ADOPTED MARCH 4, 2008 READOPTED MARCH 5, 2013 CHARLOTTE TOWN PLAN 2008 ADOPTED MARCH 4, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS1 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAN _____________________________________ 1 1.1. A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF CHARLOTTE ______________________________________ 1 1.2. THE PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING THE PLAN ______________________________________ 2 1.2.1. Previous Town Plans __________________________________ 2 1990 Plan ______________________________________________________________________ 2 1995 Plan ______________________________________________________________________ 3 2002 Plan ______________________________________________________________________ 3 1.2.2. West Charlotte Village Plan __________________________ 4 1.2.3. Current Town Plan ____________________________________ 4 1.3. THE LAYOUT OF THE PLAN ___________________________________________________ 5 1.4. USE OF THE TOWN PLAN ____________________________________________________ 5 1.5. PROCESS FOR MANAGING AND AMENDING THE PLAN ____________________________ 6 2. GOALS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE TOWN ____________________________ 7 3. CHARLOTTE YESTERDAY __________________________________________ 9 3.1. EARLY SETTLEMENT ________________________________________________________ 9 3.2. PATTERN OF SETTLEMENT ___________________________________________________ 10 3.2.1. Charlotte Four Corners ______________________________ 10 3.2.2. Thompson’s Point ____________________________________ 10 3.2.3. Cedar Beach _________________________________________ 10 3.2.4. Church Hill Road ____________________________________ 11 3.2.5. Baptist Corners _____________________________________ 11 3.3. ROLE OF AGRICULTURE ___________________________________________________ 12 3.4. MUNICIPAL HISTORY _____________________________________________________ 13 4. CHARLOTTE TODAY ______________________________________________ 15 4.1. THE PEOPLE __________________________________________________________ 15 4.2. HOUSING ______________________________________________________________ 18 4.2.1. Quantity of Housing Units ___________________________ 18 4.2.2. Affordability of Housing ____________________________ 20 4.2.3. Regional Housing Targets ____________________________ 23 4.3. THE ECONOMY _______________________________________________________ 24 1 Recommendations have been made by all committees that a "Key" system should be developed and added to the Zoning Bylaws and Subdivision Regulations that ties specific regulations to their basis or foundation rationale in the Town Plan - This will help insure that all the documents are consistent and effectively advancing the goals of the Town Plan. ADOPTED MARCH 4, 2008 4.4. THE LAND ____________________________________________________________ 31 4.4.1. The Setting _________________________________________ 31 4.4.2. Physical Characteristics ____________________________ 32 Geology ______________________________________________________________________ 32 Soils _________________________________________________________________________ 33 Slopes ________________________________________________________________________ 33 Flood Hazard Areas _____________________________________________________________ 34 4.4.3. Pattern of Development ______________________________ 34 The Villages ___________________________________________________________________ 34 Rural Areas ____________________________________________________________________ 37 4.4.4. Agriculture _________________________________________ 40 The Land ______________________________________________________________________ 41 The Farms _____________________________________________________________________ 41 Farm Economy Issues ____________________________________________________________ 42 Land Use Options & Strategies ____________________________________________________ 45 4.4.5. Natural Resources ___________________________________ 48 Forest Lands ___________________________________________________________________ 48 Wetlands ______________________________________________________________________ 49 Critical Wildlife Habitat __________________________________________________________ 50 Ground Water __________________________________________________________________ 52 Surface Waters _________________________________________________________________ 53 Special Natural Areas ____________________________________________________________ 55 Conservation District ____________________________________________________________ 56 Biological Diversity _____________________________________________________________ 56 4.4.6. Special Features ____________________________________ 58 Dark Night Sky _________________________________________________________________ 59 Scenic Roads __________________________________________________________________ 60 Covered Bridges ________________________________________________________________ 60 Forestlands ____________________________________________________________________ 60 Marshes/Wetlands ______________________________________________________________ 60 Working Farmlands _____________________________________________________________ 61 Meadows and Pastures ___________________________________________________________ 62 Villages _______________________________________________________________________ 62 Geological Sites ________________________________________________________________ 62 Archaeological Sites _____________________________________________________________ 62 Conserved Areas ________________________________________________________________ 63 Historic Resources ______________________________________________________________ 63 4.5. THE LAKE AND ITS SHORELINE _______________________________________________ 65 4.5.1. Scenic Beauty and Environmental Quality _____________ 65 4.5.2. Public Access to the Lake ___________________________ 69 4.5.3. Mooring Management __________________________________ 70 4.5.4. Thompson's Point ____________________________________ 70 4.5.5. Cedar Beach _________________________________________ 72 4.5.6. Lake Champlain Islands ______________________________ 72 4.6. COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES ________________________________________ 72 ii Charlotte Town Plan: 2008 ADOPTED MARCH 4, 2008 4.6.1. Burns Property ______________________________________ 72 4.6.2. Schools and Child Care ______________________________ 73 Charlotte Central School __________________________________________________________ 74 Champlain Valley Union High School _______________________________________________ 74 Child Care _____________________________________________________________________ 75 4.6.3. Public Safety: Fire, Rescue and Police ______________ 76 Fire and Rescue _________________________________________________________________ 76 Police ________________________________________________________________________ 77 4.6.4. Solid Waste Disposal ________________________________ 77 4.6.5. Cultural and Recreation Services ____________________ 78 4.6.6. General Government __________________________________ 79 4.6.7. Private Services: Sewage Disposal, Water Supply and Roads ______________________________________________________ 80 Sewage Disposal ________________________________________________________________ 80 Water Supply __________________________________________________________________ 81 Private Roads __________________________________________________________________ 81 4.6.8. Towers and Telecommunication Facilities _____________ 82 Introduction / Issues _____________________________________________________________ 82 Types of Telecommunications Facilities in Charlotte ____________________________________ 82 Authority to Regulate ____________________________________________________________ 83 The Future _____________________________________________________________________ 84 4.6.9. Charlotte Senior Center _____________________________ 84 4.6.10. Cost of Government and Schools _____________________ 85 4.7. TRANSPORTATION ________________________________________________________ 86 4.7.1. Road System _________________________________________ 87 Route 7 _______________________________________________________________________ 87 Town Highways ________________________________________________________________ 88 4.7.2. Railroad ____________________________________________ 89 4.7.3. Ferry Service _______________________________________ 90 4.7.4. Public Trails and By-Ways ___________________________ 90 4.8. ENERGY _______________________________________________________________ 91 4.9. REGIONAL ISSUES AND COORDINATION _______________________________________ 93 4.9.1. Land Use in Adjacent Towns __________________________ 93 Shelburne _____________________________________________________________________ 93 Ferrisburgh ____________________________________________________________________ 93 Monkton ______________________________________________________________________ 93 Hinesburg _____________________________________________________________________ 94 4.9.2. Regional Issues _____________________________________ 94 Regional Planning _______________________________________________________________ 94 Chittenden South Supervisory School District _________________________________________ 94 5. CHARLOTTE TOMORROW ________________________________________ 96 5.1. FUTURE PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT __________________________________________ 96 5.1.1. General Policies and Strategies _____________________ 96 Charlotte Town Plan: 2008 iii ADOPTED MARCH 4, 2008 5.1.2. Land Use Policies and Strategies ____________________