​Planning Commission meeting

By Martha Taylor-Varney, Zoning Administrator
The April 2 meeting of the South Hero Planning Commission of South Hero will discuss the impact of Act 181 on South Hero’s zoning. This meeting is at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall. Community participation is encouraged. There will be a zoom option as well.
Act 181 – “An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use” is a new framework for regional planning which seeks to encourage housing development. This Act, passed in 2024, has made state-wide changes to local zoning regulations. The most significant change – an exemption from Act 250 review -- applies to the two village centers of South, Hero and Keeler Bay, as well as a ¼ mile buffer around them, and this exemption is temporary. An additional exemption, also temporary, would allow up to 50 housing units to be built in a parcel of 10 acres or less without the expense, delay and possible denial associated with an Act 250 review.   
Northwest Regional Planning Commission is assisting planning commissions in understanding these changes and deciding whether to adopt them permanently. Towns can also redraw the village center maps to reflect local priorities. The Planning Commission is seeking community engagement for the decisions to be made by the Town of South Hero around the Act 181 changes.