Public Notice - Warned Hearing

MORRISTOWN SELECTBOARD & MORRISVILLE VILLAGE TRUSTEES WARNED PUBLIC HEARING ON AMENDMENTS TO THE ZONING AND SUBDIVISION BYLAWS

Via this notice, public hearings in Morrisville are warned for proposed changes to the Morrisville/Morristown Zoning & Subdivision Bylaws (referred to hereafter as “the Zoning Bylaws”). The Morristown Selectboard’s public hearing is scheduled for Monday 17 June 2024 at 5:30PM in the Community Meeting Room of the Morristown Municipal Offices at 43 Portland St (an electronic meeting option is also available for this meeting via the Zoom link found on the Selectboard’s regular meeting agenda for this same date). The Morrisville Village Trustee’s public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday 19 June 2024 at 5:30PM at the offices of Morrisville Water & Light at 857 Elmore Street (an electronic meeting option is also available for this meeting via the Zoom link found on the Village Trustee’s regular meeting agenda for this same date). The Morristown Selectboard & Morrisville Village Trustees hereby provide notice of these public hearings being held so that the Zoning Bylaws may be revised pursuant to 24 VSA, Chapter 117: §4302, §4410-§4414, §4441, §4442 & §4444.

Morrisville/Morristown Zoning and Subdivision Bylaws Table of Contents (abbreviated):

I. General Provisions / II. District Establishment and Regulations / III. Special Protection Areas / IV. General Regulations / V. Special Regulations & Provisions / VI. Administration and Enforcement / VII. Subdivision Application and Approval Procedure / VIII. Subdivision General Requirements and Design Standards / X. Definitions / XI. Zoning District Boundaries

Morrisville/Morristown Zoning Bylaws Statement of Purpose: To provide for orderly community growth, to provide for public health, safety and welfare, and to achieve the purposes set forth in the Vermont Municipal and Regional Development Act 24 VSA, Chapter 117, and the Town Plan.

The proposed amendments to the Morrisville/Morristown Zoning Bylaws are:  

§201.1 & §472: Delete Mixed Office Residential & Medium Density Residential Zones due to HOMES Act zone consolidation

§201.3: Clarify that when the sewer service management area splits a lot, it can be moved either way by the DRB

§204.4 & §206.4: Edit Waiver provision so minimum lot size cannot be reduced by the DRB

§204.5: Edit existing waiver language meant to encourage affordable housing so it complies with HOMES Act

§204.5a: Edit Use Table for HOMES Act, building height reductions, add accessory on-farm business, & 2 zone deletions

§204.5b: Edit Dimensional Table for HOMES Act, new larger rural lot size, max village lot size, density change, delete 2 zones

§206: Edit Design Criteria to regulate single-family homes for 1st time, delete IND #4 therefrom, and reorder requirements

§206.1: Add missing middle criteria to Design Criteria for small projects & delete exterior access townhouse rule

§206.2: Add commercial building size maximums & disallow direct stormwater discharges onto public properties / roads 

§206.3: Create new Cottage Court (small single-family homes) development alternative for DRB approval

§207e: Clarify front setback measurement when no sidewalk is present or will be required

§401: Better align permit requirement to the as-revised definition of Development

§405.3: Delete Infectious Invalidity prohibition since minimum lot size waivers will no longer be allowed post zoning change

§422: Clarify that the ZA may permit no more than 2 dwellings off a shared driveway, not just a private driveway

§422b: Allow DRB to approve development of 3 or more homes on narrower 30-foot rights-of-way if the road will be private

§423: Make HOMES Act changes to various protected uses with limited zoning control per State Statutes

§451: Allow Selectboard to work with developers to create new public off-street parking that counts toward parking minimums

§452: Make HOMES Act changes to when paving is required for development, & tie paving to zones instead of village line

§454: Delete DRB ability to increase the number of parking spaces for new development due to HOMES Act

§455: Create new traffic speed dependent driveway setback requirement

§456: Codify long-standing Access Permit process for driveways into Zoning Bylaws

§484: Delete qualifying statement about where new gas stations are allowed because they are not allowed anywhere

§490.5: Allow up-lighting of architectural elements of Contributing Structures within 1983 Morrisville Historic District

§635: Delete certain DRB new development mitigation tools that are now prohibited by the HOMES Act

§641: Change receiving party of appeals to Secretary from Chair

§710.2: Change major versus minor subdivision differentiation back to 3 lots from 2 lots

§770: Require net & gross lot acreages when lots are surveyed to centerline of public roads & delete unused survey reqs.

-Add, modify, or delete these definitions (mostly due HOMES Act): Accessory Dwelling Unit, Accessory On-Farm Business, Accessory Use, Building Height, Cottage Court Development, Development, Dwelling Unit (Single-Family, Two-Family, & Multi-Family), Gas Station, Legislative Body, Nuisance, Official Map, Served by municipal water and sewer infrastructure, Emergency Shelter, & Sketch Plan.

-Modify, or delete these zones (mostly due HOMES Act): Commercial-1, Industrial-1, Mixed Office Residential, Hospital, High Density Residential-2, Medium Density Residential, Low Residential Density-(1,2,3) & Sewer Service Management Area

Location where full text may be examined: For questions or copies of the full text, please contact Todd Thomas at 888-6373 / tthomas@morristownvt.org, or contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 43 Portland St.