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LCPC
PO Box 1637
52 Portland Street
Morrisville, VT 05661
(802) 888-4548
www.lcpcvt.org
Lamoille County Planning Commission Fall 2013
Lamoille County Earns Honors and Awards
Johnson Main Street Awarded Best Public Space Improvement!
Johnson’s Main Street project earned statewide recognition for streetscape improve-ments implemented in downtown Johnson. Each year, the Vermont Agency of Com-merce and Community Development honors achievements, people, and projects that significantly contribute to the revitalization of Vermont downtowns. Nominated by LCPC, the Johnson Main Street Project was this year’s statewide winner for “Best Public Space Improvement”. Johnson earned the award for its thoughtful approach to addressing travel needs of various groups of Main Street travelers, including motorists, pedestrians, and bicy-clists, and for the appeal the improvements bring to its downtown. The award was presented at the annual Vermont Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference.
Johnson Village Waste Water Treatment Facility Excellence Award
for Operations
The Green Mountain Water Environment Association selected the Village of Johnson for its Waste Water Facility Excellence Award. This prestigious award is one of many garnered by the Village treatment facility over the years. Congratulations to Chief Operator Tom Elwood and Assistant Operator Steve Edgerly for their quality dedicat-ed work and to the Village Trustees for their leadership. This tradition of excellence in operations means more than a plaque to hang on the wall; it represents a tangible commitment to clean water put into practice.
Marvin Award Winners
Annually, LCPC recognizes citizens for their dedication and commitment to benefit the community, and projects that benefit overall community design. Selected for its Excellence in Project Design, the Morristown Centennial Library was established in 1891. An expanded library opened in 1913 and since then the library has remained virtually unchanged. A new addition, funded by grants and an extensive capital cam-paign, opened in May 2013. The new library design allows for expanded programs, allowing the library to serve the community for years to come. Selected for Excellence in Community Service, Gordon Smith of Johnson has served as Town Selectman, Village Trustee, Firefighter, Fire Chief, Emergency Management Director, and Town Fire Warden. Honored as Fire Chief of the Year in 1989, Gordy provided strong leadership during his tenure as Fire Chief. He saw the value and im-portance of fire and safety training and made that part of the department culture. He built the Junior Firefighters to train and recruit new talent. He worked to estab-lish contracted services with Johnson, Waterville, and Belvidere, worked to improve County Mutual Aid, and created the Heavy Rescue Unit and Water Rescue Unit. His vision and dedication have contributed greatly to the vibrancy, health and well-being of his community.
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Seven Projects Win Tax Credits
2
Designations Honor Commitments to Revitalize Centers
2
Smugglers’ Notch Visitor Center Breaks Ground
3
Submit Document Electronically to State
3
Events & Announcements 3
Business Broadband Improvement Districts
4
Fall Foliage Fandango 4
Mitigation Plans Meet New Requirements
5
Flood Insurance Rates to Rise
5
Envisioning the Future of Hyde Park
6
Rt. 15 Commuter Bus 6
Planning & Zoning Statutory Changes
6
Grant Opportunities 7
LCPC Staff 8
LCPC Welcomes Transportation Planner
8
Page 2 Lamoille County Planning Commission
Seven Projects Earn Tax Credits
Six projects in Morrisville and one project in Hyde Park were awarded tax credits worth over $350,000 through the Vermont Department of Housing and Community De-velopment (DHCD). Tax credits are neither cash nor a grant; they redirect income taxes owed to help pay con-struction bills. Credits are available from both the federal and the state government and are limited to historic commercial build-ings. Tax credits support general rehabilitation, code compliance, and exterior improvements. Changes to his-toric buildings must preserve the historic character. This year, DHCD awarded $2,000,000 in tax credits to projects in 20 communities. Local projects awarded tax credits include:
111 Main Street, Hyde Park – Grant House; renovate historic building for apartment and commercial use. Project Cost: $154,643; Tax credits: $17,839.
10 Railroad Street, Morrisville – Morrisville Depot; rehabilitate building for new restaurant. Project Cost: $500,000; Tax Credits: $31,842
18 Lower Main Street, Morrisville – The original “Union Savings Bank and Trust”; façade repairs and exterior historic preservation. Project Cost: $75,000; Tax Credits: $18,750
49 Portland Street, Morrisville – Loyola Building; Re-store building façade to historic appearance, code upgrades for additional commercial space. Project Cost: $114,586; Tax Credits: $35,095
53-63 Lower Main Street, Morrisville – Former Ar-thurs Department Store; rehabilitation to create two new commercial spaces and 18 apartment units by renovating the buildings, code upgrades, and brown-fields cleanup. Project Cost: $5,375,000; Tax Credits: $233,500
64 Portland Street, Morrisville – Power Play Sports; facade repairs. Project Cost: $30,000; Tax Credits: $7,500
73 Main Street, Morrisville –Thompson Building; ex-terior rehabilitation using period appropriate materi-als and details, code improvements. Project Cost: $109,800; Tax Credits: $10,047
State Designations Honor Community
Commitment to Revitalizing Centers
The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) runs two statewide programs to recognize and encourage local efforts to revitalize Vermont’s traditional village centers and downtowns. A Designated Village Center usually contains the civic and commercial core of a village. The Downtown Designation Program preserves and revitalizes historic downtowns. A Village Center Designation is different from an incorpo-rated “village”, such as the Village of Cambridge or Village of Johnson. Areas within the Designated Village Center remain part of the municipality in which they are located. Historic commercial buildings in Designated Centers or Downtowns are eligible for both Federal and State tax credits. Many State funding programs, such as Transpor-tation Alternatives, Municipal Planning Grant, and Com-munity Development Block Grant Programs, give prefer-ence to projects located in Designated Village Centers and Downtowns. Some private entities, such as the Preservation Trust of Vermont, also give preference to projects located in designated areas. Neither the Village Center Designation nor the Downtown Designation places restrictions or obligations on private property. The programs are unrelated to zoning and not exclusive to communities with zoning. Technical assis-tance is available to communities in the Downtown Desig-nation program. Visit Lamoille County’s Designated Village Centers: Cam-bridge Village, Hyde Park Village, Jeffersonville, Johnson Village, Stowe, and Waterville. Morris-town (right) has Lamoille County’s only Downtown Designation. For more infor-mation on partici-pating in the Downtown Designation or Village Center Designation programs, contact LCPC or visit the ACCD website: http://accd.vermont.gov/strong_communities/opportunities/revitalization.
Smugglers’ Notch Visitor Center
Breaks Ground!
Two major pieces of the 20-year vision to improve visi-tor services and protect natural resources along the Smugglers’ Notch Scenic Highway are coming to frui-tion. LCPC recently contracted with Upland Construc-tion to renovate the historic Barnes Camp into a visitor center. Located at the southern gateway to Smug-glers’ Notch, Barnes Camp will soon serve as a visitor center for the Smugglers’ Notch Scenic Highway and State Park and act as a hub for educational and conservation activities occurring throughout the Notch. Upland Construction will install a new foundation and stabilize the building’s roof and frame through the winter. The Friends of Smugglers’ Notch continue to raise funds to fully re-store the building’s historic interior.
In July, the Green Mountain Club began work on the first phase of a Long Trail relocation which will reroute the Long Trail so hikers no longer have to contend with passing automobiles on the shoulder of Route 108. Work on the second phase will begin early next spring. Both projects were identified in the 1995 Smugglers’ Notch Scenic Highway Corridor Management Plan. LCPC was instrumental in drafting that plan, and has worked with local, regional, and state partners to im-plement the vision laid out in the Plan. Barnes Camp is the capstone of these efforts. For more information about the Long Trail Relocation or Barnes Camp, con-tact Seth or visit www.friendsofsmugglersnotch.org
Submit Documents Electronically to State Municipalities can submit their proposed and adopted plans and bylaws, public hearing notices, and reports to the Agency of Commerce and Community Develop-ment by email to [email protected]. Wendy will reply with an official email confirming receipt. The documents will be posted to a searchable website making them available to the public. LCPC can submit documents electronically for you upon request.
Page 3 Fall 2013
Events & Announcements
Four sessions of VT Local Roads Winter Maintenance Workshops announced! VT Local Roads’ Roads & Trees Workshop scheduled for October 22 in Stowe. Visit www.vermontlocalroads.org to register for either.
The Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) — the umbrella organization of the state’s 100+ town energy committees — seeks volunteers to help local communities motivate friends and neighbors to weatherize their homes for the first-ever statewide energy efficiency day of action. “Button Up Vermont!” takes place on October 5. Making homes and buildings more energy efficient saves money, saves energy, in-creases comfort, and is a powerful way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. Volunteers can sign up today to participate in an event prior to October 5. VECAN will connect willing volun-teers to community events around the state, so visit www.vecan.net for more details and to sign up or con-tact Keil Corey at [email protected] or 802-922-2893. The Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association will be holding its 2014 annual conference in Lamoille County! LCPC is working with the Vermont Planners Association to organize the con-ference, including tours highlighting local planning efforts. Please contact Seth at [email protected] with ideas for tours or events during the conference. Champlain Housing Trust sponsors a Manufactured Home Replacement Program intended to assist mobile or manufactured home owners replace older or disas-ter-damaged homes with newer and more energy effi-cient, resilient, and affordable homes. For more infor-mation, contact Cheryl Read at (802) 527-2361x101.
Vermont Land Link Offers Connection Portal! For many new and established farmers, finding availa-ble land is a huge challenge. Yet more and more pri-vate, public and organizational landowners want to make land available for farming. A free and user-friendly portal, www.vermontlandlink.org, makes con-nections possible. Thanks go out to Land Link's fea-tured underwriter, the Lamoille Economic Develop-ment Corporation, and to the Vermont Farmland Ac-cess Network and its supporting agencies for creating this important resource!
Page 4 Lamoille County Planning Commission
Communities Support Business
Broadband Improvement Districts
Johnson Works has introduced a free public internet zone in downtown Johnson. The free WiFi zone is pos-sible thanks to a grant from the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) and its Digital Economy program. Through the grant, VCRD pays for a five-year lease fee for equipment that will distribute WiFi signal throughout the zone. VCRD will also cover installation. Johnson Works is co-sponsoring the project by raising funds from local sponsors for the internet connection for the zone, which is approximately $1,000 annually. The WiFi zone will provide free public internet be-tween Johnson's Sterling Market and Johnson Woolen Mills. The zone will enable web browsing and email checking. It will not enable tasks that require heavy bandwidth use, such as movie downloading. The zone is expected to be operational in October. Johnson Works Community Organization is a non-profit with a mission to promote downtown Johnson and make Johnson a better place to live, conduct busi-ness and visit. Its projects include Downtown Sculpture Show, Johnson Holiday Jubilee, and Main Street beau-tification, and now the WiFi zone. Morristown introduced a free WiFi district in down-town Morrisville in 2011. The Town established an enterprise fund to pay for ongoing costs of the system. Through the fund, Morristown sells advertising on the WiFi internet portal. Fees paid by local businesses to promote their endeavors are expected to make the WiFi district revenue neutral for the Town and start to build funds toward system expansion in the future. Business Broadband Improvement District grants are available through the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA). A WiFi district gives visitors a motiva-tion to stop and explore your town . The district can be set up so that a landing page, with information about local businesses and events, is seen by everyone who uses the free zone. The VTA Application for Assistance is posted at www.telecomvt.org/rfp/138. A municipali-ty may be the applicant, or a local or regional group that has the support of a municipality may also apply. The deadline for submitting Application Response Forms is September 18, 2013.
Fandango is a series of five outdoor adventures designed to highlight the Worcester Mountain Range in Lamoille County. At the outset of each activity, participants will discuss the magic of the Worcester Range and reflect on the relationship between healthy lands and waters, strong economies, and vibrant communities. A local ex-pert will then lead the adventure into water or on land. All adventures are free and open to all. Visit www.nwf.org/Northeast/Events.aspx for more infor-mation.
Page 5 Fall 2013
Keep Mitigation Plan Current to Meet New Requirements!
Starting in 2014, local hazard mitigation plans will serve two other purposes. First, changes to Vermont’s Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund (ERAF) require an adopted mitigation plan as part of the criteria for a greater state share to match federal disaster relief. Second, Legislative changes now require municipal plans to address flood resilience. If a municipali-ty’s mitigation plan meets statutory requirements, the plan can fulfill the new requirement. Contact LCPC for more information on this requirement. Five Lamoille County towns - Cambridge, Hyde Park, Johnson, Stowe, and Wolcott - will benefit from a grant LCPC received through FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program to update local hazard mitigation plans. The funding was awarded as part of a statewide grant application with other regional planning commissions. Mitigation planning iden-tifies policies and actions that can be implemented over time to reduce risk and future losses to property and people. Mitigation plans focus on all hazards including natural disasters, chemical spills, and biological threats. Each plan will be tailored to address hazards in the community. Mitigation plans approved by FEMA are valid for five years. Lamoille County towns previously participated in a regional hazard mitigation plan with town annexes. Today, the shift is to-ward single-jurisdiction plans. Current mitigation plans are set to expire in 2015. Mitigation plans are beneficial first and foremost for community preparedness. They are a tool to identify cost effec-tive actions for risk reduction agreed upon by the public and by public officials. Mitigation plans also focus resources on the greatest risks and vulnerabilities to the community, build partnerships, increase education and awareness of hazards and risks, and bring emergency preparedness into other community objectives, such as economic develop-ment or infrastructure maintenance. Jeffersonville and Belvidere have either received or applied for funding to update their hazard mitigation plans through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, also funded by FEMA and funneled through Vermont Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. If your community is ready to update its mitigation plan, contact LCPC to discuss funding opportunities.
Flood Insurance Rates to Rise
The Biggert-Waters Act, passed by Congress in 2012, requires the National Flood Insurance Program to set actuarial rates for flood insurance. This means older structures from before the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) will no longer have a subsidy, and rates will increase for all flood policy holders. After October 1, all structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area will need an Elevation Certificate to be rated based on the situation of specific structures. New flood insurance policies on a pre-FIRM structure will immediately pay a full fare as part of the Pre-FIRM class. Current flood insurance premium rates on pre-FIRM structures will raise 20 – 25% each year until they reach actuarial rates. An additional 5% will be added to build up a reserve fund with up to a 20% basic rate change each year to cov-er an accumulated program debt. Newer Post-FIRM structures are not considered to be subsidized. The higher the lower floor is relative to the elevation of the base flood (BFE), the lower the insurance cost. Currently, 2/3rd of the structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area in Vermont do not carry flood insurance. It is thought that a third of these have already paid off their mortgage and have no lender-based requirements to carry flood insurance. In essence, they are “self-insured”. The problem for the self-insured will be at the time of sale. In very rough terms, the current cost of a new flood insurance policy on a Pre-FIRM structure in Vermont runs around
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Page 6 Lamoille County Planning Commission
Envisioning the Future of Hyde Park:
Project for Public Spaces Releases Final Report
The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has released its fi-nal report outlining findings, observations, and recom-mendations for the Village of Hyde Park. Funded through the U.S. EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program, the Village was selected to re-ceive technical assistance from the PPS, a non-profit organization that helps communities create and sus-tain great public spaces, streets, and neighborhoods. LCPC, PPS, and Hyde Park Village organized two public workshops focused on how to build on existing com-munity assets to create a more vibrant and livable vil-lage. Read the final report at www.hydeparkvt.com. At full-house workshops, residents identified the “best places” and “places with potential”. They walked Main Street and brainstormed new ideas. Major goals identified in-clude attracting more resi-dents and visi-tors to Main Street and other local destinations; making Main Street more walkable and vibrant; and improving pedestrian safety and accessibility of other streets in the Village. Hyde Park is already putting these ideas into practice. Thanks to a grant from the Lamoille Valley Fit and Healthy Council, the Village will be installing three benches in a new “pocket park” along Main Street. The Hyde Park Planning Commission is integrating the ideas into a new Unified Development Code that com-bine separate Town and Village regulations into a sin-gle, more user friendly document. This new Code will include more flexible parking standards, provisions for public seating and street art, and revised dimensional standards that will preserve the character of the Vil-lage while providing a predictable and efficient review process for new development. LCPC is providing staff support for the new Code, which is supported by a Municipal Planning Grant from the Vermont Agency of
$4,000 for $170,000 value; the equivalent of perhaps six mortgage payments. The effects of the Biggert-Waters reforms are still un-known. To keep current, the Vermont Floodplain Management blog, http://vtfpm.blogspot.com, is up-dated regularly with relevant information. LCPC can answer, or help you find the answers, to questions too. If your community is part of the NFIP, your floodplain administrative officer can also be a resource. The bottom line: flood insurance is increasing. FEMA’s Community Rating System is able to secure discounts on flood insurance for policy holders. If your communi-ty is interested in participating, contact LCPC. Be sure to stay current with changes to NFIP, to your insurance policy, and mitigation actions you can take to protect your property and reduce your flood risk.
Jeffersonville-Burlington Commuter
Bus Begins Service October14! The Chittenden County Transportation Authority's (CCTA) new Jeffersonville-to-Burlington commuter bus service along Route 15 begins services on Monday, October 14, 2013. CCTA has planned bus stops in Jeffersonville Village and Cambridge Village and a new park-and-ride in Jeffersonville. Watch newspapers and Front Porch Forum for updated information! Route information and fares will also be available on CCTA’s website at cctaride.org.
Planning & Zoning
Statutory Changes The Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development has developed a summary of planning and zoning laws and amendments enacted during the 2013 Legislative session. Download it at http://accd.vermont.gov/sites/accd/files/Documents/strongcommunities/cpr/StatutoryChanges2013.pdf.
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Commerce and Community Development. Many of the challenges, issues, and ideas in the report resonant in other villages throughout Lamoille County.
Page 7 Fall 2013
Grant Opportunities The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development has announced the 2014 Municipal Planning Grant (MPG) Program to fund a range of municipal planning projects. Municipalities (or municipal organizations, i.e. conservation commission) with a confirmed local planning process can apply for grants up to $20,000. Two or more municipalities can apply as a consortium project up to $35,000. Projects must support Statewide planning goals. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2013. Contact LCPC for more information or go online to http://accd.vermont.gov to view full grant details. The Recreational Trails Program (RTP), administered through the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recre-ation, provides financial assistance to municipalities and non-profit organizations for the development and mainte-nance of recreational trails and trailhead facilities. Funding assistance, up to $20,000, applies to both non-motorized and motorized trails. Eligible recipients may receive grant funds up to 80% (reimbursement) of proposed recreation trail projects. Project sponsors will be required to provide a 20% match. Eligible projects can range from the construc-tion, reconstruction, or maintenance of recreation trails to the development of new trail links and trailhead facilities. RTP can also provide funding assistance for trail use safety and environmental education trainings. For more infor-mation on the grant guidelines, visit http://www.vtfpr.org/recgrant/trgrant.cfm. Applications are due September 30. The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation administers two matching grant programs. The Historic Preservation Grant program offers grants of up to $20,000 to non-profit organizations and municipalities to help repair and re-store historic buildings. The Barn Preservation Grant program provides grants of up to $15,000 to non-profits, municipalities, and private individuals for historic agricultural building repairs. Historic Preservation Grant dead-line: October 7, 2013 Barn Preservation Grant deadline: November 4, 2013. Manuals and applications for the next round of grants are available online: http://accd.vermont.gov/strong_communities/preservation, or contact Caitlin Corkins, Tax Credits & Grants Coordinator, at 802-828-3047 for more information. The Vermont Agency of Transportation is accepting applications for its Transportation Alternatives (TA) program. Funds can be used for scoping/feasibility studies or to develop projects that lead to construction. Categories generally are on– and off-road facilities for nonmotorized forms of trans-portation; projects and systems that provide safe routes for non-drivers; rail to trail conversions; construction of turnouts, overlooks and viewing areas; specific community improvement activities; environmental mitigation activities related to stormwater management, water pollution control, wildlife mortality, and habitat connectivity; Safe Routes to School programs; and, potentially, salt sheds. Required match of 20% for construction projects and 50% for scoping studies. Half of the match can be donated goods and services with permission. Application limit of $300,000 in federal funds. This is a reimbursement grant. Attendance at one of two workshops is required—September 17 or September 24. Applications are due October 16. For information, visit https://vtransengineering.vermont.gov/sections/ltf/transportationalternatives Abbey Willard of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture & Danielle Pipher with Vermont FEED/Shelburne Farms will be hosting two webinars on the upcoming 2014 Vermont Farm to School Grant Program. These 1-hour sessions will share information about planning and implementation grants, the grant application/award timeline, how to apply, grant writing tips, examples, and will also include time for questions. Schools & school districts that are interested in applying for a grant are strongly encouraged to attend the webinar session on September 18. Grant applications and more detailed information are available on the Vermont Agency of Agriculture website, www.agriculture.vermont.gov. Completed applications due: Friday, October 25th by 5pm.
Lamoille County Planning Commission
PO Box 1637
Morrisville, VT 05661-1637
LCPC Staff
Bonnie Waninger, Executive Director
Seth Jensen, Senior Planner
Melinda Scott, GIS Planner
Sarah McShane, Regional/Transportation Planner
Taylar Foster, Regional Planner
Meghan Rodier, Assistant Planner
Georgeana Little, Bookkeeper/Office Manager
LCPC Welcomes Sarah McShane!
LCPC is pleased to announce that Sarah Corey McShane has joined our staff as the Regional/Transportation Planner.
Sarah grew up on a family dairy farm in East Wilton, Maine. Prior to joining LCPC, she served as the Historic Preservation Planner and later as the Land Use Planner for Har-ford County Government in Bel Air, Mary-land. While working for Harford County, Sarah was involved with adoption of the County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, updating the County Land Use Element
Plan, and comprehensive rezoning. Sarah has a graduate degree in Geoenvironmental Studies from Shippensburg University and a B.A. in Geography/Anthropology from the University of Maine at Farmington. Sarah will be managing LCPC’s Transportation Planning Program, assisting with hazard mitigation plan updates, and working with municipalities on a variety of transportation related projects. Sa-rah can be reached at [email protected] or 888-4548.
Register now for the annual Emergency Preparedness Conference October 18—19, 2013 in Fairlee! www.vem.vermont.gov
