PLYMOUTH TOWN PLAN Adopted September 10, 2019 The Plymouth Town Plan was prepared by the Plymouth Planning Commission with assistance from The Two Rivers - Ottauquechee Regional Commission Woodstock, Vermont Plymouth Town Plan Adopted September 10, 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 II. LAND USE ............................................................................................................................... 2 Future Land Use ................................................................................................................ 5 Village Areas (R1) ............................................................................................................. 8 1 Acre Vacation-Resort Area (VR1) ................................................................................. 9 1 Acre Mountain-Recreation Area (MR1) ...................................................................... 10 2 Acre Rural Areas (R2) .................................................................................................. 12 5 Acre Rural Residential Areas (RR5) ............................................................................ 12 10 Acre Rural Residential Areas (RR10) ........................................................................ 13 Conservation Areas (CON25) ......................................................................................... 14 Shoreland Overlay ........................................................................................................... 15 Coolidge Homestead Historic Overlay ............................................................................ 15 Flood Hazard Overlay ..................................................................................................... 16 III. TRANSPORTATION ............................................................................................................ 17 IV. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................... 21 Present Day Economy ..................................................................................................... 21 Future Economic Development ....................................................................................... 23 V. UTILITY AND FACILITY PLAN......................................................................................... 26 Recreational Facilities ..................................................................................................... 26 Medical Facilities ............................................................................................................ 27 Utilities ............................................................................................................................ 27 Public Services ................................................................................................................ 28 Buildings and Other Facilities Open to the Public .......................................................... 29 Child Care ........................................................................................................................ 30 Town Upgrades and Replacements ................................................................................. 30 Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Response ........................................................... 31 VI. TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES .......................................................................... 33 VII. NATURAL RESOURCES, SCENIC RESOURCES, and HISTORIC RESOURCES ....... 36 Natural Areas ................................................................................................................... 36 Significant Natural and Fragile Areas ............................................................................. 37 Scenic Areas .................................................................................................................... 39 Forests ............................................................................................................................. 40 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................ 42 Historic Areas .................................................................................................................. 43 Air Quality ....................................................................................................................... 46 Earth Resources Extraction ............................................................................................. 46 VIII. FLOOD RESILIENCE ........................................................................................................ 47 Types of Flooding ........................................................................................................... 47 Causes of Flooding .......................................................................................................... 47 Historic Flood Events ...................................................................................................... 48 Plymouth Town Plan Adopted September 10, 2019 Flood Hazard and River Corridor Areas in Town ........................................................... 48 Flood Hazard Regulations ............................................................................................... 49 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) ..................................................................... 50 Promoting Flood Resilience: ........................................................................................... 50 Non-regulatory approaches ............................................................................................. 51 IX. EDUCATION ........................................................................................................................ 53 X. COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELLNESS............................................................................. 54 XI. ENERGY ............................................................................................................................... 57 VERMONT ENERGY QUICK FACTS .............................................................................. 58 Analysis and Targets ....................................................................................................... 59 Renewable Energy Generation ........................................................................................ 61 Development and Siting of Renewable Energy Resources ............................................. 62 Thermal ........................................................................................................................... 64 XII. HOUSING ............................................................................................................................ 69 XIII. ADJACENT MUNICIPALITIES AND THE REGION .................................................... 71 XIV. IMPLEMENTATION ......................................................................................................... 73 Zoning Bylaws ...................................................................................................................... 73 Flood Hazard Bylaws ............................................................................................................ 74 Act 250 .................................................................................................................................. 74 Responsibility for Implementation .................................................................................. 75 Plymouth Town Plan Adopted September 10, 2019 I. INTRODUCTION The Town Plan serves as a guide for the future growth and development of the land, public services and facilities of the community. This Plan is designed to assist town officials in exercising their duties while ensuring that the desires of Plymouth residents are considered when decisions are made. Planning is a continuing effort and local planning is a vital and necessary function. It is through local planning that the individual needs of the community are met. This Plan represents how the citizens of Plymouth feel about growth in their town. It also acts to influence, by means of the goals and recommendations set forth, what forms future growth will take. The following are objectives of the Plan: 1. To preserve and enhance the special qualities and atmosphere of Plymouth as a traditional small rural community. 2. To provide a pleasant and convenient environment for the people of the town, including residential areas suited to their varied needs, business and consumer services to meet their wants, increased opportunities for employment within the town, and the proper level of public services such as fire protection, utilities, and recreation. 3. To protect the town's environmentally sensitive areas such as the lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, marshes, floodplains, slopes, ridgelines, wildlife habitat, and forests and to preserve open space. Within the framework of these objectives the following planning policies are guides for general proposals for future growth in the town of Plymouth: 1. To protect and enhance the natural resources of the town for their best use for recreation, forestry, and agriculture. 2. To encourage the concentration of new residential development in areas served by existing town services. 3. To