume ball hosted by the Bennington Arts Guild and a pumpkin pie contest.

Lastly, if you're in the mood for a real fright, check out the Haunted Forest at the Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston. This adventure takes you through a forested course with an array of frightening features.

There are plenty of events for people of all ages to take advantage of this harvest season, so get out there and get spooked!

Municipal Planning Grants Now Available to Communities

The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs is now accepting applications for 2008-09 Municipal Planning Grants (MPG). You can review the information and instructions, and apply online. The application deadline is October 31. For more information about this year's MPG application, contact Wendy Tudor at 802-828-5249 or wendy.tudor@state.vt.us.

Statewide Walking Initiative Aimed at Getting Vermont Moving

The goal of this program -- which begins October 6 -- is to help Vermonters to get in shape. Participants form teams with family members, friends, or colleagues and then compete with other teams by tracking daily physical activity online. Prizes will be awarded for the teams that have tracked the most activity.

Addison County Schools Consider Consolidation Plan

Three Addison County schools are considering a consolidation plan that would merge the Leicester, Whiting and Sudbury Country Schools.

Though some parents are opposed to the consolidation plan, others have come to the conclusion that rising heating and energy costs mean that keeping small schools open is simply not cost effective. For example, Leicester has 59 kids, Sudbury has 31 and Whiting has just 27.

Several sites for the consolidation have been proposed, but the most popular plan has been the expansion of the Sudbury Country School. Residents of the three towns affected by this plan will vote in November.

Community Land Trusts Crucial in Today's Economy

Most people know what a land trust is: a nonprofit organization that protects important places for the benefit of everyone. But what about a community land trust? Though their name is quite similar, these organizations fill a very different niche than conservation-oriented trusts.

The goal of a community land trust is to ensure that moderately priced housing is available in urban areas in perpetuity. The trusts buy up land and homes and resell only the improvements, keeping title to the land and leasing it to the homeowner for a nominal fee. This arrangement allows community land trusts to help families who otherwise would be locked out of homeownership begin to build equity -- while at the same time keeping a lid on the cost to future owners.

One of the nation's leading community land trusts is right here in Vermont. The Champlain Housing Trust was recently featured in Yes! magazine. Take a look to learn more about this innovative -- and home-grown -- model for providing everyone access to a decent home.

Free Sustainability Simulation Plug-In for Google Sketch Up

Integrated Environmental Solutions, a software development company, has recently released a free plug-in that is compatible with Google's free Sketch Up and Sketch Up Pro software. The plug-in allows users to run various iterations of preliminary design ideas for a project and assess the sustainability implications of each, from energy use to natural lighting.

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E-News October 2008

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Register Now for the Arthur Gibb Award Celebration!