WINDSOR — The Vermont Land Use Review Board is scheduled to host four public engagement sessions around the state this month to get public input on draft rules and maps that will determine what sorts of development will require Act 250 permits in critical natural resource areas.
One of the sessions will be in the Upper Valley town of Windsor on Wednesday, Oct. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. It will be held in person in the Selectboard meeting room at 29 Union Street and via Microsoft Teams. More information, including the link to the online meeting, is available at act250.vermont.gov/tier-3-rulemaking-and-report.
The meetings, which are also scheduled to take place in Morrisville, Vt., Rutland and Newport, Vt., come as the state’s Act 250 development review system is undergoing significant changes after the passage of Act 181 last year.
Under the law, the Land Use Review Board is responsible for creating a new tiered framework of jurisdiction. Act 250 jurisdiction is shrinking in downtown and village centers, or Tier 1; but it is expanding in locations where critical natural resources are located, or Tier 3.
The goal of the public sessions is to get input before the board finalizes the Tier 3 rules. Proposed rules and a formal public hearing are planned for May 2026. Act 250 jurisdiction in Tier 3 areas, pursuant to the adopted rules, are to begin on Dec. 31, 2026.
Questions and comments can be submitted via email to: act250.rulemaking@vermont.gov.