· land use planning · economic development · community wellness · transportation planning · conservation and recreation · historic preservation · fiscal planning

Planning can address just about any issue of local concern. The planning commission is the primary body responsible for planning for the community, usually concentrating on writing the municipal plan. The planning commission or other groups may also prepare plans on specific topics, for instance, a recreation board may develop a plan for a local trails network. Community planning can be divided into two steps:

1. Planning where the visions and goals of the community are discussed and established and a means of achieving the goals are determined. Typically this is done in conjunction with the adoption or amendment of a municipal plan but doesn't need to be. The development of a specific plan such as a recreation plan or open space plan would follow the same process.

2. Implementation where the goals from the planning stage are brought to reality through projects or regulations. As you will see, there are both regulatory options and non-regulatory choices for implementing your municipal plans.

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Planning

Planning may involve the development of an entire municipal plan or a plan to address a specific community goal or interest, such as an open space plan. Planning Commissions must address ten required elements when developing a municipal plan, but other issues or topics of special interest to the municipality may also be included in the plan. As a process, planning involves a series of steps:

· Defining a vision for the community
· The collection and analysis of information
· The establishment of goals and objectives
· The selection of an appropriate implementation program
· Adoption of the plan

For general information on the process of planning, including how to adopt a municipal plan, start with the Town Plan Guide. This website covers the ten required elements of a town plan, provides sample language, discusses the supporting statutes, and other useful resources including the Planning Manual for Vermont Municipalities. The Manual covers all information you will need to get started drafting a municipal plan and is available on-line or you can order a copy from the State of Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Check VPIC's Resources by Topic page for more resources and contact information.

Regulatory approaches include such actions as adopting zoning bylaws, subdivision regulations, impact fees, curb cut permits, health ordinances, noise ordinances and junkyard ordinances.

Non-regulatory approaches can include public facility projects (fixing a bad intersection ), purchase of development rights to conserve land, or adopting a capital budget to direct local funding and plan ahead for public improvements.

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Regulatory Tools

The idea of using regulations to achieve a community's goals has sparked many colorful debates over the years and there is no reason to believe this will change. If regulatory approaches are chosen, they should be appropriate to the level of development anticipated in the community.

Zoning and subdivision bylaws, the most commonly used land use regulations, are normally written by the planning commission and adopted by voters or by selectboards, depending on the community. The process is strictly governed by state statute in 24 V.S.A. Chapter 117, Section 4401 - 4496. Before reading Chapter 117, please make note of Changes made to the law in 2004.

A number of related regulatory tools can be initiated and adopted by the select board (trustees or city council) to implement community planning goals. These include:

· Driveway permits or access/ curb cut permits
· Noise Ordinance
· Health Ordinance
· Public Works Standards (for roads and wastewater systems)

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Non-Regulatory Tools

The value of non-regulatory implementation of planning goals has become more appreciated over the past few years. Non-regulatory tools focus on what the community can do to mobilize funding and community efforts to achieve its goals.

Many communities have come up with creative, non-regulatory solutions to problems. To get you thinking about some options, here are some possibilities grouped into broad planning categories:

Fiscal policies

Capital budgets - making strategic decisions about where and how to spend public funds that will support long-term community goals.

Historic Preservation

· Creation of a historical society or Certified Local Government (CLG) or nomination of historic districts to increase interest in historic preservation and attract funding for projects.

· Renovating and revitalizing historic structures.

Downtowns

· Downtown, growth center, and village designation - identifying community centers working with public and private partners to encourage investment and stimulate positive activity.

Natural resource conservation

· Land conservation, including purchase of development rights and coordinating purchase of land to preserve land that has a clear value to the community.

Transportation

Projects that meet specific community objectives such as adding bike lanes, building sidewalks and crosswalks, realignment of dangerous intersections, 'throwing up' certain roads, or downgrading some class 4 roads to trails.

Utilities and Facilities

· Infrastructure policies such as sewer or water service areas and line extensions.

· Construction of new water or wastewater facilities or upgrading facilities to achieve specific community goals.

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