Chester planners propose new district to spur housing

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC

After internal dissension of Chester’s Planning Commission burst into the open two years ago, with that panel removing its chair and the Select Board declining to re-appoint one member, the group seems to have found its focus.

At first, the commission looked at ways to amend the zoning regulations, known as Unified Development Bylaws, to make them more amenable to existing and prospective businesses and are now looking at the changes they can make to encourage the construction of affordable housing.

New and updated downtown districts

At its regular meeting Monday night, before reviewing a new way of treating downtown districts that they hope will stimulate the building of affordable housing, the commission heard from Town Manager Julie Hance. Hance told commission members that she had discussed forming a volunteer housing committee but on reflection thought that a “housing commission” with more authority and autonomy was the better move. She said a commission would be less powerful than a “housing authority,” which typically can acquire property and construct and manage housing.

Hance envisions a housing commission consisting of community members with a broad range of knowledge and skills that would mesh with the work that the group will do. The commission would include a member of the Chester Planning Commission and someone from the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission. Hance added that the commission would be subject to the Open Meetings Law. She added that hopes the commission will be approved by the Select Board agenda at its May 17 meeting.

Planning Commission chair Hugh Quinn asked what the relationship between the housing commission and the Planning Commission would be. Hance explained that Planning would still be responsible for zoning regulations but with the two commissions working “closely together” on housing regulations.

As to a timeline for getting the new commission up and running, Hance said she would want to advertise for participants, then have the Select Board choose members. She said mid-July might be a bit aggressive, but hoped the commission would be working by August or September.

The Planning Commission then turned its attention to discussing with regional commission Executive Director Jason Rasmussen the proposed changes to the “non-rural” districts including the “Village Center” as well as the R-20 and R-40 districts. These include much of the area around the central “village” of Chester. The impetus for the commission’s work is to make zoning regulations friendlier to building affordable housing for middle and lower income residents.

Under the new rules, the R-20 and R-40 districts would be combined into a new “Neighborhood District,” to encourage housing construction.

Currently within Village Center, R-20 and R-40, the zoning administrator can issue a permit to construct a single or two-family home. The proposed regulations would increase that to three- and four-family homes within those districts, with five or more units requiring a conditional use permit that could only be issued after a hearing before the Development Review Board.

Also in the proposed bylaws minimum lot sizes would be decreased to a one-eighth of an acre in the Village Center district and one-fifth of an acre in the R-20. Requirements like minimum frontage, front, side and rear setbacks would be decreased and the allowable size of the home would be increased.

The rules differentiate between those lots with town water and sewer and those without. Because of the needs of separating water from on-site septic and having enough land for a leach field, lots sizes are not reduced as much within the R-20 and R-40 districts that are not hooked up to town water and sewer.

Quinn asked Rasmussen about how the changes would be received by neighbors if four family units could be approved by Zoning Administrator Preston Bristow without a hearing. Rasmussen noted that they may not be happy with that, but that one cause of the lack of affordable housing is single family zoning.

Commission member Cathy Hasbrouck said that the conversion of a large old house into three or four apartments has a different feel than new apartments in a “brick box.”

The panel then turned its attention to the idea of supplemental standards that might help make new multi-family construction fit in with existing neighborhoods.

The discussion of the Village Center and Neighborhood districts will continue at the next Planning Commission meeting on Monday, May 15.