Posted by Joanna on Apr 8th, 2009
Our Upper Valley planners quarterly gathering was hosted by Norwich yesterday. Great chili made by Phil and amazing lemon tart provided by Woodstock’s Michael Brands - it was all delicious.
We shared war stories. Talked about development activity (or lack thereof); and the status of land use projects (Norwich adopted new zoning in Dec. & continues to work on MP update, Woodstock’s also working on new zoning (1500′ ridgeline protection) including significant protections for vernal pools and vernal pool clusters and new stormwater regs, UVLSRPC is out straight writing grants & gearing up for the Intermodal Transit Site Feasibility study & GIS activity, Enfield & Dartmouth are doing stuff, etc…) Continue Reading »
Posted by Joanna on Jul 18th, 2008
At the June Commuting Breakfast, Bill Barr presented Dartmouth’s package of transportation demand management programs to an employee-filled Alumni Hall. Feedback from the breakfast has encouraged Dartmouth’s parking and transportation committee to pursue additional programs for faculty, staff and students. Such new programs may include vanpools, expanded opportunities for cyclists and maybe even Zipcars.
Posted by Joanna on Jul 11th, 2008
A fresh planning perspective from the young people in a community… Manchester, VT has appointed high school students to their local boards and there seems to be benefits for all. Wouldn’t it be great to have high school and/or college student representated on the local Planning Board or Conservation Commission or Bike-Ped Committee? It’s not unheard of in Hanover - the Dresden School Board has a seat for a HHS Council member. Not only would there be a different perspective, it would address the ever-growing concern of our aging volunteers. Check out the recent Scenarios article for more details about Manchester.
Posted by Joanna on Jun 12th, 2008
Yesterday, the Lebanon Planning Office hosted the quarterly informal Upper Valley planners group. Local and regional planners gathered to talk about public process, community input, and development activity in their respective towns and regions. Conversation focused on innovative public involvement techniques; permit timing and development review scheduling; and the differences between the East and West. A number of our local planners have had extensive experience in Colorado, Arizona and Montana. All states that use their professional planning staff to provide specific recommendations for approval or denials. We all agreed that here in New England, professional planners tend to present “both sides of the coin” and let the layplanners make the decisions. It seems more of the exception than the rule that pro-planners tell boards what to do…very interesting observations shared by all.
We all agreed to get together at the NNECAPA conference in Woodstock, VT in September for a local chapter socializing.
Posted by Joanna on May 22nd, 2008
At Wednesday’s school board meeting, the Ray School PTO transportation committee presented results of a recent parent survey and recommendations. The two main recommendations were to improve the bus routes and ridership, and create a safer environment at the school and nearby neighborhoods for walkers and bikers. Interesting how the Ray School and Dartmouth face similar challenges. One of the most telling bits of material gathered by the PTO committee was a video clip recorded at the egress of the school at 2:45 pm (the end of day) on Thursday, May 15. The clip is real time: School stop sign
