Sarah H. Hadd, Director Cover Quilt created by: Karen Richard Photo: Michael Moffatt Prepared by: Town of Colchester Department of Planning & Zoning PO Box 55 781 Blakely Road Colchester, VT 05446 TOWN OF COLCHESTER 2014 TOWN PLAN COLCHESTER COLCHESTER COMPREHENSIVE TOWN PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS: PLANNING COMMISSION We, the Colchester Selectboard, hereby adopt this comprehensive town plan Prologue: ....................................................................1 Pamela Loranger (Chair) for the Town of Colchester. The plan shall expire five years from this date unless Chapter 1: Colchester’s Community: Past, Present & Future .............3 Timothy Ahonen revised or readopted before that time. Robert Scheck Chapter 2: Land Use ........................................................8 Paul Simon Chapter 3: Cultural Resources ........................................... 32 Robert Sussman Chapter 4: Natural Resources ............................................ 37 Chapter 5: Parks & Recreation ........................................... 47 COLCHESTER Chapter 6: Economy ...................................................... 54 SELECTBOARD Chapter 7: Education ..................................................... 56 Nadine Scibek (Chair) Herbert Downing Chapter 8: Housing ....................................................... 61 Marc Landry Chapter 9: Energy & Telecommunications .............................. 68 Thomas Mulcahy Chapter 10: Transportation .............................................. 73 Jeffrey Bartley Dated at Colchester, County of Chittenden, State of Vermont. Chapter 11: Utilities & Services .......................................... 82 Adopted this 8th day of April, 2014. Chapter 12: Regional Cooperation ...................................... 91 COLCHESTER SELECTBOARD Appendix A: Economic Development Plan .............................. 95 Maps: ...................................................................... 96 PROLOGUE: The Town of Colchester has developed the Town Plan under the GOALS: The following is intended to be a summary of the various policies of Many policies are more long-range and designed to implement the enabling authority of the Vermont Municipal and Regional Planning • Colchester will be governed efficiently, effectively, this Plan and the tools that may be required to implement them. land use plan for the Town as the Town gradually evolves. For this and Development Act. The authority to prepare and implement this and cost responsibly. reason, care should be taken in changing the course of this Plan comprehensive plan is granted to the Town through the Vermont • Infrastructure should improve the quality of life of the citizens RECOMMENDED ACTIONS even though the term of the Plan is set at five year intervals. Long Planning and Development Act, Title 24 of the Vermont Statutes and increase linkages available to businesses. A variety of implementation techniques should be evaluated to term benefits should generally out-weigh short-term gains. No one Annotated, Chapter 117. It is the intent and purpose of the Act assist in implementing this Plan. There are broad categories of policy should be evaluated in and of itself. In implementing the • The economy should be diverse, create local jobs, and result to “...encourage the appropriate development of all lands in this implementation techniques that range from education to regulatory Town Plan, the whole should always outweigh the sum of its parts. in responsible and sustainable growth. state...in a manner which will promote the public health, safety changes to funding priorities as well as several recommended This Town Plan represents a minor update to the 2007 Town Plan • Colchester should build on its natural beauty to provide against fire, floods, explosions and other dangers...and to policies that are long-range and not intended to be implemented and is a continuation of the comprehensive planning process that recreation opportunities for citizens and visitors. provide means and methods for the municipalities and regions of during the term of this Plan. Other policies within this Plan are was begun in Colchester with the adoption of the 1964 Colchester this state to plan for the prevention, minimization and future • Colchester should preserve its natural resources for future meant to reinforce current regulations, policies, and practices and Town Plan. The Plan is meant to lay out a long-term vision for the elimination of such land development problems as may presently generations. do not require any substantial actions. It should be recognized that Town with updates and clarifications provided every five years but exist or which may be foreseen and to implement those plans when • All citizens should be educated to maximize opportunities maintaining current policies often requires flexibility to evaluate with the long term vision for the Town remaining intact. The 2007 and where appropriate.” and improve the community. regulations and perform regular housekeeping changes to these Town Plan was a major revision based upon a town-wide survey and regulations. Educational efforts include working with individuals variety of public input sessions. The 2014 Town Plan revisions utilize In 2012, the Town undertook a broad visioning process in a The Town Plan is designed for use by Town boards, commissions, and organizations to promote certain opportunities or programs. the recently completed Colchester Heritage Project’s Community community strategic plan: The Heritage Project. The resulting plan residents, and businesses. The Plan shall be: the framework for Coordination includes sustaining local, regional, and state Strategic Plan 2012-2022 as its foundation of town-wide input. has been incorporated into this Town Plan and the vision statement planning the future of Colchester, a guide for decision making in dialogues with various governmental agencies, not-for-profits, and While the majority of changes to the Town Plan in 2014 stemmed developed in the Heritage Project shall serve as the vision of this development review, a basis for evaluating zoning and subdivision groups. Planning and studies are recommended actions for policies from including the goals of the Heritage Project, several topically Town Plan. and other bylaws, a tool for coordinating Colchester’s activities with that need to be further developed through such efforts as land use public input sessions were also held by the Planning Commission and those of other municipalities and governmental bodies, a guide for planning, strategic planning, studying capacity, and a wide range 2010 Census data helped shape the revised Plan as well. VISION: “Colchester, Vermont located on Lake Champlain’s development of capital improvement programs, and a reference for of investigative techniques and research. Some policies will require Malletts Bay is a diverse, civic-minded community endowed with other plans developed by the Town. These recommendations are changes to current regulations, such as land use regulations, or Following the revision process, the Planning Commission held a a rich heritage of commercial, agricultural, recreational, and not mandates but are guidelines to help the Town with its long- policies such as sewer allocation. Still other policies will require public hearing on the cumulative changes to the Town Plan and educational gifts. Proud of the quality of life already enjoyed range planning. Where conflicts between this Plan and the adopted funds in order to implement. The funding priority category is not forwarded the Plan to the Selectboard which held two public here, the people of Colchester seek to build upon this foundation bylaws exist, the Town’s bylaws will take precedent. However, the limited to local funding but includes regional, state, and private hearings before adopting the Plan. The Plan is scheduled to be to ensure economic prosperity, recreational opportunity, and an recommendations in this Plan should be undertaken by the Town to enterprise sources. updated again in 2018 in time for re-adoption in 2019. entrepreneurial spirit for future generations.” help Colchester realize its vision. While there are many policies recommended within this Plan, the Throughout this Plan policies are recommended that will implement principal concept at the core of this Plan is that the land use plan the intent of this Plan. Many of these policies are broad and speak for the Town should govern the future actions of the Town. Not all to diversified efforts already underway. The best way to determine policies will be implemented during the five year term of this Plan. the intent of the recommended policy is to comprehensively read through the Plan to understand the context for these recommendations. 1 | TOWN OF COLCHESTER 2014 TOWN PLAN | 2 COLCHESTER’S COMMUNITY: natural amenities made it an attractive place to live. During the In 2010, South Burlington surpassed Colchester in population, 1970s, the rate of population growth slowed only slightly. while Rutland City lost residents, thereby maintaining Colchester’s n PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE 1 rank as the fourth largest municipality in the State. The Town now During the 1980s and 1990s, the Town’s population grew by an includes 10.9% of the county’s population. Colchester’s average average of 218 persons per year, compared with an average of 395 annual growth rate fell from 1.53% in the 1990s to 0.05% in PAST Colchester’s population began to blossom in the late nineteenth persons per year during the preceding 20-year period.