All tagged Planning commission

Richmond Town Planner to Take Over UVM’s Transportation Internship Course

Richmond Town Planner to Take Over UVM’s Transportation Internship Course

Anthony LaSalle
Community, environment

The University of Vermont offers students the opportunity to participate in a mentored internship through one of their several Communities of Practice. Students that enroll in these programs build not just their resume, but their practical skills that they will use in a work setting after graduation. Once a student enrolls in one of the internships, they are paired up with an organization that they are interested in working with. As the name suggests, these internships are community-oriented, and all of the programs are focused on supporting local and state-wide organizations. The topics covered by the Communities of Practice include media, transportation, planning, legislation, sustainability, and public health.

The Energy & Transportation Planning Community of Practice will be led by a new faculty mentor starting in the Fall of 2022. Ravi Venkataraman will be stepping in for the current faculty mentor, Faith Ingulsrud. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ravi about his new upcoming role.

Taft Corners zoning rewrite slowed by developer opposition

Taft Corners zoning rewrite slowed by developer opposition

Karson Petty
Community, planning & design

A disagreement over whether a pre-planned development project in Taft Corners should have to conform to a new set of zoning rules came to light during last week’s meeting of the Williston Planning Commission.

The debate was sparked by developer Chris Snyder’s housing proposal for the Essex Alliance Church property along Route 2A, which has already received preliminary approval from the Development Review Board.

Developer opposition grows to Taft Corners zoning changes

Developer opposition grows to Taft Corners zoning changes

Karson Petty
planning & design, Community

Developers pushed back on proposed rule changes to turn Taft Corners into a walkable downtown area at the latest Williston Planning Commission meeting.

The Feb. 15 meeting was the second one held by the planning commission where Williston residents and developers could weigh in on changes to a working draft of new zoning rules. The rules are called form-based code, which was formally introduced in a Feb. 1 planning commission meeting, but has been in discussion for about a year.

Developers push back on proposed Taft Corners zoning rules

Developers push back on proposed Taft Corners zoning rules

Karson Petty
Community, infrastructure, planning & design

Proposed rule changes that aim to make Taft Corners more walkable and people-friendly were met with pushback by local developers at a Williston Planning Commission meeting held on Feb. 1.

The new rules, known as form-based code, do away with the notion of residential and commercial districts. The rules would put more priority on the town’s goal of creating more pedestrian-focused developments that are pleasing to the eye.