CHARLOTTE TOWN PLAN. Adopted March 6, 2018

Transcription

1 CHARLOTTE TOWN PLAN Adopted March 6, 2018

2 On the Cover Photos: Flower, Farm, Cornfield, and Charlotte Congregational Church by: Lee Krohn Town Offices and Rainbow by: Daryl Benoit Sign Design: Polly Heininger, 2012

3 Charlotte Town Plan (Adopted March 6, 2018) TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: Charlotte Tomorrow Page 1.1 Vision & Goals Future Land Use Regional Context Natural Resources Lake & Shoreline Agriculture & Forestry Historical & Cultural Resources Demographics & Housing Economic Development Utilities, Facilities, & Services Transportation Energy Implementation 1-52 Chapter 2: Charlotte Today: Community Profile 2.1 Natural Resources & Physical Geography Cultural & Historic Resources Demographics Housing Economic Conditions Utilities, Facilities, & Services Transportation Energy Existing Land Use 2-64 Chapter 3: Charlotte Yesterday 3-1 Glossary Appendices i List of Maps: Town Base Map Map 1. Geology & Groundwater Map 2. Soils Map 3. iii

4 Charlotte Town Plan (Adopted March 6, 2018) Surface Water, Wetlands, & Flood Hazard Map 4. Public Water Supply Source Protection Areas Map 5. Wildlife Habitat Map 6. Cultural & Historic Resources Map 7. Utilities, Facilities & Services Map 8. Transportation Map 9. Trail Vision Map Map 10. Existing Land Use Map 11. Future Land Use Map 12. Conserved & Public Lands Map 13. List of Tables: Population Growth in the Town of Charlotte: Population Growth in the Town and Region: Population Forecast Racial and Ethnic Make-up of Residents 2-27 Municipal Growth as Percentage of County Growth, Population Forecast Median Household Income 2-31 Total Number of Dwelling Units 2-32 Market Conditions 2-33 Vacant Units 2-33 Types of Housing 2-33 Median Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units 2-34 Owner-Occupied Housing Costs, Rental Housing Costs, Average Housing Sale Prices in Charlotte Summary of Demand in Primary Market (# of Households) 2-37 Residential Values in Charlotte, 2006 & Civilian Labor Force, Monthly Employment, Charlotte, Establishments, Employment, Wages and Earnings, Population Density, Charlotte Central School Enrollment & Staff Trends, iv

5 Charlotte Town Plan (Adopted March 6, 2018) Emergency Response Volunteers for Charlotte, Police Activity Summary, Town Grandlist and Tax Rates, Town Land and Facilities 2-51 Wastewater and Potable Water Supply Permits Issued, High Crash Location (HCL) data for US Route 7 near the Intersection of Ferry Road 2-59 List of Figures: Town of Charlotte Areas of High Public Value (AHPV) 1-3 Planning Area Designation 1-6 West Charlotte Village Delineation 1-25 East Charlotte Village Delineation 1-25 Flood Resilience & Hazard Mitigation 2-16 Charlotte s Population Population Trends for Charlotte, Chittenden County, and Vermont Median Age in Age Distribution of Charlotte s Population, Household Size (persons / household), Residential Building Permits Issued, Educational Attainment, Charlotte 2-40 Monthly Employment, Charlotte, CVFRS Emergency Responses, Historical / Projected Enrollment, Charlotte Central School (PK-8 th Grade), Traffic Data and High Accident Locations within the Town of Charlotte, Existing Land Use, Beers Atlas, Appendices (under separate cover): * Agricultural Land Use Map, 2000 * Charlotte Local Emergency Operations Plan, 2015 * West Charlotte Village Wastewater Study * VT State Rail Plan, 2015 * Groundwater Study * East Charlotte Village Design * Significant Wildlife Habitat Protocol * Hazard Mitigation Plan * Historic Resource Inventory * Conserved Lands Map, 2015 * CCRPC Multi-jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan, 2016 * Report on 1999 Map of Charlotte Public Roads with High Scenic and Conservation Value, 2011 v

6 Charlotte Town Plan INTRODUCTION The Charlotte Town Plan is the principal policy statement for the Town of Charlotte. It presents existing conditions in Charlotte, a vision for the future, and means to achieve this vision. This Plan addresses many areas including town services and facilities, housing, transportation, economic development, and resource protection. The Plan will be implemented through the Town s land use regulations and will help guide the work and decisions of the Selectboard, Planning Commission, and other town committees, groups, and employees, as well as the actions of residents, property owners, businesses, organizations, and developers. In some sections, the plan specifies policies that are to be used to review and guide development proposals and the use of public resources. In other sections the plan offers suggestions of possible strategies that would need to be enacted, for example, in the Land Use Regulations or through a Town Committee. These suggestions are intended to guide discussion and need further action and scrutiny before implementation. The plan is divided into three parts; Chapter 1 Charlotte Tomorrow, Chapter 2 Charlotte Today: Community Profile, and Chapter 3 Charlotte Yesterday. Chapters 1 and 2 each have complementary thematic sections addressing; Natural Resources, Cultural and Historic Resources, the Economy, Utilities and Facilities, Housing and Demographics, Transportation, Energy, and Land Use. Chapter 1 covers the future planning and visioning for the Town and includes additional sections on the Regional Context, the Lake & Shoreline, and an Implementation Plan that addresses a timetable for the strategies of the plan. Chapter 2 reflects the current status of the Town via its historical data, trends, and policies. Chapter 3 presents the municipal history of Charlotte from its European settler origins of the eighteenthcentury to its twentieth century modernization, as well as the planning history beginning with the 1990 Town Plan. Purpose The authority to prepare and implement the Plan is granted through Vermont Statutes Annotated (VSA) Title 24, Chapter 117, Municipal and Regional Planning and Development. The purpose of the Chapter is to encourage the appropriate development of all lands in this state by the action of its constituent municipalities and regions, with the aid and assistance of the state, in a manner which will promote the public health, safety against fire, floods, explosions, and other dangers; to promote prosperity, comfort, access to adequate light and air, convenience, efficiency, economy, and general welfare; to enable the mitigation of the burden of property taxes on agricultural, forest, and other open lands; to encourage appropriate architectural design; to encourage the development of renewable resources; to protect residential, agricultural, and other areas from undue concentrations of population and overcrowding of land and buildings, from traffic congestion, from inadequate parking and the invasion of through traffic, and from the loss of peace, quiet, and privacy; to facilitate the growth of villages, towns, and cities and of their communities and neighborhoods so as to create an optimum environment, with good civic design; to encourage development of a rich cultural environment and to foster the arts; and to provide means and methods for the municipalities and regions of this State to plan for the prevention, minimization, and future elimination of such land development problems as may presently exist or which may be foreseen and to implement those plans when and where appropriate. Introduction vi

7 Charlotte Town Plan Process The roots of this Plan were established with the adoption of Charlotte s 1990 Town Plan. The most significant public involvement in the formulation of that plan was through survey, committee work, and informal discussions with neighborhood groups and individuals. The 1990 Town Plan was readopted in A comprehensive assessment of conditions in 1999 was conducted by seven committees: housing, economy, community facilities and transportation, agriculture, natural resources, lake and lakeshore, and neighborhoods and villages. This committee work was supplemented by survey information. After revisions crafted by the Planning Commission and the Selectboard, a 2000 Town Plan was put to vote. This Plan was defeated; however, much of the content carried forward into an adopted 2002 Town Plan. The principal content change associated with the 2002 Plan was the added focus on village development, particularly of the West Charlotte Village. This Plan was readopted in In 2012, Charlotte again recognized the need to reassess its Town Plan in full. Significant events like 9/11, the bursting of the housing bubble and accompanying economic downturn, and Tropical Storm Irene had occurred. State policy initiatives involving the development of renewable energy resources and flood resiliency were added to the state s land use goals related to good civic design and the preservation of agriculture. Property taxes and education funding continued to be hot topics in Montpelier. Charlotte had also completed several specific plans including the 2002 West Charlotte Village Plan, the 2009 East Charlotte Village Plan, the 2011 West Charlotte Village Wastewater Study, and the 2012 West Charlotte Pedestrian Improvements Plan. In 2007, the Town became one of the two communities to receive Delegation Authority under the State Wastewater Rules (Environmental Protection Rules, Chapter 1, Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules). Additionally, Land Use Regulations have been revised to promote agriculturally-related businesses (i.e. commercial farm stands and farm cafes). A consultant was hired to coordinate efforts towards completion of the 2013 Plan; however, time constraints related to process, staffing, and other duties of the Planning Commission resulted in the re-adoption of the 2008 Town Plan. The Commission has continued to work on a more comprehensive revision. In 2011, a Town Plan Kickoff Workshop was conducted at the Charlotte Senior Center. Several policy considerations were identified during this workshop and there was also consensus on the need to reformat the Plan to make it more readerfriendly. The Conservation Commission and the Energy Committee provided expertise and content for the Natural Resources and Energy Sections, respectively. Other sections were drafted by Commission liaisons for public review in the summer of Workshops targeting significant changes or addendums were conducted throughout the summer and fall of 2014 and the language in the Plan evolved based on these discussions. The Charlotte News ran a series entitled Charlotte s Web, which focused on key planning considerations including demographic dichotomies, housing costs, agriculture and natural resources, and community. In 2015, the Planning Commission reviewed two proposed amendments to the Plan consideration for village designation and an updated Energy section as well as several key land use regulation amendments. The Town Plan amendments were adopted by town vote in March of Work on the comprehensive update resumed in 2016 to have a final document ready for voting on the Town Meeting Day of Introduction vii

8 Charlotte Town Plan This Plan is based on new state law and current conditions in the Town and region. As specific local conditions change, public attitudes evolve, and more data become available, the Plan will be updated and revised. At a minimum, the Plan will be updated every eight years as is required under state statute. Introduction viii