The Town of Charlotte requested that CCRPC audit Charlotte’s existing Village District regulations, explain deficiencies in existing regulations, and provide recommendations to improve regulations to allow for a greater diversity of housing types in the village. This memo contains the following sections:

• A review of village-specific planning recommendations.
• An audit of the existing village regulations with specific recommendations to address deficiencies in the existing regulations that prevent the development of a diversity of housing types.
• A review of the interrelationship between village zoning regulations and infrastructure needed to develop a diversity of housing types.

The East and West Villages Project is an examination of the potential for future growth and development and multimodal transportation in Charlotte’s villages, informed by prior planning efforts and community input.

The Town of Milton, in partnership with Milton on the Move and CCRPC, developed a Downtown Core Master Plan. The project focused on planning for a central, walkable, and accessible downtown area. After a visual preference survey and design charrette, the consultant prepared draft concept plans for the Downtown Core. Concepts were presented to the Selectboard in June 2024 and adopted in December 2024. A related project to complete supplemental planning work and development regulations updates for the Downtown Core will kick off in FY25.

As the City of South Burlington contemplates the phasing of anticipated development and long planned connections through the newly established City Center area, understanding the potential traffic redistribution and transportation infrastructure improvements that may be required is key to planning transportation in the area. An evaluation of the transportation implications of new development and new connector roadways within City Center was conducted to identify transportation infrastructure and investments necessary to support growth in City Center.

It’s not often that carsharing is seen as a potential solution for concerns about increasing housing cost burdens. Hidden vehicle and parking costs can contribute to an overall higher cost of living--housing and transportation. This report highlights the role that transportation and parking costs play in housing affordability and describes the role of CarShare VT in changes to Burlington’s development ordinances and new directions for the organization.

Health starts where we live, learn, work and play. Cultural norms related to the use, access to, and promotion of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis products influence the rate and frequency of use in communities, particularly for youth. When community leaders prioritize health over other interests’, policies are enacted which enable healthy choices and behaviors and these choices become commonplace among youth. For example, a community that has adopted policies to limit where alcohol is sold, research states that communities see less underage drinking, less crime and a reduction in law enforcement costs.  

The CCRPC and the Town of Jericho engaged in the planning and design of a street network concept in the Riverside area to facilitate multimodal safety and circulation, and encourage the redevelopment of the former sawmill property as a compact, walkable extension of the Riverside Village (also known as Jericho/Underhill Flats), a state-designated Village Center.

This report includes a variety of recommendations for the Town of Essex Zoning Regulations to eliminate barriers to affordable housing. Some of these recommendations are broad in scope while others are simple housekeeping changes. The broader recommendations go beyond a text edit in the zoning regulations and, while complex, may produce a more beneficial result than the minor housekeeping recommendations. The broader recommendations should be considered within the context of a housing needs assessment, and perhaps by a housing committee if and when established. This report should also help as a guide when implementing changes from the Town Center visioning work.

This project was a collaborative effort between the City of South Burlington, Burlington International Airport, and the adjoining Chamberlin Neighborhood, facilitated by CCRPC with consulting assistance by RSG, intended to help each party understand dynamics, relationships, and impacts that each has upon the other; and ultimately, to help the neighborhood identify short-, medium-, and long-term improvements that could be made to help minimize adverse impacts of Airport operations, and to help make the neighborhood more livable.

This report presents the historic and recent development patterns in Chittenden County, VT over the last sixty years and the potential impacts of various future land use/transportation scenarios.