The House on Monday passed a bill to modify the state’s land use and development law to make it easier to build in the state’s designated downtowns and place new restrictions on strip development.
The House voted to concur with the Senate’s amended version of H.823 by a voice vote.
The Shumlin administration says the changes to Act 250 will revitalize the state’s downtowns and make efficient use of land is areas of existing strip development.
“Vibrant downtowns and villages embody the spirit of Vermont, and they are the engines that drive our economy,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said in a statement Monday. “I appreciate the work of the House and Senate in the Designated Centers bill to ensure that our communities remain strong hubs for housing and commercial development.”
Developers oppose the bill because amends Act 250’s criterion 9(L) to limit or avoid the impacts of strip development – defined in the bill to include broad road frontage, single-story buildings, limited connection and coordination to other developed areas and land uses except by highway – which they say could cause more permit applications to be denied or appealed.
