Welcome to the Community Planning Toolbox

Each night at select board and planning commission meetings throughout Vermont, volunteers are making decisions about the future of their community. They are facing difficult decisions on a variety of issues related to such topics as housing, agriculture, economic development and the health of the environment. These volunteers care about the future of their community and state, but often do not have the time, resources or background to research the many options available to address the challenges they face.

The Community Planning Toolbox is an educational guide and reference source for communities who want to translate smart growth principles into action. Whether you are a newcomer to land use planning, a seasoned practitioner, a community-decision maker, a state official or an active citizen interested in land use planning, this Toolbox is for you.

We have designed the Toolbox to be a dynamic resource with new tools and case studies added on a regular basis.  Check back often for new information!  If you are looking for a particular tool that is not currently on our site, or have an example of a smart growth tool successfully used in your community, please contact us.  We also welcome your feedback and ideas so that we can better meet your needs and ensure that the information in the Toolbox is accessible and easy to use.

The Community Planning Toolbox introduces users to the issues, techniques and resources for smart growth planning.  It features case studies and sample tools that demonstrate how other communities have addressed similar challenges to those facing your community.  The Toolbox is organized into five main sections:      

• Land Use Planning in Vermont - provides the background and framework for planning in the state;      
• Legal Issues in Planning – touches on key legal issues associated with land use regulation;      
  
• Issues – summarizes common issues such as preserving farmland or providing housing for residents. These summaries are designed as a general overview to provide a starting point for community discussions.  Additional resources are provided for those who would like to delve more deeply into an issue.       
• Tools -  outlines a particular policy, plan, bylaw or technique that can be used to address a particular issue in your community.  The summary of each tool describes how it can be used and where to find additional resources.  For general information on a variety of smart growth and planning topics, please go to the Resources section of the Smart Growth Vermont web site.       
• Case Studies – demonstrates how a community has implemented a particular smart growth tool. The Toolbox includes a range of samples from around the state, including rural, suburban and more urban examples.

Related issues, tools and case studies are linked.  For example, if your community is interested in ensuring farms remain productive (the issue), you may consider an overlay district (the tool) and look to Warren (the case study) to download their bylaw to see how one community has implemented an overlay district.

The Community Planning Toolbox was prepared by the staff of Smart Growth Vermont.  We thank the project partners, municipal officials, organizations, private developers, consultants and dedicated citizens who contributed to the Toolbox.  We are especially grateful to foundations who have supported the Toolbox’s development and implementation: the Argosy Foundation, Chittenden Bank, the Lintilhac Foundation, the Maverick Lloyd Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation and the Windham Foundation.