Bennington planners win kudos
Toolbox
By PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER - Published: November 2, 2009
BENNINGTON – The town's Planning Commission was named "Citizen Board of the Year" at the Vermont Planners Association's fall conference, earning its members praise from the Select Board.
Planning Commission Chairman Barry Horst said on Friday that credit should go to the Select Board and all the members of the commission.
"There's a give-and-take between the Planning Commission and the Select Board but without a select board's willingness, a planning commission doesn't go too far. … Also, I can't say enough about the guys on the Planning Commission. Every one of them contributes a lot to where we came from and where we want to go to," he said.
Horst also thanked Daniel Monks, Bennington's planning director and zoning administrator.
In a letter nominating the commission, Faith Ingulsrud, planning coordinator for the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs, said members of her agency had visited Bennington after the town applied for "growth center" designation.
"(The Planning Commission members) have rigorously supported the downtown and actively sought to direct appropriate development towards the growth center. We all know how difficult it is to craft and guide the adoption of regulations that actually implement their town plan goals but this team has done it," Ingulsrud wrote.
Lodie Colvin, chairwoman of the Select Board, congratulated the members of the Planning Committee at the board meeting on last week after she announced the award.
"(The Select Board gives) a pat on the back to the planners that are volunteers in this community. They're kind of unsung heroes … but (this award is a) really, really wonderful recognition that goes to them," he said.
Planning commissions can be less visible to the general public in their town because, unlike the development review boards, the planners are not generally responsible for looking at individual proposals.
Instead the planning commission looks at more big-picture issues like the town plan, areas where development would be encouraged or discouraged and design guideline and regulations which protect the "look" of a municipality.
The nomination letter cited the Planning Commission's accomplishments including a large-scale retail bylaw, designed to protect the town from overdevelopment of big-box retail stores; an inventory and protective regulations for the town's scenic resources; and the successful bid for growth center designation, making Bennington the second town in Vermont to win the designation.
Bennington County Regional Commissioner James Sullivan also wrote a letter of support for the nomination. Sullivan said that as a planner with his agency, he had many opportunities to work with the local commission.
"There is no question that the quality of life for residents and the economic prospects of Bennington are much improved because of their efforts. … Because they have been bold and assertive, the Planning Commission has received some criticism but they have remained resolute and the results of their hard work can be seen in Bennington's attractive and prosperous downtown, its comfortable residential neighborhoods and in the singular beauty of its rural landscapes," Sullivan wrote.
On Friday, Sullivan said some of the commission's positions that had attracted some controversy were its firm stance on keeping development to the growth center when possible and some of its regulations for protecting scenic resources and guiding design in the downtown. However, Sullivan said he didn't believe Bennington's regulations were particularly more controversial than any other Vermont municipality's planning commission.
Horst said it was gratifying to get an award because their work often goes unrecognized.
"Some people think (a town's appearance) just happens but it takes a lot of hard work to get there," he said.
patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com
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