Norwich
Planning Commission Chairman Jeff Goodrich said the panel was aiming for November to send a final Town Plan to the Selectboard, which then may vote on whether to approve it.
“We don’t want to send them something that’s not a completed document,” he said after the meeting.
Town plans are periodically updated documents that reflect a community’s vision for future land use and development. They may inform proceedings under Act 250, the Vermont law governing large-scale developments, as well as the creation or modification of zoning ordinances in town.
Norwich’s latest Town Plan was adopted in 2011 and expired in December, spurring the Planning Commission to work quickly to replace it in order to maintain eligibility for certain state-designated grants.
Residents concerned about what they consider over-development in town have followed the Town Plan revision process, asking for changes to reflect their desire for limited growth.
The town’s planners this summer and fall appeared to be responding to those concerns, removing several mentions in the draft Town Plan of the Route 5 South and River Road travel corridor as a possible area for mixed-use growth.
The Planning Commission this spring also shelved a potential zoning change to encourage high-density growth including affordable housing in the same area.
All the same, the concerned residents have hinted that they may call a townwide vote on the plan.
By state law, residents may initiate a popular vote by petition after the Selectboard votes to enact the plan.
The rush to complete the Town Plan was evident at Thursday night’s meeting, where Planning Commission members floated several possible routes to approve a plan the same night and make further revisions without holding another meeting, or even after the plan was in the Selectboard’s hands.
The remaining work includes updates to tables with vital statistics about the town, as well as a limited review by the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission.
A more complete “formal review” by the regional planning commission typically takes place once a plan is in place, according to Goodrich.
Planning Commission members on Thursday, including Goodrich, appeared split over whether to wait longer — they have pushed back adoption of a plan at least once already — or move ahead.
“I get an email weekly from (Two Rivers Executive Director) Peter Gregory about where this plan stands,” Goodrich said during the meeting. “They want this thing to move forward.”
The commission eventually settled on asking member Jeff Lubell to work with a consultant to shore up the data for Nov. 9’s scheduled meeting, or perhaps for a meeting the week afterward.
Rob Wolfe can be reached at rwolfe@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.