On January 26, 2009, Fairfax was awarded $10,850 in state funds to complete a revision to the Zoning Bylaws and Subdivision Regulations. This grant comes from the state Municipal and Regional Planning Fund, which was established in 1988 to help Vermont municipalities develop and implement their town plans. Fairfax was one of 40 towns across Vermont selected in a competitive award process. The projects funded this year will support planning activities such as updating town plans, maps and zoning bylaws, as well as planning-related downtown and village revitalization projects.
The Town of Fairfax is the fastest growing community in Franklin County. As a result, the Town is facing many important challenges, including increased demand for municipal services, coming to a consensus on how to manage growth, and bringing together a dynamic community with many new members. The Town of Fairfax considered these issues in a recent Town Plan update (adopted on September 22, 2008). The Zoning Bylaw and Subdivision Regulation revision will build on the momentum of the 2008 Town Plan update by taking on specific implementation steps identified by the community.
The Planning Commission meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm at the Town Office and will be working on the Zoning Bylaw and Subdivision Regulation revision at most of these meetings. Agendas are posted in the Town Office. All meetings are open to the public. Minutes can be viewed here: http://www.vtgrandpa.com/fxtown/past-pcminutes-index.html.
The Planning Commission is structurally rewriting the regulations by combining the Zoning Bylaws and Subdivision Regulations into one document titled the Fairfax Development Regulations and reorganizing the order of the table of contents. Tables and diagrams will also be added to clearly relay standards. The intent is to make the bylaws easier to use and administer with a simple, accessible format. Aside from these structural changes, the Planning Commission has prepared an issues and opportunities report, which serves as a “laundry list” of items to address in the reorganized Development Regulations. This report can be viewed here: Bylaw Issues & Opportunities.pdf. The draft reorganized table of contents can be viewed here: Draft Table of Contents.pdf.
If you have any questions or comments on this project please contact Skip Taylor, Fairfax Zoning Administrator, at 849-6111.