Middlesex Planning Commission Minutes,
June 8, 2005

Present: Sandy Levine, Lowell Smith,
Absent: Gregg Faber; Steve Martin; Paula Crossett
Guests: Betty & Aden Crowell, Fred McCullough, Dale Klein, Jim Colby; Dave Shepard; Bill Rossmassler

Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm. No quorum was present or available. Following are notes of discussion that took place and input provided by people present. No action was taken or decisions made. 

1) Mixed – Use District / Interim Zoning:
 • Sandy noted that PC was working on a draft to make permanent the Interim Zoning changes. It is her recommendation that the changes should following the existing Interim Zoning for the Mixed Use district rather than the revisions included in September 2004 zoning re-write proposal that was not adopted by voters. As written in the September 2004 draft, there are many references to other parts of the proposal that are not in the current zoning.
 • Betty Crowell asked if their property should be part of the mixed use district.
 • Jim Colby expressed concern about the Mixed Use zoning and changes between the Interim Zoning and the September 2004 proposed zoning. These include:
  o Use of earth resources should be allowed anywhere on the property and not only in the Mixed Use District;
  o Building height limitation should be 40 ft not 35 ft
  o Elderly housing should continue to be included as a listed use
  o More than 4 units per building should be allowed, especially if there is interest in encouraging elderly housing
  o More uses should be allowed in the district.
  o Mixed Uses in this area does not maximize the economic benefit for the Town
  o The Mixed Use area should extend farther up Center Road and include the other side of Colby Road
  o The back field on the Colby property should be Mixed Use and not Conservation
  o The PRD or PUD requirements in the Sept. 2004 zoning proposal are too restrictive for development in the Mixed Use district
 • Fred McCullough & Dale Klein suggested the area should allow industrial & commercial uses. If there is concern about big box stores, limit those uses, but do not limit all commercial or larger industrial uses. This area is good for uses that do not now fit in the Village. The Village has a main road going through it and it is difficult for this area to develop as a Village. Middlesex should consider having the Mixed Use area be a separate Village. 
 • Sandy noted these issues were discussed in drafting the Village Plan and in the recent re-write of the Town Plan. If these changes are wanted, the Town Plan would need to be revised.
 • Gregg was going to look at Telecommunication ordinance. Sandy prepared preliminary draft that includes the Telecom section from the September 2004 zoning proposal. Sandy will circulate before next meeting to have it available for discussion. For a vote in the fall, the PC should have a final proposal ready in August.

2) Review maps & Development Potential analysis prepared by Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission.
 • Reviewed maps from CVRPC
 • Dale Klein also has the data available, along with parcel data on his computer so we could review the various overlays.
 • Suggested that the PC use contours & waterways to define boundaries.
 • Resources such as deer yards and ag soils are good to know about but not ideal for identifying boundaries.
 • Dale Klein suggested the need to look beyond zoning and suggested the PC should address the tax burdens on large landowners or else there will always be pressure to subdivide the larger parcels.
 • Reducing tax burdens or the effect on taxes need to be addressed.
 • Bill Rossmassler noted that residential development generally does not pay in taxes the cost of providing the services needed by such development. Conservation, Industrial & Commercial development generally pay more in taxes than they use in Town services.
 • Suggestion that if goal is to reduce tax burden then density should be increased in some areas and land available for commercial & industrial land should be increased.
 • Jim Colby noted that the Mixed use district should allow more than residential and should allow development that will increase the tax base. Development there is not visible and close to services, such as the Interstate. 

Meeting ended at 8:30 p.m.