TOWN OF ARLINGTON
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Minutes of Meeting – Thursday September 26, 2019
Members Present–Chairman John Williams, Chris Heins, Elliott Nachwalter, Michael Murno and Bill Henry (Land Use Administrator)
Others Present: Catherine Bryars, BCRC and Taylor Kimbrell, Apex Solar Power.
- PROCEEDINGS:
- The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by John Williams.
- The meeting minutes of August 22, 2019 were approved and accepted.
- Taylor Kimbrell gave a presentation for the two Electrical Vehicle Charging stations planned for the Mack Molding parking lot. Site plans was distributed for review that showed the proposed main panel and two charging stations. Each charging station will be able to supply power to two vehicles, thus four cars can be charged at the same time. They will be level 2 chargers that provide 24 miles of travel for each hour of charge. A supercharger, by comparison, is able to provide up to 200 miles of travel per hour of charge but would cost significantly more. Taylor stated that a grant was provided by Volkswagen to subsidize their construction. The station will be mainly for employees, but the general public will be able to use them at a cost when they are available.
The site plans contained all the necessary information for approval and after some discussion, Chris Heins made a motion to approve, seconded by Elliott Nachwalter. Motion passed.
It was also agreed to consider adding EV Chargers to a later revision of the Bylaws. A motion to add them was made by Chris Heins, seconded by Elliott Nachwalter. Motion passed
- Regarding the Energy Plan as a separate document vs an all-inclusive section of the Town Plan, Catherine Bryars recommended an all-inclusive plan put directly into the Town Plan. It should be consistent and fully integrated and formatted within the plan.
Catherine cited Act 171 regarding new data layers that need to incorporated into the Town Plan (Ref. p 44 of previous plan needs updating). The new layers can be found on the State web site. The Energy portion should include a section on Electrical Vehicles (EV). Catherine will review the plan and make pertinent changes in red. The aim is to have the changes ready for our October 24 meeting when we hope to approve the revised town plan and submit it for review by BCRC, state and adjoining towns. We scheduled the Nov/Dec Planning Commission meeting for Dec. 5, 2019 to allow 30 days for the review process.
- Regarding MPG’s, Municipal Planning Grants, BCRC has an alternate plan that is region wide. The plan covers housing regulations in downtown areas, and housing issues and opportunities. BCRC will come up with a plan by April 2020.
- Bill Henry had some concerns regarding state changes that affect the Bylaws. These changes are not communicated well to the municipalities. As a result, Bylaw revisions seem to come up constantly to reflect the changes. An example being the difference between a waiver and a variance. Quite a few variances have been issued over the past year. Bill stated that setbacks very often come up for variance. Catherine indicated that setbacks are regulations that hinder housing development and may be outdated and need to be revised. Discussions included preparation of a revision scope of services and estimate of hours to make the necessary changes.
- The Town Plan will be revised again in 2021, when analyses of the 2020 census data become available.
- Regarding the Bylaw submitted to the Select Board for approval, John Williams spoke to Keith about it but it’s not presently on the agenda.
- The following Land Use Administrators report for September was presented by Bill Henry.
September Monthly Report:
The following zoning permits were issued:
#3199 – Nicolas Brunina, 48 Jasper Lane in the Village District, above- ground swimming pool, setbacks approved by ZBA.
#3200 – Richard and Jane Coulter, 203 Mountain View Drive, Rural District, house addition.
#3201 – Dennis and Darlene Green, 6256 VT Rte. 313W, Rural District, new shed.
#3202 – Sheree-Vaughn Tucker,3659 River Road, Rural District, new deck and stairs.
#3203 – Louis Parrott and MaryAnn Steinel, 3123 River Road, new deck.
Zoning permits pending:
#3204 –
Nicholas Grimes, 3048 VT Rte. 313W, Rural District, new shed, referred to ZBA
for variance on setbacks.
Zoning compliance letters issued for the following properties:
5277 VT Rte. 313 West, Rural District
1190 East Arlington Road, Village-Residential District
River Road lot, Rural District
2968 VT Rte. 7A South, Commercial-Residential-Rural District
1678 Old West Road, Rural District
Other activities:
– Auction sale of McDermott property, 333 East Arlington Road, on September 20, 2019.
– Parked truck trailer used for storage, successfully removed from 1398 Old West Road.
– New wood boiler successfully installed at 137 Raspberry Hill Road to
address a smoke issue.
End of Land Use Administrator’s Monthly Report.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 24, 2019 at 7:00 pm.
Respectfully Submitted by: Michael Murno