The Planning Framework in Vermont
Introduction
Why should communities plan for their future? For the same reason that individuals, families, small businesses and large corporations do – looking ahead and anticipating change makes sense. Whether we care to admit it, change is occurring in Vermont, and that change is coming faster and with greater implications for Vermont’s communities. Through a thoughtful planning process, Vermonters can protect their communities’ interests, maintain a measure of local control, better manage public investment, and hold onto those qualities that make each community unique.
Vermont’s system of local control over most land use decisions, coupled with our small, accessible volunteer governments, present both an opportunity and a challenge. There is an opportunity for communities to come together around a shared vision for the future, and to put the tools in place to achieve that vision. The challenge is to understand that change is here, it is complex, and that doing nothing – or doing too little – can be have a profound impact on the character and well being of our communities.
Local Planning: Roles and Responsibilities
In Vermont, the responsibility for local planning rests with municipalities. Those responsibilities are shared by elected officials, such as Selectboards and City Councils, and appointed boards including the Planning Commission. Elected boards, which serve as the legislative body for the community, have the authority to adopt plans, land use regulations, capital improvement programs and other planning tools. In some instances, the authority to enact planning tools, or to overturn decisions of the elected officials, is in the hands of local voters.
Planning Commissions are appointed by the Selectboard or City Council and are responsible for preparing draft plans and regulations. Planning Commissions are required to seek input from citizens and landowners before recommending plans and regulations to the elected board. In communities with successful planning programs, the Commission will go well beyond the minimal amount of public outreach required by law to involve the community in planning for its future.
Planning Commissions also share responsibility for the administration of land use regulations with the Zoning Board of Adjustment, unless a municipality has chosen to appoint a Development Review Board. In that case, the Development Review Board is responsible for all aspects of administering regulations, while the Planning Commission focuses exclusively on planning for the community’s future.
State Enabling Legislation
For additional information concerning the legal framework for planning in Vermont, see the section, Legal Issues in Planning. And, available soon, an interactive guide for citizen planners to learn how to be involved in their planning and regulatory process.
