<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4coxHT_1H3zXzmy00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4coxHT_1H3zXzmy00" width="1112" height="715" ><figcaption>Courtesy City of Essex Junction</figcaption></figure>ESSEX JUNCTION — Essex Junction City Council warned a public hearing for Dec. 16 concerning a land development code which would allow for up to 10 story developments in designated areas. The land use development code creates guidelines for developers which will allow Essex Junction to follow housing goals set in the 2025 Vermont Housing Needs Assessment. The proposed LDC is an element of the Connect the Junction Master Plan.As part of the Connect the Junction Master Plan, the city conducted a housing capacity analysis. The study identified capacity for up to 2,008 additional housing units in the city center and Pearl Street corridor. 2,008 housing units is about two-thirds of the Vermont Housing Needs Assessment for the city’s mid-range target of 3,061 additional homes by 2050. The LDC encompasses the entire City of Essex Junction, dividing the land up into zoning districts with specific zoning regulations based on the needs and limitations of each area.“I want to reiterate that we are not building and we are not making the decisions of what to build,” councilor Bethany Clark said. “We are opening up opportunities for developers.”The height regulations in the LDC vary by designated district. Under chapter six of the LDC, zoning regulations list over a dozen districts: some include village center, highway-arterial, light industrial, and multi-family residential one, two and three.Within the village center, height maximums vary by allotted four stories, seven stories and nine stories. In other areas, such as multi-family residential three, the height maximum is three stories or 35 feet, whichever is less. Developers are allowed one additional story if they follow state guidelines for affordable housing. “I know that this entire proposal was run through the fire department when it came to fruition,” Vice President Tim Miller, a longtime member of Essex Junction fire department, said in response to public comment. “So to say that the department doesn’t have the capabilities or the understanding or the training is a farce.” Essex Junction Fire Department owns and operates an aerial truck, which Miller said “has a 105-foot stick which means it does have 10-story reach.”Developers are required to provide green space depending on development size. These spaces are broken up into site amenities, which are not necessarily open to the public, and civic spaces, which are open to the public. The LDC requires a fee paid in lieu of green space which developers must pay if they do not comply with the site amenity and civic space regulations. The fees would then go toward a civic space fund aimed to improve public gathering places. “In terms of being able to pay into the civic space fund, so that’s paying in lieu instead of providing the actual space, only small lots would be able to pay completely,” Chris Yuen, the city’s community development director, said. “The larger lots would only be able to pay half of it. They would still have to provide something.”Councilor Raj Chawla expressed concern for developers paying fees instead of providing green space, but followed up with his appreciation for the program creating civic spaces and site amenities. Miller expressed similar sentiments to Chawla, saying there is not significant land for the city to purchase with the fees, but asked if they could be used to enhance green spaces which are already in Essex Junction, to which Yuen replied they could be. “If we find that people are just paying into the fund, which is great for the city generally, then we’re not achieving the goal of having something on site, where people live,” Chawla said.Buildings must be setback from the sidewalks and have green space barriers with trees and shrubbery creating space between other houses and developments. Building exteriors must have varied features such as high quality material and color. These features as well as others aim to create a more visually appealing streetscape and attempt to maintain the character and historic qualities of each neighborhood. The counselors encouraged civic participation through reading available materials on the city website, the city newsletter and at the upcoming public hearing in December. Miller made the motion to hold the public hearing. It passed unanimously. </div></body>

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ESSEX JUNCTION — Essex Junction City Council warned a public hearing for Dec. 16 concerning a land development code which would allow for up to 10 story developments in designated areas. The land use development code creates guidelines for developers which will allow Essex Junction to follow housing goals...

City Council warns land development code hearing Dec. 16

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ESSEX JUNCTION — Essex Junction City Council warned a public hearing for Dec. 16 concerning a land development code which would allow for up to 10 story de

City Council warns land development code hearing Dec. 16

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