LONDONDERRY, Vt. – At the April 20 Londonderry Selectboard meeting, Town Administrator Aileen Tulloch announced that there were “some wires crossed” with some of the formalities between town attorney Bob Fisher and the Windham Selectboard regarding the hearing to discontinue Monet Lane. The hearing has been rescheduled for Monday, June 15, with a site visit at 4:30 p.m., followed by the hearing at the Windham Town Hall.
Tulloch also reported that the application for the grant for Segment 2 of the South Village wastewater project, used as the funding gap for the project, has been accepted and is moving forward.
Board Chair Tom Cavanagh shared that state Rep. Chris Morrow held a Q&A on Act 181 on April 19, and seemed to have “made it pretty clear that the Road Rule and Tier 3 are going to be [repealed].”
Act 181, passed in 2024, is an attempt to modernize the land-use and development regulations set by Act 250, passed in 1970, using tiers or areas of jurisdiction. Tier 1 areas may qualify for exemptions from Act 250 review, while Tier 3 areas contain critical natural resources that the state believed should require more regulated consideration in the permitting process. The tiered system would aim to reduce or eliminate Act 250 permitting in Tier 1 areas, which are planned for growth, lowering the barrier to development, and aim to increase permitting in Tire 3 natural resource areas that otherwise lack state-level review and protection, which would enable a restriction of development.
The Road Rule, otherwise known as the Road Construction Jurisdiction, proposes to require Act 250 permitting when a new driveway is being created that is greater than 800 feet in length, or a new road is created that is greater than 2,000 feet, including any associated driveways in combination in length. Exclusions would apply for municipal, state, farm, and forestry roads and driveways.
The state’s website confirms that the Land Use Review Board has “suspended work on Tier 3 and Road Construction Jurisdiction at this time [including guidance and rulemaking] as the legislature has indicated that it will repeal these portions of Act 181.”
Tulloch then moved to further discuss the South Village wastewater project. She reported that $3.7 million in grant funding needs to be spent by Nov. 30. The town went out to bid for the project later than planned, giving them a “pretty short window” to do the work and spend the funds. The board approved the proposal that Tulloch work with the contractor to try to expand their working hours, to have a better chance at completing the work by the deadline.
Chrissy Haskins from Dufresne Group later explained that the Town of Londonderry may also be eligible for a subsidy that would allow them to double their Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) for the wastewater projects. Haskins said the town would apply for $1,031,400 in funding, and $515,700 would be forgiven by the state, essentially making it a grant.
Additionally, Haskins said the selectboard can authorize up to $75,000 above the bonded amount, which they could also double with the CWSRF loan program. The board adopted the CWSRF resolution to increase the amount of authorized indebtedness and forgivable indebtedness.
In other news, the town hall renovation committee voted unanimously to recommend that the selectboard accept the bid for architectural services from Stevens and Associations, in the amount of $58,000, for the town hall renovation project. The services would create a master plan, code review, and other documentation that can be presented to grant funders. Tulloch said up to 20% of those soft costs can be covered by the Municipal Energy Resilience Program. The selectboard accepted the proposal from Stevens and Associates.
Short-term rental (STR) administrator Andy Dahlstrom then presented the updated STR ordinance to the board. He reported that the rental working group had been meeting every two weeks since January to make amendments and unanimously approved this edition. The document was also complemented by Fisher, who made a few revisions before final presentation to the board.
Board member Taylor Prouty questioned the STR appeals board, which Dahlstrom said would consist of three members, and which would be further discussed and established in the meetings to come. Cavanagh said that not much was changed in the ordinance, but noted that they are now requiring a placard confirming each rental unit has a license to be shown online when advertising.
The amended STR ordinance was approved by the board as presented.
The board reviewed a logo design and is sending it back for a few revisions. This will keep letterheads on town documents, emails, and the website all consistently branded moving forward.
Finally, the board appointed Chad Stoddard to the planning commission to fill a three-year term that ends April 1, 2027.
The Londonderry Selectboard meets on the first and third Mondays, at 6 p.m.