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BRANDON PLANNING COMMISSION FEB. 2, 2009
Planning Commissioners present: Ethan Swift, Anne Bransfield, Linda Stewart, Jenny Nixon
Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.
Ethan Swift read the following: The Department of Housing and Community Affairs is exploring the feasibility of addressing quality new housing for working families. The State has identified the 69 acre parcel at the Brandon Training School as "surplus" property that can be liquidated. Brandon has identified a need for quality affordable housing in Brandon. DHCA has conducted initial discussions with Brandon regarding using the 69 acre parcel for such affordable housing. Tony Stout is working with DHCA to complete the feasibility of a project at the site and would like to discuss conceptual Planned Unit Development (PUD) project layouts and garner the Town and community support for the project.
Tony Stout said the state is interested in generating quality new housing for working families. One idea is to use surplus state lands and take out the land cost and leverage that value in creative ways. It can either be taken out of the equation or financed in creative ways so people have a better opportunity to buy new single family homes. He said these homes would normally come on the market in the $225,000-230,000 range and the hope is to get them on the market in the range of $180,000.
Ethan Swift said the equation used in Vermont to determine what is "affordable housing" is that Vermonters would spend about one third of their income on housing. Tony said they are trying to not plug this into existing programs. The state wants to target working class families that are finding there is a gap to get into decent housing. The state wants to seek development partners by using its surplus state lands. The state believes that no developer will walk in if there is risk. He is trying to identify risk factors and make them "go away." Tony said his company is doing the consulting - they specialize in engineering, planning and hazmat in support of development in Vermont. They would not do the development or engineering on the project but they are doing the feasibility. Kiersten said Brandon has been selected as a pilot. Kevin Dorn has had a conversation with Keith Arlund about this.
Linda Stewart said she doesn't understand why the state doesn't come in and rehab the homes along Route 7, that is where young middle class families start out. The state could come in as a partner with a homeowner. They could work on homes that are not in great shape instead of a building project with new homes. Kiersten said there are some organizations that do that type of work but some people want to move into a new home. Keith Arlund said Neighborworks of Western Vermont does work with low income folks, primarily funded by federal funds flowing into the state and they do help people fixing up homes which need help.
Tony Stout said the 69 acre parcel has been approved by the legislature that it can be sold. The state had heard the town was interested in looking for decent middle income housing. He said it seemed like a logical fit. He said the state acknowledges that if the community is not interested, they won't pursue it. He said the state is looking at leveraging $30,000 - 50,000 per house.
Ethan Swift said there are a couple of PUDs in town. Mt Pleasant and Forrest Brook each have lots for sale. Spring Pond was recently approved PUD for 69 lots and has received Act 250 certification, but there hasn't been any actual building yet likely due to the downturn in the housing market. If we are to look at future land use and development issues, then We should recognize the need for affordable housing. Ethan questioned the housing values which he considers higher than what he considers to be affordable housing. Anne Bransfield said she also feels the number sounds high.
Kiersten said the project was started when the economy was hot. There has been a steady decline in housing sales, jobs, and the economy. She said Tony and his company have the time to do this 'right' and turn it over when the time is right. Tony said in the housing market, the problem area is between being in the rental market, renting older homes, or buying a fixer-upper. The gap between that - buying in the $130,000 - 140,000 range and getting into a "new construction" home - there is a big gap. He has seen a lot of people who are held back from getting into new housing. He said getting people into new homes has a ripple effect. The state is thinking to go with the place where they have the leverage - they have the land. They don't own all the homes along Route 7.
Ethan Swift said the Neshobe Farms project is another proposed housing project. He described their proposed plans. They own a large block of open land and they are proposing to develop different types of housing. Tony Stout said he will be doing a market study to look at some of these issues. They don't want to undercut the private market. They want to fill a market hole.
Keith Arlund asked how the study was being funded. Kiersten said there was an appropriation a couple of years ago. It is all with state funds. Tony said they are looking at sites in some other places in the state as well. This is the first one that they have pursued further.
Ethan Swift said the Planning Commission has looked at the potential development sites in town as far as future land use is concerned. They also thought about ways to explore keeping the majority of development, especially PUDs, closer to the core center of town. The commission had talked about designating the area under discussion as part of a Designated Growth Center. There is municipal infrastructure at the training school. Ethan said he thinks the concept of the project is in keeping with some of the things the Commission has been exploring and reflects the goals in the draft town plan under the housing section.
Tony Stout said the state is interested in green projects. He defined green projects as having an absence of natural resource restraints and the proximity to infrastructure and to the community. This parcel is close to bus service, sewer, water and Park Village is appealing. The sidewalk comes to the site. It is a long walk to the village.
Linda Stewart said there had been talk of using the property for recreation facilities. However, there is no money now.
Tony said they could design the site using conventional zoning and selling off individual lots. Or, they could design it as a PUD. He showed a concept designed with quarter acre lots with reserved open land which could be for municipal use. He said these concepts do not show what the market would support, just ideas.
Ethan asked how much influence would the state have in influencing the way development would occur on the site. Could there be impact fees required of any developer as a condition from the state? What would be some additional benefits to the town? Kiersten said she thinks it would be between the town and developer once the conveyance is made. Tony said the idea is to get interest in the development industry. He will speak with a few commercial developers to talk about the concept. Tony said the homes could utilize renewable energy sources.
Keith said the Park Village apartments are fairly well occupied. Those units and the ones at the Erastus Thayer house are all a mix of market, senior and low income housing.
Tony Stout said for people "crunching the numbers" he thinks developers could / should bring in Habitat for Humanity and other housing groups. A developer could suggest apartments but that is not the primary approach the state is looking at. There are a lot of ways a developer partner could make a proposal.
Lee Kahrs said Governor Douglas has talked about his "green zones." Are there tax incentives proposed? Kiersten said she is not aware of where the green zone proposal is. Tony said there is no direct connection.
Ethan asked for considerations for process and a timeline. He said some of the financing for DHCA might be cut. Kiersten said the stimulus package might be able to be used here. Tony said the intent is to putt this out to look for bids in about three or four months. They will first finish up the feasibility portion, assuming all pieces are moving forward. There will be a look at numbers and at the land use ordinance. He would like to know from the Planning Commission what would work well in terms of generating community support. They want this to be community supported.
Linda said even though this is state sponsored, she does not feel the Planning Commission should get behind any development. The fact that this is state land is their choice. They should come in like any other developer. Ethan said the difference is the goal to provide more affordable housing which is in the town plan.
Tony said regarding the Brandon Land Use Ordinance, the HDMU district cuts across the northeast corner of the site. The ordinance provides for an extension of 35' into a neighboring district, which is Rural. There are some Class 2 wetlands which will come out of the equation.
Tony reviewed the conventional housing model. He said that meeting setbacks and density, he estimated 32-36 units in HDMU. They would have to propose duplexes to maximize the density. The Rural District zone would require two acre lots and they could develop 19-20 lots. That would be a total density calculation of mid 50 units. Tony said he doesn't like the conventional zoning design but it gets the maximum density.
Tony said the Brandon Land Use Ordinance (BLUO) does not address how to apply PUDs. State enabling legislation allows for PUDs but it is not addressed in BLUO. The subdivision regulations encourage cluster design and there is a 25% density bonus. He said that doesn't meet the definition of a PUD although he thinks the intent is there. A PUD can waive dimensional requirements and take the density figured from the conventional zoning and move it around to accommodate resources, open space, saving best lands, etc. it usually ends up being some sort of compromise. PUDs need to be authorized in zoning. He said there is density coming from two different districts here. He thinks the best development areas might be closer to the water tower. In PUDs, you can shift some density in the overall parcel. Keith Arlund said where district lines were drawn is arbitrary. Some privately owned properties have been split and this has caused issues. He said there could be some changes forthcoming.
Tony said the community could approach this in two ways: 1) Moving the HDMU line to include the entire parcel. (This will increase density). 2) Leave the districts the way they are but change the ordinance to reflect the density authority.
Tony said most green development has a commercial element. Linda said there is an effort to reinforce downtown. Tony said it wouldn't be necessarily retail but possibly support for Park Village. That is a concept for a modern mixed use PUD. Ethan said the Vermont Tubbs plant is empty. He asked if there could be compatible uses. He said they want to encourage a use that would not create nuisance issues. Tony said it is a possibility - particularly those along the backside. He said there are some undeveloped industrial park lots also which could be a potential for conflict. Keith said there are four lots remaining in the industrial park. There had been some interest but none recently.
Ethan asked about the process once they finish the feasibility study. Tony said the intent is for a competitive RFQ and then an RFP. He said if things are looking positive, he would call potential development partners and talk about it with them. He said if the numbers, community support, or development partners are not there, it won't happen. Tony said he thinks they would phase in the infrastructure. There could be a spec house or two built. The state knows that Brandon is a smaller market and that a lot of the employment base for the area has decreased.
Keith said the Selectboard had a public hearing on the feasibility study and approved the concept. They were applying for a CDBG grant but there were other factors and it was relayed to him to withdraw the application. There is support in concept from the Selectboard. The timing is questionable.
Keith said there is capacity at the treatment plant but the infrastructure is aging. A study was done on the Neshobe Farms project and there will be a significant cost for them to upgrade. Tony said that is one of the next steps for him - talking to town officials. Keith said there is support from the Selectboard conceptually. Tony said part of the feasibility study will be a letter from the town stating there is capacity and stating the conditions. They will do a rough cost estimate from that.
Tony said he did not come looking for support from the Planning Commission. He is looking for feedback on the process the town would be comfortable with to further explore. He suggested the potential for a community-wide forum. He said as part of the feasibility study, he would like a letter from the Planning Commission stating the project is in conformance with the Town Plan. Ethan said the Regional Planning Commission supports this as far as conforming with the Rutland Regional Plan and has been identified as a goal to provide affordable housing in the draft town plan. Tony said a developer would want to know there is support before moving forward.
Ethan said the Planning Commission could talk about possibly holding a public forum to solicit input on the project. Ethan also indicated that the issue of capacity of municipal infrastructure (sewer and water supply) will inform how the project will be considered on the municipal level. Keith indicated that while he thought there is existing capacity within the wastewater treatment plant, the water supply infrastructure will likely need to be upgraded to accommodate such a development. Linda said she would like to identify what people consider as middle class housing costs for a new house. She thinks that should be part of the feasibility. Jenny said that question should be explored because there are different barriers. Keith said the term they are using is workforce housing, not subsidized or affordable housing.
Ethan said that as long as plans have some compatibility with the town plan, he thinks the Planning Commission should look at holding some sort of public participation forum. Tony said he will move forward working on some of the mechanics with the town and talking with some of the developers.
Minutes - Motion by Stewart/Bransfield to approve the minutes of the following meetings: November 17, 2008, December 15, 2008, January 5, 2009 and January 19, 2009. Passed
Acting Zoning Administrator position - Ethan said there needs to be an Acting Zoning Administrator. Ethan noted that he could make an announcement to this effect at the town meeting and advertise it soon in local papers.
Planning Commission - There is one vacancy and potentially a second vacancy. This needs to be advertised.
Town Plan - The Selectboard hearing for the town plan is Feb. 23. Ethan will attend and asked other Commissioners to attend as well to represent the sections that each has worked on.
Kudos on the Town Plan
Recreation Jenny said RAPAC is embarking on a recreational inventory for the county. It will include biking, hiking, walking, snowmobile, swim, fish, hunt, etc. There will eventually be a website with all the data. It will take several years to complete. Planning Commissioners and Recreation Committee members will be invited to provide data.
There was discussion on the recreation committee survey results.
Adjourn - Being no further business, meeting was closed at 8:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted
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