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New Zoning Proposed
Seven years of discussions about what to do with the land around the Exit 4 interchange have finally resulted in a zoning proposal that will go before the public next Tuesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Old Dorm Lounge at Vermont Technical College. The Randolph Planning Commission voted May 10 to approve a complicated ordinance that protects viewsheds and prohibits stand-alone retail stores, but allows substantial acreage to be used for such things as residential, offices, outdoor recreation, light manufacturing, homes, restaurants, and residential community developments. (See the Planning Commission's official explanation of the proposal, with map, elsewhere in The Herald.) Under the proposal, any property owner hoping to develop land around Exit 4, even if the use is permitted, would face a large number of conditions, including design review from a new municipal Design Review Board. The developer would also have to submit a master plan for the entire property and would have to agree that any open space NOT being used for development would be conserved. This could be done either by consigning the development rights to a land trust, or by giving responsibility to the Randolph Conservation Commission. In the latter case, the open space could never be further developed without a vote of the town. The Planning Commission vote to approve the ordinance was 6-3. Commission Chair Scott Berkey opposed it, as did Kenneth Preston and new member Charles Russell. Voting in favor were Alan Heath, Hugo Liepmann, Julie Iffland, Sherri Strickland, Ed Lincoln and Jenny Carter. The three who voted against the ordinance were generally of the opinion that it was too restrictive. In particular, Berkey said, he disagreed with the added requirements for land conservation, which was the main discussion over the last several meetings. After next Tuesday's hearing, the Planning Commission may revise the proposal once again, based on what it hears. If it makes "substantial" revisions, it will hold another hearing, Berkey pledged. After that, the zoning ordinance will go before the selectboard, which must hold a hearing before voting to approve it or reject it. The ordinance would not go to the entire town for a vote except by petition after the selectboard makes its decision, according to Zoning Administrator Mardee Sanchez. Compromises The proposed ordinance reflects many compromises by members of three different municipal study groups. Starting about seven years ago, James Kennedy chaired an Exit 4 Committee, and then a second one. Both committees represented a wide variety of viewpoints, but Kennedy was able to forge basic agreement on the approach. He forwarded a recommendation to the Planning Commission, which deliberated for two and a half more years to come up with the actual ordinance. Kennedy said this week that from what he understands, "the principles are still there" as developed by his original study committees. These principles put a great deal of importance, accordng to Kennedy, Sanchez, and others, on the terrific views that can be obtained at the interchange area. "The purpose is to protect the natural features, the scenic view," Sanchez said this week. "People want to maintain a fair amount of open space, they want it to look a certain way." At the same time, a majority on the various committees agreed that property close to the Interstate has great potential that could help the town's economic prosperity, create new jobs, and boost the tax base. A manufacturing plant in the Village area, Berkey pointed out, would put hundreds of trucks and cars on town and village streets, while the same manufacturer at Exit 4 would have much less impact. The result of the various opinions was a compromise in which several strategies were used to protect the landscape, even while allowing development: Strategies + Certain very high-visibility areas, such as the "driving range" parcel on the southwest quadrant, would not be developed at all, while other areas were identified as preferred for development. The latter are primarily clustered north and south of Route 66 but hundreds of yards from it, and relatively out-of-view from either Route 66 or the Interstate. + The attention to aesthetics was carried over to the proposed establishment of Randolph's first design control district. Some 22 criteria have been developed both for site planning and for building design. (That compares to just four criteria currently, Sanchez pointed out.) A board of five persons would be created to give out permits- or not. + An "overlay" system was put on the map that will direct development (even within permitted areas) to areas that are considered most desireable, from the town's point of view. Property owners who build totally within those preferred areas will be able to develop 20% of the land with buildings or 35% including parking and roads, as is permitted in the current ordinance. Developers who build outside the preferred areas will be restricted to 8% building coverage and 15% lot coverage. + Finally came the requirement for conservation of open land, which proved the most controversial. The desire was to create protections so strong that they could not be undone by the passage, at some later date, of a new zoning amendment, Sanchez explained. Thus, a vote of the entire town would be required for an owner to develop more land than was originally planned. Few Owners A large part of the property that will be part of the new Interchange District is owned by just a few landowners. ClearSource owns a good deal of the northeast quadrant, and has been particulary concerned with restrictions on builidng a warehouse it plans east of its plant. Three large parcels, located on both sides of Route 66, are owned by Jesse "Sam" Sammis of the Green Mountain Stock Farm. | |||||
