Thetford Planning Commission April 6, 2021 – DRAFT Minutes
Present: David Forbes (chair), Liz Ryan Cole, Jamie Thaxton, Didi Pershouse, Dean Whitlock (recording clerk)
Absent: Michael Snow
Selectboard liaison: Li Shen
Guests: Brian Ricker, Jim Taylor, Nick Clark, Orin Pacht, Mary Bryant, Pricilla’s iPad
1. David called the meeting to order at 7:19 p.m. The commissioners introduced themselves to the guests.
2. Public Comment None
3. Review and revision of the minutes from the 3/16/2021 meeting. The minutes were accepted as corrected.
4. Selectboard Report There was a brief discussion of the invitation to attend a special Selectboard meeting about the Open Meeting Law, scheduled for tomorrow evening (Wed., 4/7, at 7:00 p.m.). Li said the Selectboard had approved monies for several purposes, including the money donated for the stipend to be paid to the Planning Commission recording clerk, money from a grant to paint bicycle marking on Tucker Hill Road, part of Route 113, and Academy Road, for the Conservation Commission to perform environmental restoration work on the Taylor Flood Plain town property, and a name sign on the Sayre Bridge in Thetford Center, similar to the sign already on the Union Village Bridge. David asked if there was something the Planning Commission or Town could do to make sure Thetford received some of the monies that the Federal government will be making available through the Infrastructure bill now going through Congress. He wondered if repairs on Route 132 and developing affordable housing would be appropriate uses. Li said it was too early to know but that the Town Manager would be keeping tabs on the availability of any grants of that sort.
5. Town Plan Goals and Recommendations Zoning Bylaw Review David said he had been thinking about his goal of completing the Zoning Bylaw update by the end of the year and wanted now to add that it was best to do it slowly and carefully, even if that meant taking longer than a year. He wanted to be sure the commission didn’t overlook any important issues or do a less than five-star job.
Planning Commission Minutes for 4/6/2021: DRAFT Page 1 David then reported that he had not been able to get too far in his review of the GPRs to see which applied to Zoning and which sections in the Zoning Bylaw. Dean said he had made it though to the start of the Energy Chapter’s GPRs, marking which ones were zoning related but not which sections they applied to. Li noted that the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) was writing the application for Village Centers designation for the Town, removing that burden from the Planning Commission. She said that Police Chief Evans had compiled a list of every business in town, which has proved to be very helpful. With many Selectboard functions now taken over by the Town Manager, she and Nick Clark volunteered to take photos of the villages and write a village narrative for each, so the Planning Commission could focus on zoning and affordable housing. TRORC has drawn Village Center boundaries for each village based on the photos and list of businesses. There was a brief discussion of how complete the list might be given that some home business were very low key. Jamie suggested that the group start by addressing the changes to zoning districts (section 2), then move on to economic development and Village Centers. Liz described a way to create a table with filters that would allow sorting the GPRs by section or topic. Regarding the zoning districts section, Dean said he had already inserted the definition of the new Neighborhood Residential Area and the updated the table of uses permitted in each district. He explained that the commission sitting at the time the NR area was defined had updated the table then so it would be clear what uses would be allowed in NR districts if the change was approved. However, the definition, the table, and all of the rest of the section will need to be closely reviewed again. Didi suggested using an online scheduling app to keep the process on track. Google docs and the Base Camp app were discussed. Didi will give a presentation on Base Camp at the next meeting (on 4/20). Everyone is expected to go through the entire list of GPRs before that meeting and also to read the zoning bylaw section or sections they volunteered to be in charge of. Dean read the list: Dean: Article 2; Liz and Michael: Articles 3 and 4; David: Article 5; Didi: Article 6; and Jamie: Article 7. David will let Michael know about this plan, and Liz will contact Michael afterward to discuss sharing. There was a five-minute break.
6. Flood Hazard Zoning Bylaw (Hearing Date) Jamie shared a document that listed the needs and steps required to warn and hold the hearing. At this time, we need to create a report to send to the Selectboard, and post a 30-day minimum warning of the hearing. Jamie will forward the document and an email about the process from Kevin Geiger of TRORC. He will also get the report ready, hopefully by the next meeting. David will contact the Town Clerk to prepare for posting the warnings.
7. Helipad and Airstrip Guidelines (Discussion and Vote) There was a brief discussion and then general agreement that all air traffic should be required to use the Post Mills Airport, except in emergency situations (e.g., DHART, Air National Guard). No airstrips or helipads will be allowed anywhere else in Thetford. David will draft new language to be discussed at the next meeting.
Planning Commission Minutes for 4/6/2021: DRAFT Page 2 8. Dwelling Unit Definition (Discussion and Vote) David referred the group to the definitions that he had emailed on April 5th. Points of discussion: Liz said she hoped that the use of “less than” and “fewer” would be put straight. Dean will make sure it happens. In stating Dwelling Unit capacity, the definition refers to “adults” but then to “persons”; there was a discussion of how children should be put into the calculation. There was a long discussion of the phrases “separate, independent housekeeping establishment” and “physically separated”. At issue was whether two families could jointly own a dwelling and share common spaces but have two kitchens or have a second refrigerator and microwave oven tucked into a bedroom. Would this result in there being two dwelling units? Would it matter if the bedroom had a lockable door on it, making it “physically separated”? Liz expressed the concern that lack of clarity here would allow someone to use the zoning bylaw to keep extended family groups from moving into town. Liz will review the definition and bring an updated version to the next meeting for further discussion.
9. Short-Term and Long-Term Rental revision (Discussion and Vote) Liz and Jamie will take one more look at this language in light of newly passed legislation to make sure it clearly explains that Thetford follows the Vermont regulations for rentals.
10. New Business David asked Liz if the Erica Ko of the Energy Committee would be visiting one of the PC meetings soon. Liz said they were still waiting on the regional energy director at TRORC to provide an updated plan.
David said he would make the official donation to the Town of the funds collected for the recording clerk stipend.
The next meeting will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, April 20, at 7:15 p.m. Planning Commission members will join at 7:00 for informal discussion.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Dean Whitlock, Recorder
Planning Commission Minutes for 4/6/2021: DRAFT Page 3