TOWN OF HARTFORD DRAFT TOWN PLAN March 11, 2019* Prepared by the Hartford Planning Commission with the assistance from the Hartford Department of Planning and Development Services and the Town Plan Steering Committee * This Plan has been updated since the 2/22/19 Draft. The additions are highlighted in red and underlined, and deletions are highlighted in red with the slash-out feature. In some instances, these reflect relocation and not substantial changes. INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION TO TOWN PLANNING According to the book, “Essentials of Land Use Planning and Regulation” by the Vermont Land Use Education and Training Collaborative, “the municipal plan is the visionary document that assesses the current status of a community and lays out a vision for the future.” Used interchangeably with the term “Town Plan”, it is an in-depth, comprehensive, long range study that provides the framework for future decisions regarding land use, transportation, community facilities and services, utilities, natural resources, historic resources, and housing. It is a guide that establishes a strategy on how to grow while managing the community’s resources and maintaining a high quality of life. The Town Plan provides the basis for public and private investment. It also establishes an implementation program that provides a means of achieving the community vision. HARTFORD’S GEOGRAPHY Hartford, Vermont is located at the confluence of the White and Connecticut Rivers and includes a third river, the Ottauquechee. It is also at the junction of Interstate Highways 89 and 91 and the junction of U.S. Highways 4 and 5 on the eastern side of Vermont about halfway up the state. The Town shares a boundary with New Hampshire and is part of the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. Hartford is approximately 46 square miles. Like many other eastern Vermont towns, Hartford consists of narrow river valleys and hillsides. It ranges in elevation from a low of 340’ on the Connecticut River at the Hartland town line to a high of 1,575’ along a ridge on the Quechee/Pomfret border. Hartford, along with Norwich and Lebanon and Hanover, New Hampshire, represent the core of the Upper Valley region. Hartford is located about a two-hour drive northwest of Boston and a three-hour drive southeast of Montreal, Quebec. With a population of 10,000, Hartford serves as the regional center of the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC), a thirty-town region in east central Vermont. HARTFORD’S ASSETS - WHAT MAKES IT A SPECIAL PLACE Hartford is part of a thriving Upper Valley region. The quality of life, jobs, and a well-managed Town with abundant educational, recreational and cultural resources are some of the assets that draw people and businesses to the Town. What makes Hartford special is shaped in part by its rich history and its ability to adapt to changing conditions over time. The Town was established by Charter in 1761 as an agricultural community with several settlement areas. Today, the Town is principally comprised of five villages (White River Junction, Wilder, Quechee, West Hartford and Hartford Village) each with its unique character and identity, heritage and a strong sense of place. Where Hartford’s three rivers provided water power that spurred the construction of mills in Hartford, Quechee and Wilder Villages, today they provide recreational and aesthetic value as well as generate power for hydroelectric dams in Wilder and Quechee and the Simon Pearce Glass, Pottery and Restaurant. Where White River Junction was once a bustling railroad and retail center that experienced economic decline beginning in the 1960s, it now is reinvigorated downtown with a thriving arts community and unique mix of commercial development and housing. Hartford also has several commercial districts throughout town which contribute to this diversified and robust Upper Valley economy. Hartford prides itself as a place with excellent public and private recreational, social and community facilities and services, and a commitment to public safety. It has a strong public and private pre-K Draft Town Plan Introduction, 3/11/19 Page 1 through post graduate educational system; multimodal transportation systems; a diverse housing stock with a mixture of single family and multi-family housing, owner-occupied and rental housing; and access to quality health care. These are the many assets that contribute to an exceptional quality of life that make Hartford a great place to live, work and visit. TOWN PLAN UPDATE AND STEERING COMMITTEE In early 2018, a Town Plan Steering Committee was formed to work with Town staff and the Planning Commission on the development of the Town Plan update. The Steering Committee is comprised of representatives from Hartford boards and commissions as well as the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce. PUBLIC INPUT AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES During the summer of 2018, five public forums were held to obtain input from the community about Hartford, what makes it special and what is important to the community as the Town plans for the future. From the forums, the following guiding principles were developed to provide direction for the Town Plan update: • Affordability: Ensure that all socioeconomic groups can live here. • Inclusion: Ensure that different groups are welcome in Hartford and our community is inviting for families to move here. • Sustainability: Ensure that Hartford is economically, environmentally and socially healthy, and resilient. • Town Assets: Consider all of Hartford’s physical, social and governmental assets. • Collaboration & Creativity: Seek to encourage collaboration and creativity with all groups, associations, companies and other governmental bodies in addressing Hartford’s challenges and opportunities. TOWN PLANNING GOALS To be successful in achieving these five guiding principles, the Town Plan includes the following overarching goals: • Ensuring Viability – This Town Plan recognizes that a viable community depends on the strengths of its physical properties and social systems across multiple sections of the Plan. Hartford is and will remain an attractive place to live and work with up-to-date and well- maintained public infrastructure as well as public and private social and community services and infrastructure that support a vibrant community. • Encouraging Growth and Change – This Town Plan recognizes that growth and change are important elements of a vibrant community dependent on a continual engagement within the community that brings ideas and energy. • Preserving Our Heritage – This Plan recognizes that Hartford has a rich history reflected in the Town’s villages and rural areas, which contributes to the Town’s special character and Draft Town Plan Introduction, 3/11/19 Page 2 sense of place. This history can be a part of Hartford’s future as it continues to be a thriving and inclusive community. • Emphasize People, Relationships and Community – This Plan recognizes that the people who generously volunteer their time to serve on Town boards, coach youth supports, maintain public gardens and work in numerous non-profits are important Town assets. As the Town faces the challenges of the 21st Century, it will require collaboration, developing relationships that involve trust, and a willingness to work together. AUTHORITY The authority for developing and adopting a plan for the municipality comes from state statutes, specifically V.S.A. 24, Chapter 117 §4382-4387. The Planning Commission is responsible for the preparation of the Town Plan and the Selectboard is charged with adopting it. Although Town Plans are optional in Vermont, a municipality with an expired Town Plan cannot amend its bylaws and capital budgets and programs until the Town Plan is in effect. In addition, there are some grant programs that do not allow applications from municipalities with an expired Town Plan. To comply with State statutes, the Town Plan must be updated every five years. State statutes also require that the development of municipal bylaws, such as Zoning Regulations and Subdivision Regulations conform with the Town Plan. In addition, the Town Plan has standing in the Act 250 process. WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A TOWN PLAN The following are the required elements of a Town Plan as stated in Section 4382 of Chapter 117 of Vermont State Statutes. Required Element per 24 V.S.A. §4382 Addressed in Current Town Plan 1 Objectives, Policies & Programs Each chapter 2 Land Use Plan Primarily Chapter II & other chapters 3 Transportation Plan Chapter VIII 4 Utility & Facility Plan Chapters VI & VII 5 Policies on Preservation of Special Resources Chapters I & IX 6 Education Plan Chapter VI 7 Implementation Program Chapter XII 8 Relationship to Adjacent Towns/Region Chapter XI 9 Energy Plan Chapter X 10 Housing Element Chapter IV 11 Economic Development Element Chapter V 12 Flood Resiliency Plan Hazard Mitigation Plan incorporated by reference Draft Town Plan Introduction, 3/11/19 Page 3 FORMAT OF THE TOWN PLAN The Town Plan is organized into chapters, which include the statutory required elements of a Town Plan. Each chapter has specifics goal, strategies and actions defined as: • Goal: The state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve. • Strategy: An expression of how to meet a goal. • Action: A means by which to implement a strategypolicy, through an action by a person or group. HISTORY OF HARTFORD’S MUNICIPAL PLANS For sixty years, Hartford has demonstrated a commitment to municipal planning. The first official Municipal Plan (Master Plan or Town Plan) was prepared by planning consultant Carl Stelling Associates through the federal Urban Renewal Administration Grant Program in 1959. The Plan led to the adoption of Hartford’s first Zoning Regulations in 1962. Subsequent revisions to the Municipal Plan have occurred in 1965, 1974, 1980, 1987, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2012 and 2014. Draft Town Plan Introduction, 3/11/19 Page 4 CHAPTER I HISTORIC RESOURCES INTRODUCTION A plan for the future is incomplete without a look into the past.