4348a. Elements of a regional plan
(a) A regional plan shall be consistent with the goals established in section 4302 of this title and shall include the following:
(1) A statement of basic policies of the region to guide the future growth and development of land and of public services and facilities, and to protect the environment.
(2) A natural resources and working lands element, which shall consist of a map or maps and policies, based on ecosystem function, consistent with Vermont Conservation Design, support compact centers surrounded by rural and working lands, and that:
(A) Indicates those areas of significant natural resources, including existing and proposed for forests, wetlands, vernal pools, rare and irreplaceable natural areas, floodplains, river corridors, recreation, agriculture using the agricultural lands identification process established in 6 V.S.A. § 8, residence, commerce, industry, public, and semipublic uses, open spaces, areas reserved for flood plain, forest blocks, habitat connectors, recreation areas and recreational trails, and areas identified by the State, regional planning commissions, or municipalities that require special consideration for aquifer protection; for wetland protection; for the maintenance of forest blocks, wildlife habitat, and habitat connectors; or for other conservation purposes.
(B) Indicates those areas that have the potential to sustain agriculture and recommendations for maintaining them that may include transfer of development rights, acquisition of development rights, or farmer assistance programs.
(C) Indicates those areas that are important as forest blocks and habitat connectors and plans for land development in those areas to minimize forest fragmentation and promote the health, viability, and ecological function of forests. A plan may include specific policies to encourage the active management of those areas for wildlife habitat, water quality, timber production, recreation, or other values or functions identified by the regional planning commission.
(D) Encourages preservation of rare and irreplaceable natural areas, scenic and historic features and resources.
(E) Encourages protection and improvement of the quality of waters of the State to be used in the development and furtherance of the applicable basin plans established by the Secretary of Natural Resources under 10 V.S.A. § 1253.
(3) An energy element, including an analysis of resources, needs, scarcities, costs, and problems within the region across all energy sectors, including electric, thermal, and transportation; a statement of policy on the conservation and efficient use of energy and the development and siting of renewable energy resources; a statement of policy on patterns and densities of land use likely to result in conservation of energy; and an identification of potential areas for the development and siting of renewable energy resources and areas that are unsuitable for siting those resources or particular categories or sizes of those resources.
(4) A transportation element consisting of a statement of present and prospective transportation and circulation facilities, and a map showing existing and proposed highways, including limited access highways, and streets by type and character of improvement, and where pertinent, anticipated points of congestion, parking facilities, transit routes, terminals, bicycle paths and trails, scenic roads, airports, railroads and port facilities, and other similar facilities or uses, and recommendations to meet future needs for such facilities, with indications of priorities of need, costs, and method of financing.
(5) A utility and facility element, consisting of a map and statement of present and prospective local and regional community facilities and public utilities, whether publicly or privately owned, showing existing and proposed educational, recreational and other public sites, buildings and facilities, including public schools, State office buildings, hospitals, libraries, power generating plants and transmission lines, wireless telecommunications facilities and ancillary improvements, water supply, sewage disposal, refuse disposal, storm drainage, and other similar facilities and activities, and recommendations to meet future needs for those facilities, with indications of priority of need.
(6) [Repealed.]
(7) A program for the implementation of the regional plan’s objectives, including a recommended investment strategy for regional facilities and services based on a capacity study of the elements in this section.
(8) A statement indicating how the regional plan relates to development trends, needs, and plans and regional plans for adjacent municipalities and regions.
(9) A housing element that identifies the regional and community-level need for housing that will result in an adequate supply of building code and energy code compliant homes where most households spend not more than 30 percent of their income on housing and not more than 15 percent on transportation. To establish housing needs, the Department of Housing and Community Development shall publish statewide and regional housing targets or ranges as part of the Statewide Housing Needs Assessment. The regional planning commission shall consult the Statewide Housing Needs Assessment; current and expected demographic data; the current location, quality, types, and cost of housing; other local studies related to housing needs; and data gathered pursuant to subsection 4382(c) of this title. If no such data has been gathered, the regional planning commission shall gather it. The regional planning commission’s assessment shall estimate the total needed housing investments in terms of price, quality, unit size or type, and zoning district as applicable and shall disaggregate regional housing targets or ranges by municipality. The housing element shall include a set of recommended actions to satisfy the established needs.
(10) An economic development element that describes present economic conditions and the location, type, and scale of desired economic development, and identifies policies, projects, and programs necessary to foster economic growth.
(11)(A) A flood resilience element that:
(i) identifies flood hazard and fluvial erosion hazard areas, based on river corridor maps provided by the Secretary of Natural Resources pursuant to 10 V.S.A. § 1428(a) or maps recommended by the Secretary, and designates those areas to be protected, including floodplains, river corridors, land adjacent to streams, wetlands, and upland forests, to reduce the risk of flood damage to infrastructure and improved property; and
(ii) recommends policies and strategies to protect the areas identified and designated under this subdivision (A) and to mitigate risks to public safety, critical infrastructure, historic structures, and public investments.
(B) A flood resilience element may reference an existing regional hazard mitigation plan approved under 44 C.F.R. § 201.6.
(12) A future land use element, based upon the elements in this section, that sets forth the present and prospective location, amount, intensity, and character of such land uses in relation to the provision of necessary community facilities and services and that consists of a map delineating future land use area boundaries for the land uses in subdivisions (A)–(J) of this subdivision (12) as appropriate and any other special land use category the regional planning commission deems necessary; descriptions of intended future land uses, consistent with the smart growth principles in section 4303 of this chapter; and policies intended to support the implementation of the future land use element using the following land use categories:
(A) Downtown or village centers. These areas are the mixed-use centers bringing together community economic activity and civic assets. They include downtowns, villages, and new town centers previously designated under chapter 76A and downtowns and village centers seeking benefits under the Community Investment Program under section 5803 of this title. The downtown or village centers are the traditional or historic central business and civic centers within planned growth areas, village areas, or may stand alone. Municipalities may have more than one center, including planned new or emerging centers that anchor planned growth or village areas. Village centers are not required to have public water, wastewater, zoning, or subdivision bylaws.
(B) Planned growth areas. These areas include the high-density existing settlement and future growth areas with high concentrations of population, housing, and employment in each region and town, as appropriate. They include a mix of historic and nonhistoric commercial, residential, and civic or cultural sites with active streetscapes, supported by land development regulations; public water or wastewater, or both; and multimodal transportation systems. These areas include growth centers and neighborhood development areas previously designated under chapter 76A of this title. These areas should generally meet the following criteria:
(i) The municipality has a duly adopted and approved plan and a planning process that is confirmed in accordance with section 4350 of this title and has adopted bylaws and regulations in accordance with sections 4414, 4418, and 4442 of this title.
(ii) The area is generally within walking distance from the municipality’s or an adjacent municipality’s downtown or village center.
(iii) The area is generally within walking distance from the municipality’s or an adjacent municipality’s downtown or village center.
(iv) The area excludes identified flood hazard and river corridor areas, except those areas containing preexisting development in areas suitable for infill development as defined in section 29-201 of the Vermont Flood Hazard Area and River Corridor Rule.
(v) The municipal plan indicates that this area is intended for higher-density residential and mixed-use development.
(vi) The area provides opportunity for development, infill development, and redevelopment that is needed to meet the regional and municipal housing targets that meet the present and future needs of a diversity of social and income groups in the community.
(vii) The area is served by planned or existing transportation infrastructure that conforms with complete streets principles as described under 19 V.S.A. chapter 24 and establishes pedestrian access directly to the downtown or village center. Planned transportation infrastructure includes those investments included in the municipality’s capital improvement program pursuant to section 4430 of this title.
(C) Village areas. These areas include the traditional settlement area or a proposed new settlement area, typically composed of a cohesive mix of residential, civic, religious, commercial, or mixed-use buildings, arranged along a main street and intersecting streets that are within walking distance for residents who live within and surrounding the downtown center or village center. Village areas shall meet the following criteria:
(i) The municipality has a duly adopted and approved plan and a planning process that is confirmed in accordance with section 4350 of this title.
(ii) The municipality has adopted bylaws and regulations in accordance with sections 4414, 4418, and 4442 of this title.
(iii) Unless the municipality has adopted flood hazard and river corridor bylaws, applicable to the entire municipality, that are consistent with the standards established pursuant to 10 V.S.A. § 755b (flood hazard) and 10 V.S.A. § 1428(b) (river corridor), the area excludes identified flood hazard and river corridors, except those areas containing preexisting development in areas suitable for infill development as defined in 29-201 of the Vermont Flood Hazard Area and River Corridor Rule.
(iv) The municipality has either public water or wastewater. If no public wastewater is available, the area must have soils that are adequate for wastewater disposal.
(v) The area has some opportunity for infill development or new development areas where the village can grow, support the development of housing to meet the regional and municipal housing targets, and be flood resilient.
(D) Transition or infill area. These areas include areas of existing or planned commercial, office, mixed-use development, or residential uses either adjacent to a planned growth or village area or a new stand-alone transition or infill area and served by, or planned for, public water or wastewater, or both. The intent of this land use category is to transform these areas into higher-density, mixed-use settlements, or residential neighborhoods through infill and redevelopment or new development. New commercial linear strip development is not allowed as to prevent it negatively impacting the economic vitality of commercial areas in the adjacent or nearby planned growth or village area. This area could also include adjacent greenfields safer from flooding and planned for future growth.
(E) Resource-based recreation areas. These areas include large-scale resource-based recreational facilities, often concentrated around ski resorts, lakeshores, or concentrated trail networks, that may provide infrastructure, jobs, or housing to support recreational activities.
(F) Enterprise areas. These areas include locations of high economic activity and employment that are not adjacent to planned growth areas. These include industrial parks, areas of natural resource extraction, or other commercial uses that involve larger land areas. Enterprise areas typically have ready access to water supply, sewage disposal, electricity, and freight transportation networks.
(G) Hamlets. Small historic clusters of homes and may include a school, place of worship, store, or other public buildings not planned for significant growth; no public water supply or wastewater systems; and mostly focused along one or two roads. These may be depicted as points on the future land use map.
(H) Rural; general. These areas include areas that promote the preservation of Vermont’s traditional working landscape and natural area features. They allow for low-density residential and some limited commercial development that is compatible with productive lands and natural areas. This may also include an area that a municipality is planning to make more rural than it is currently.
(I) Rural; agricultural and forestry. These areas include blocks of forest or farmland that sustain resource industries, provide critical wildlife habitat and movement, outdoor recreation, flood storage, aquifer recharge, and scenic beauty, and contribute to economic well-being and quality of life. Development in these areas should be carefully managed to promote the working landscape and rural economy, and address regional goals, while protecting the agricultural and forest resource value.
(J) Rural; conservation. These are areas of significant natural resources, identified by regional planning commissions or municipalities based upon existing Agency of Natural Resources mapping that require special consideration for aquifer protection; for wetland protection; for the maintenance of forest blocks, wildlife habitat, and habitat connectors; or for other conservation purposes.
(b) The various elements and statements shall be correlated with the land use element and with each other. The maps called for by this section may be incorporated on one or more maps, and may be referred to in each separate statement called for by this section.
(c) The regional plan future land use map shall delineate areas within the regional planning commission’s member municipalities that are eligible to receive designation benefits as centers and neighborhoods when the future land use map is approved by the Land Use Review Board per 10 V.S.A. § 6033. The areas eligible for designation as centers shall be identified on the regional plan future land use map as regional downtown centers and village centers. The areas eligible for designation as neighborhoods shall be identified on the regional plan future land use map as planned growth areas and village areas in a manner consistent with this section and chapter 139 of this title. This methodology shall include all approved designated downtowns, villages, new town centers, neighborhood development areas, and growth centers existing on December 31, 2025, unless the subject member municipality requests otherwise.
(d) With the exception of preexisting, nonconforming designations approved prior to the establishment of the State Community Investment program, the areas eligible for designation benefits under that program upon the Land Use Review Board’s approval of the regional plan future land use map for designation as a downtown center or village center shall not include development that is disconnected from a downtown or village center and that lacks an existing or planned pedestrian connection to the center via a complete street.
(e) The Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies shall develop, maintain, and update standard methodology and process for the mapping of areas eligible for Tier 1B status under 10 V.S.A. § 6033 and designation under chapter 139 of this title. The methodology shall be issued on or before December 31, 2024, in consultation with the Department of Housing and Community Development and Land Use Review Board.
Added 1981, No. 132 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; amended 1985, No. 188 (Adj. Sess.), § 9; 1987, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 26, 27, eff. July 1, 1989; 1997, No. 94 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 15, 1998; 2011, No. 52, § 32, eff. July 1, 2012; 2013, No. 16, § 3, eff. July 1, 2014; 2013, No. 146 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. May 27, 2014; 2015, No. 64, § 29; 2015, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.), § 16, eff. Jan. 1, 2018; 2015, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 2023, No. 47, § 11, eff. July 1, 2023; 2023, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 49, eff. June 17, 2024; 2025, No. 152 (Adj. Sess.), § 13, eff. July 1, 2026.
