Planning Commission Kicks Off Town Plan Update With April 28 Public Session
by Charlotte Planning Commission,
April 7, 2011, page 1.....

The Planning Commission wants to know what town residents think about the current Town Plan and what they would like to see addressed in the next update of the plan.
State statute requires towns to update their town plans every five years. The current plan was adopted at the March Town Meeting, 2008, so it will expire in March 2013. In order to meet deadlines for warnings, the Planning Commission hopes to begin the formal public hearing process in the late spring of 2012 – about one year away. That seems like a long time, but it has typically taken the town a year or more to do a thorough review and update of our Town Plan in the past, so it is important that people bring their thoughts or concerns to the Planning Commission’s attention now.
To this end, the Planning Commission will be holding a public input session at the Charlotte Senior Center on Thursday, April 28. The event will start with refreshments at 6:30 p.m. followed by a facilitated discussion at 7 p.m.
Items to be discussed include:
Should we consider changing the placement and size of the village, rural, shoreland and conservation zoning districts, as well as the density and minimum lot size within these districts?
Do we want more commercial activity? What kind and where should it be located?
How strongly should “areas of high public value” (agricultural, wildlife and scenic resources) be protected?
Do we want to do more to encourage and support agriculture?
What improvements are desired in the transportation system, including our bicycling and walking system?
Should the town address energy use and/or generation?
Should Thompson’s Point have a master plan to help guide public uses and protect private uses?
Should the Town Plan continue to advocate for undergrounding utility lines?
Should the town take over maintenance of fire ponds and dry hydrants?
Should the town reduce or expand provisions intended to facilitate affordable housing?
Are there other considerations that our Town Plan needs to address, add or delete?