Building Standards

Earlier we discussed how the Building Standards and Design Guidelines came to be written. The key takeaway here is that Building Standards are required and enforceable, while Design Guidelines are suggestions. These standards and guidelines are used by the Planning Board during site plan reviews for any projects requiring permitting approval. It’s important residents understand the proposed mix of housing types for Town Center and are comfortable that these types and configuration are what they want. Builders who present 40R site plans for review must abide by these building standards. The Building Standards and Design Guidelines are part of the application to DHCD but they may not require approval at Fall Town meeting as these are working documents for the Planning Board or PAA, depending on what that body ends up looking like.

If we are interested in long term sustainability - especially when addressing pollution and LEED standards - many guidelines should, in fact, be standards. The Climate Change Council has taken the lead here.

Please find attached the revised version per town committee input of the Table of Dimensional Requirements and Building Standards and Design Guidelines.

Finally, these Standards are very important as they will determine the “look” of the build-out of our Main Street.

Table of Uses

Along with a new zoning 40R amendment and Building Standards and Design Guidelines, the Table of Uses is also required to include a new Overlay District. There have also been changes to other sections of the Zoning Bylaw to conform with the 40R amendment. To give you an idea of the complexity of the 40R Zoning amendment, our current Zoning Bylaw is 64 pages long; the proposed 40R amendment is 33 pages long.

Please read with care for some uses are included that you may not want. If you have a question about the definition of the use, go to the Zoning Bylaw and look it up in the Definitions section.

Revised Table of Uses p. 1:

Revised Table of Uses p. 2:

Revised Table of Uses p. 3:

As the Master Plan noted, the town has no bylaw language regarding adult entertainment nor is it mentioned (therefore prohibited?) in the Table of Uses. We also believe there is no language protecting the town against escort services. Other scenarios may come to mind. Please see Rutland’s Article X in its bylaw regarding the above.

The Table of Uses is important because it is a guide used by the Building Department, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and residents. What we allow to be built not only shapes the contours and content of our town but, in regards to our Main Street area, impacts the lives of all those who live and work there. It impacts how much green house gas emissions, heat domes, and light pollution occurs in our Town Center which will become even more densely populated and built out should 40R pass town meeting.