Barnard General Store Barnard Town Plan Approved March 14, 2016 by the Barnard Planning Commission Adopted August 24, 2016 by the Barnard Select Board Prepared by the Barnard Planning Commission with assistance from Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission Funded by a Municipal Planning Grant from the VT Department of Housing and Community Affairs CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 4 II. HISTORY OF BARNARD/HISTORIC PRESERVATION .............................................................. 6 III. CURRENT AND PROPOSED LAND USE ...................................................................................... 9 Proposed Land Use ........................................................................................................................................... 9 Future Land Use ................................................................................................................................................. 9 IV. TRANSPORTATION ...................................................................................................................... 22 Public Transportation ................................................................................................................................... 22 Barnard Roads, Trails, Culverts, and Bridges Inventory ............................................................... 23 Existing Ordinances ....................................................................................................................................... 27 Scenic Roads ..................................................................................................................................................... 27 Access Management ...................................................................................................................................... 27 V. ENERGY ............................................................................................................................................ 30 Global Context .................................................................................................................................................. 30 State Perspective ............................................................................................................................................. 30 Barnard’s Role .................................................................................................................................................. 31 Energy Use Inventory ................................................................................................................................... 31 Energy Committee Initiatives.................................................................................................................... 33 Renewable Resources ................................................................................................................................... 33 Preferred Forms of Energy Development ............................................................................................ 35 The Public Service Board Process & Limited Local Control ........................................................ 36 VI. OUTDOOR LIGHTING ................................................................................................................... 39 VII. EDUCATION .................................................................................................................................. 41 VIII. UTILITIES, FACILITIES, AND SERVICES ............................................................................... 43 Capital Budgeting & Planning.................................................................................................................... 43 Utilities ................................................................................................................................................................ 43 Facilities .............................................................................................................................................................. 45 Cultural and Recreational Facilities ....................................................................................................... 47 Services ............................................................................................................................................................... 49 Community Organizations .......................................................................................................................... 49 IX. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................................... 55 X. HOUSING .......................................................................................................................................... 58 XI. FLOOD RESILIENCE ................................................................................................................... 61 Flood Hazard & Fluvial Erosion Hazard Areas in Barnard ........................................................... 61 Promoting Flood Resilience in Barnard ............................................................................................... 62 XII. RELATIONSHIP OF BARNARD'S PLANNING ACTIVITIES TO ITS NEIGHBORS ............. 64 XIII. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................................................ 66 Implementation Timeline ........................................................................................................................... 66 XIV. APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 76 Appendix A: Definitions ............................................................................................................................... 76 Appendix B: Barnard’s Energy Facility Siting & Development Standards ............................ 81 Barnard Town Plan – Adopted August 24, 2016 2 FIGURES FIGURE 1: EXISTING TOWN HIGHWAY MILEAGE 2014 ...................................................................................................... 24 FIGURE 2: ROAD COSTS PER MILE BY TOWN ....................................................................................................................... 24 FIGURE 3: TOP 10 COMMUTING TOWNS BY RESIDENTS 2010 ......................................................................................... 25 FIGURE 4: MODE OF TRAVEL TO WORK ................................................................................................................................. 25 FIGURE 5: BARNARD CULVERT CONDITIONS 2010 ............................................................................................................. 26 FIGURE 6: FLOOD PHOTO, PETE FELLOWS, TRORC STAFF 11/25/14 ......................................................................... 26 FIGURE 7: SNOW PLOWING PHOTO, KEVIN GEIGER, TRORC STAFF 12/15/14 .......................................................... 27 FIGURE 8: BARNARDS’ ELECTRICIY USAGE FOR 2014 ........................................................................................................ 32 FIGURE 9: TOTAL AND AVERAGE CONSUMPTION FIGURES ................................................................................................ 32 FIGURE 10: YEARLY CONSUMPTION COMPARISON .............................................................................................................. 32 FIGURE 11: ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 55 FIGURE 12: PERCENT POPULATION CHANGE FROM 2000-2010 .................................................................................... 56 Barnard Town Plan – Adopted August 24, 2016 3 I. INTRODUCTION The Planning Commission has developed this Plan based on the premise that the majority of the citizens of the Town wish to preserve the rural, small town character of Barnard. A well-grounded Town Plan is the foundation for ensuring appropriate development and conservation of the community’s resources. Effective town planning and subsequent implementation of policies and recommendations will reduce conflicts arising from change. This Plan is a statement of how the Town has reached its present state, the current situation, a description of elements of the Town that should be preserved, recommendations for future growth and development and a blueprint for how those recommendations should be implemented. The Barnard Town Plan provides a framework to be used for accomplishing our community’s aspirations over the next five years. It gives specific guidance while retaining enough flexibility to be useful when faced with unforeseen circumstances. It will need to be reviewed and revised in five years to ensure it is still an appropriate vision for the Town. This Plan should be viewed as a whole, with goals, objectives and recommendations viewed as an integrated, interdependent system of statements. For example, this Plan supports development in certain areas and the preservation of undeveloped areas, but these apparently contradictory desires must be read together and it will become clear that in different areas of town some desires take precedence over others. The Plan aims to help the citizens of Barnard better