WRC Newsletter: Summer 2022

A scoping study for new sidewalks and crosswalk improvements along Route 30 in Newfane Village is underway. Newfane was awarded a VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian program grant in 2021. The scoping study is a collaboration between the Town of Newfane, the Windham Regional Commission and Dubois & King, a Brandon, Vermont-based engineering firm.

The study will examine areas for improvement in the Village sidewalk network along VT 30, including but not limited to extension of the sidewalk to the north and south, improvements in the grade of the sidewalk compared to the roadway, issues surrounding winter maintenance, as well as determine the best place within the village for new crosswalks. At the conclusion of the study, Dubois & King will create a detailed engineering plan for crosswalks and sidewalk improvements in Newfane Village which can then be used to apply for a construction grant from VTrans.

Input from Newfane residents on the current condition of the sidewalks along VT 30 and areas for improvement is an important part of the scoping study process. A community meeting will be held September 8th at 6pm in person at Newfane Town Hall with a remote participation option through Zoom. More info on the scoping study, as well as a Zoom link for the community meeting can be found here.

WRC STAFF

Chris Campany

Executive Director

Ext. 106

John Bennett

Associate Director

Ext. 110

Ashley Collins

Office Manager

Ext. 107

Inessa Muse

Finance Manager

Ext. 103

Matt Bachler

Senior Planner

Ext. 112

Colin Bratton

Regional Transportation Planner

Ext. 109

Lisa Donnelly

Transportation Planning Tech

Ext. 114

Margo Ghia

Planner

Ext. 116

Jeff Nugent

Senior Planner

Ext. 111

Alyssa Sabetto

Senior Planner

Ext. 113

Susan Westa

Senior Planner

Ext. 108

John Bennett to Retire After More than 20 Years of Service to Region

Associate Director John Bennett will be retiring on September 30^th after more than 20 years of service to the region. John first started working for the WRC in 1996 as a Special Projects Planner. His responsibilities then included managing the update of the Windham Regional Plan, developing a Strategic Plan for the Economy of the Windham Region, conducting regional Act 250 review for Mount Snow development projects, and aiding region towns with land use planning and regulation and assorted other general issues.

After the special project funding ran its course, he worked for the City of Northampton, MA for two years, returning to the WRC in 2000. His initial primary responsibility was to serve as the Municipal Project Manager for the towns of Grafton and Rockingham overseeing full-depth reconstruction of three miles of Route 121 from Saxtons River to Cambridgeport. That included working with VTrans and more than 60 landowners to acquire the necessary rights of way, and with numerous state agencies to secure Act 250 and other permits and permissions for wetlands, stream alterations, and historic preservation.

Within a few years he assumed the role of lead staff person for natural resources planning and regional project review and provided staff support for the two related committees. He then became the Commission’s lead on municipal planning, land use regulation, and other general assistance. This involved helping towns with updating town plans and zoning, applying for and renewing Village Center designations, and applying for a variety of planning and natural resource related grants. He staffed the Planning Coordination Committee, including managing the WRC’s town plan review and approval process, and developing and implementing land use planning and regulation training programs for town boards and staff. John was promoted to Associate Director in December, 2018.

His institutional knowledge and seemingly encyclopedic and photographic memory will be missed! But he may assist with some projects in the months following his retirement. This is a major transition for the Commission and the towns we serve. If you have a need, contact Executive Director Chris Campany.

Many thanks to John for his decades of service to the Commission and the 27 towns of the Windham Region! We wish him a well-deserved retirement.

Protecting Outstanding Resource Waters

Vermont’s waterways are a significant resource in all of our communities. They provide sites for recreation, have tremendous scenic values, can be culturally significant, and are biodiverse, natural habitats teaming with life. While all waterways are significant, there are some sites that are so uniquely special that they deserve a special designation and protection considerations into the future.

In 1987, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 67, “An Act relating to establishing a Comprehensive state rivers policy.” A part of Act 67 provides protection to rivers and streams that have “exceptional natural, cultural, recreational or scenic values” through the designation of Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW).

In the Windham Region there is one classified ORW. This site is Pike’s Falls/Ball Mountain in the Town of Jamaica. This approximately 4000 feet along the North Branch was designated for its exceptional natural, recreational and scenic values. For Pike’s Falls, its ORW designation may protect this natural resource in the future through the permits for stream alterations process, dams, wastewater discharges, aquatic nuisance controls, solid waste disposal, Act 250 projects and other activities.

Throughout the Windham Region there are many water resources that display outstanding qualities that deserve a higher level of protection. It is likely your community knows those unique sites near you, but there is also a listing of potential ORW sites in the Agency of Natural Resources Tactical Basin Plans.

If your community is interested in learning about the ORW process and what it might entail for some exceptional water resources in your community, you can contact Margo Ghia, Natural Resources Planner, at mghia@windhamregional.org or 802-254-4547 ext. 116.

Vermont’s New Municipal Fuel-Switching Bill

In the recent Vermont legislative session, both the House and Senate passed bill H.518, often referred to as the Municipal Fuel-Switching Program. Some municipalities have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of the funding guidelines associated with this bill to help weatherize and/or convert municipal buildings to renewable energy sources.

The Vermont Department of Building and General Services (BGS) is currently working on the program design and implementation. This process will take some time and WRC does not know when the programmatic guidelines will be ready to share with municipalities. The regional planning commissions will have a role in assisting municipalities with this program once it is launched, but at this time we don’t know the specifics of what that will involve. As soon as we know more about the program and what is involved, we will be doing outreach to the municipalities in our region.

In the meantime, please continue to use the many great resources available to municipalities, municipal energy committees and energy coordinators collected by VECAN, the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network.

Grants in Aid Program Continues to Benefit Towns, and Their Roads

Just about every town road crew in the Windham Region (or their contractors) are busy this summer working on road drainage projects funded through the Vermont Agency of Transportation. Stone or grass ditching and new, larger culverts are just some of the practices being put in place. The ultimate goal is to improve water quality under the direction of Vermont’s Municipal Roads General Permit (MRGP), but many towns acknowledge these practices are also making their roads more resilient. With these improvements to their drainage systems, roads are washing out less often during intense rainstorms.

This is the fifth year Grants in Aid funding has been available to Windham Region towns; many towns have participated every year. Originally under the direction of the Agency of Natural Resources, and with technical, on-the-ground support from Regional Planning Commissions (including WRC), the next round of the Grants in Aid funding is moving fully to VTrans. All eligible towns in the Region will be participating in year six of the program, so you can expect to see similar work happening on our town’s roads in 2023.

Upcoming Public Input Opportunities for the Regional Plan Update

The WRC initiated an update to the Regional Plan earlier this spring with the goal of adopting a new plan by spring 2024. During the summer months, WRC staff has been compiling data on existing demographic and economic conditions and looking at the trends and changes impacting the region since the plan was last updated in 2014.

Beginning in October, the WRC will be hosting a variety of different in-person and virtual events to solicit feedback from the public on the Regional Plan update. Events will include presentations on the general role of the WRC and the Regional Plan in the community, as well as more specific meetings organized around topic areas in the plan, including land use and housing, the regional economy, natural resources, and transportation. The WRC will also be creating a project website that will include a community survey to gather additional feedback from the public.

We encourage you to check our website in the weeks ahead for more information on upcoming public events and to find out how you can get involved in the process. Please contact Matt Bachler at mbachler@windhamregional.org or 802-257-4547, ext. 112 if you have any questions about the Regional Plan update.

WRC Collaborates on New Health Equity

Grant Project

The WRC is collaborating with the other 10 regional planning commissions and the Vermont Department of Health on a new project that focuses on health equity in municipal planning. Health equity means that all community members have a fair opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Many public health disparities are rooted in inequities in the built environment and towns can play a role in addressing these issues. Examples could include a lack of sidewalks for pedestrians or limited healthy food options. Through this project we will be designing a Health Equity Toolkit, increasing knowledge and awareness of health equity though training opportunities, and working with towns on implementation projects to improve long-term health outcomes for residents.

The Health Equity Toolkit will be used by planners and municipal staff to include health and equity language and policies in town plans and municipal bylaws and other regulations. The toolkit will also assist municipalities in engaging with local partners to improve community-based resources for physical activity and healthy food access. The Windham Regional Commission will be providing a health equity training later in the year to introduce towns to the toolkit and help them begin to plan for implementation projects. In spring 2023, WRC will be working communities on specific implementation projects based on strategies from the toolkit.

WRC Has New Bicycle/Pedestrian

Counting Device

Sitting high above a stop sign at a Newfane intersection, WRC's new video recorder is set up to count bicycle and pedestrian traffic. This camera-type counter allows us to count bicyclists and pedestrians where our other counters that rely on tubes (that are run over) or sensors won’t work. In situations where cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians are in close proximity to one another, our tube and sensor counters pick up everything indiscriminately and thus don’t allow us to achieve an accurate count. The camera data allows us to quickly scroll through and count how many people or bicyclists use a stretch of road or, in the case of Newfane Village, how many people cross at this intersection. This count is necessary to determine if a crosswalk is warranted per VTrans regulations. The alternative approach requires staff or a team of volunteers to count by hand, sitting nearby with a clicker and clipboard, which can mean interaction with traffic and inclement weather. At a relatively low resolution of 640 x 480, the camera captures clear enough video to collect accurate counts (we know that a person is crossing the street) without providing so much detail as to know who that person might be. This new tool will enable us to answer questions for towns as they deliberate questions like the need for sidewalks or paths, changes to striping along town roads to better accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists, justification for crosswalks, and even information about foot traffic volume for downtown development organizations.

From The Director

Keeping Vermonters in Vermont

We are in a situation whereby housing supply is far outstripped by demand. Being a small state, it doesn’t take many people moving in from out of state who can afford the housing that is available to make housing supply and affordability even more challenging for those already here. The result is serious. Those who cannot find housing appropriate during different life stages – be it young people moving out of the family home for the first time, couples having children, empty nesters downsizing, loss of a spouse by death or divorce, seniors and others seeking housing to fit their independent living abilities – will find themselves having to consider leaving the state if they have the means to do so because they cannot find the housing they need. For others it could mean making do with less than optimal housing situations, or even homelessness.

This is not to at all disparage out of state buyers and those moving into the state. It’s demand and supply at work, and it is a situation that really shouldn’t be surprising. Lack of housing has been part of policy discussions for years. Most town plans speak to it to some degree. The difference is the reality of the shortage that has been decades in the making is now becoming very real and very apparent to pretty much everyone.

For decades we have not invested in the infrastructure necessary to make affordable housing at scale possible. Affordable housing means housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of their gross income for housing costs, be that an individual or a family. “At scale” means the ability to build enough units at one time to harness economies of scale that minimize per housing unit costs. The housing solution does not lie with custom built houses on large lots along town roads. These homes are well beyond the reach of most Vermonters today and in the future. We need quality multi-family housing and clustered small homes to create housing at scale, and it is nearly impossible to build affordable housing at scale in the absence of community wastewater and drinking water systems. To be sure, for towns with zoning, making sure that zoning does not create unwise and unnecessary roadblocks to building housing, especially multi-family housing and accessory dwelling units, can help. But the underlying infrastructure is fundamental.

Everyone in Vermont has a stake in making affordable housing possible. This means focusing on the capacity of our downtowns and villages to host this housing. This is done through infill development, taking advantage of vacant or underutilized space as appropriate, and exploring opportunities to expand these places on their edges or within walking distance nearby. When we talk about the need for rural housing (recognizing that rural in Vermont is more nuanced than in many other states), we are really talking about harnessing the power of our villages. As a state we are incredibly fortunate to have so many of our villages and downtowns intact. Other states are having to recreate what they lost. We have the ability to build upon what we have. We are also fortunate that many of the existing homes and other buildings in our villages are quite large. Why? Because when it comes to the built context – the appearance and form of our historic villages – building multi-family buildings can fit easily into that context. They can be designed so as not to appear out of place.

We, the WRC, needs to tell the story of what is and is not possible given the region’s current wastewater and water capacity. To this end we hope to be able to fund a study to characterize the wastewater and water capacity in our region’s towns to determine the existing and needed capacity to retain, expand, and development homes, businesses, and community services, and to assess the potential for public and environmental health risk exposure due to the absence of community wastewater and drinking water systems. This foundational information is critical for development of municipal and regional action plans. And we want to do it because we realize most of our towns do not have the operational capacity to develop such characterization and action plans on their own.

Of course, even in the absence of this capacity study we know what needs to be done, and it hinges upon action at the town level, with the potential for collaboration among towns. In order for Vermont to retain Vermonters at all stages of life today and into the future, towns must find the political will to take on the community wastewater and water questions. The policy imperative for towns is not if, but how. And we need a state policy rubric that is not fragmented into housing, public health, water quality, land use planning, conservation, and economic development policy areas. We need a comprehensive compact settlement (villages, downtowns) policy and strategy. Because all Vermonters have a stake in this work, it will need to be reflected in budgets at all levels. Budgets are the ultimate policy statement, and unless and until community wastewater and water are reflected in budgets, the ability to house our family, friends, and neighbors, and not force them to leave, will remain our premiere challenge in the years and decades to come.

Windham Regional Commission

Address: 139 Main Street, Suite 505

Brattleboro, VT 05301

Phone: (802) 257-4547

Fax: (802) 254-6383

Website: www.windhamregional.org

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