Municipal Plan For the Town and Village of Ludlow, Vermont Adopted by the Ludlow Village Trustees on October 8, 2019 Adopted by the Ludlow Select Board on October 7, 2019 Ludlow Municipal Plan Adopted October 2019 Adopted by the Ludlow Village Trustees on January 2, 2018 Adopted by the Ludlow Select Board on December 4, 2017 Amended by the Ludlow Select Board on November 7, 2016 Amended by the Ludlow Select Board on August 3, 2015 Amended by the Ludlow Village Trustees on August 4, 2015 Adopted by the Ludlow Select Board on November 5, 2012 Adopted by the Ludlow Village Trustees on March 5, 2013 This Ludlow Municipal Plan was developed in 2018-2019 by the Ludlow Planning Commission with assistance from the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, Ascutney, VT. Financial support for undertaking this and previous revisions was provided, in part, by a Municipal Planning Grant from the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Photo Credits: Many of the pictures found throughout this document were generously provided by Tom Johnson. ii Ludlow Municipal Plan Adopted October 2019 Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Public Process ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Document Organization ........................................................................................................ 1 2 Vision Statement .......................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 A Vision for Ludlow ............................................................................................................. 3 2.2 Key Themes from Public Forums ......................................................................................... 3 2.3 Goals ..................................................................................................................................... 4 3 Role in the Region ....................................................................................................................... 5 3.1 History................................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Relationship to Plans in Adjacent Towns and Region .......................................................... 5 Ludlow’s Neighbors................................................................................................................ 6 Regional Plan .......................................................................................................................... 7 3.3 Population Trends ................................................................................................................. 8 Seasonal Population ................................................................................................................ 8 How the Municipal Plan Relates to Development Trends ...................................................... 9 4 Landscape .................................................................................................................................. 10 4.1 Soils and Topography ......................................................................................................... 10 4.2 Farms and Forests ............................................................................................................... 10 Forest Resources ................................................................................................................... 10 Agricultural Resources .......................................................................................................... 10 4.3 Earth and Mineral Resources .............................................................................................. 11 4.4 Water Systems .................................................................................................................... 11 Surface Waters ...................................................................................................................... 11 Groundwater ......................................................................................................................... 16 4.5 Wildlife Habitat .................................................................................................................. 16 4.6 Air Quality .......................................................................................................................... 17 4.7 Scenic Features ................................................................................................................... 17 Ridgelines and Scenic Resources .......................................................................................... 17 4.8 Landscape Policies .............................................................................................................. 18 5 Community ................................................................................................................................ 22 iii Ludlow Municipal Plan Adopted October 2019 5.1 Homes ................................................................................................................................. 22 Household Characteristics .................................................................................................... 22 Housing Characteristics ........................................................................................................ 23 Subsidized Housing .............................................................................................................. 23 Housing Affordability ........................................................................................................... 24 Equal Treatment of Housing ................................................................................................. 24 5.2 Economy ............................................................................................................................. 25 Present Economic Conditions ............................................................................................... 25 Future Economy .................................................................................................................... 26 5.3 Transportation ..................................................................................................................... 27 Roads & Highways ............................................................................................................... 28 Parking .................................................................................................................................. 30 Pedestrian & Bicycle Facilities ............................................................................................. 30 Public Transportation ............................................................................................................ 31 Rail Service ........................................................................................................................... 31 Air Transport ......................................................................................................................... 32 5.4 Utilities and Facilities ......................................................................................................... 32 Water and Sewer Services .................................................................................................... 32 Electrical Services ................................................................................................................. 33 Communication Services ...................................................................................................... 33 Solid Waste Disposal Services.............................................................................................. 34 Recreational Services and Facilities ..................................................................................... 34 Health and Safety Services ................................................................................................... 34 5.5 Education ............................................................................................................................ 35 Child Care & Early Education .............................................................................................. 36 5.6 Energy ................................................................................................................................. 36 5.7 Community Policies ............................................................................................................ 37 6 Plan for our Future ..................................................................................................................... 41 6.1 Existing Conditions ............................................................................................................. 41 6.2 Desired Future Conditions .................................................................................................. 42 VILLAGE OF LUDLOW ..................................................................................................... 42 TOWN OF LUDLOW .........................................................................................................