Planning Commission Draft Minutes 04.29.26

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 Guilford Planning Commission Meeting 

April 29, 2026 / 6:30 PM / 236 School Road, Guilford 

Attendees 

Planning Commission members: Christina Belogour, Jethro Eaton, Michael Knapp, Charles Light, Nathanael Mattiesen, Marty Ramsburg, Jeannette Tokarz. Selectboard liaison Mike Szostek 

Members of the public: Davida Bagatelle, Cindy Clark, Elliot Diringer, Deb McNeil, Therese Marcy, Tammy Sargeant 

Agenda 

The meeting was called to order at 6:33 pm. Members of the public were acknowledged. Rules of order discussed 

Agenda order was changed to cluster FYI items together in order to cluster the 2 discussion items at the end 

Minutes of March 25, 2026 meeting were approved by unanimous vote 

FYI Items: 

1. Town Special Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6 at 6:30 pm at the BBCC to vote on 2 articles to determine if Planning Commission members should be elected to their positions rather than appointed as is the current practice. The public is encouraged to attend 

2. The Guilford Permit Guide is available on the Town website under ‘Guilford Info.’ The guide is intended to assist property owners in researching which permits may be needed prior to starting a project. 

3. Upcoming Windham Regional Commission informational seminars: a. Implementing the Town Plan-Regulatory and Non-regulatory strategies. 5/19/26, 6-7 pm. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82023137544?pwd=VTGyNTDugb7HnjHMzvhj4cUlQZMRHE. 

b. What Can Towns Do to Support More Housing? 6/10/26, 6-7 pm. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87057495581?pwd=VnbhStTxjWMtSqGjNIUpr08y5QXmdG.1 

New Business: 

1. Act 181 Update ○ Jeannette discussed that during this legislative session the Senate passed a bill to delay implementation of the controversial Road Rule and Tier 3 provisions contained in Act 181. That bill is currently in the House Environment Committee. The Chair of that committee and the Speaker of the House have indicated that House amendments to the Senate bill will repeal the Road Rule and Tier 3.. The Land Use Review Board has ceased work on these provisions in anticipation of their repeal. 

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○ With the Road Rule and Tier 3 removed from Act 181, Guilford reverts to status quo with regards to Act 250 permitting requirements: ■ Commercial/industrial projects one acre in size or greater 

■ Subdivision of a parcel that creates 6 or more lots 

■ Act 250 doesn’t have jurisdiction over private home construction although other state permits may be needed. 

○ Act 181 contains provisions that provide modest benefits to Guilford: ■ Our 2 Village Centers are retained and the requirement to reapply for that status every 7 years has been removed. The amount of tax credits available to redevelopment of commercial projects in Village Centers has been doubled. 

■ The definition of Accessory on Farm Business has been changed to make it easier for farms to sell products grown on other farms and removes Act 250 jurisdiction over construction farm preparation and processing facilities. https://agriculture.vermont.gov/development/accessory-farm-businesses 

○ Statewide benefits include enhanced funding for some housing programs, removal of Act 250 jurisdiction in Tier 1 areas, overrides of bylaws that restrict construction of ADUs and multifamily homes. 

○ Tammy Sargeant requested that the Planning Commission write a letter to state officials requesting that the Road Rule and Tier 3 be repealed or that Act 181 be repealed entirely. Commission members felt that its role would be to advise the Selectboard to a specific course of action rather than write a letter independently. Members felt that more information was needed in order to proceed. ■ Tammy will send Jeannette a summary of key points supporting repeal of Act 181 a week or more ahead of the next PC meeting 

■ At next month’s meeting the PC will discuss the information and vote on the requested action 

2. Combing last meeting follow up and new business due to overlapping themes: ○ A working group made up of Elliot Diringer, Michael Knapp, Therese Marcy and Jeannette Tokarz had met to discuss how to facilitate community engagement in achieving the vision expressed in Guilford’s Town Plan. Three steps were discussed ■ Share relevant information 

■ Understand residents’ priorities and shared values 

■ Evaluate as a community tools that could be used to achieve those priorities 

○ From there Christina presented statistics on housing growth in Guilford: From 2001-2019 there were 164 ‘new primary structures.’ Guilford’s population has 

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been essentially stagnant since the late 1700’s but existing homes may not meet modern priorities for space, etc. 

○ She also reviewed a list of possible rationales for adopting land use regulations vs no change and highlighted that there are trade-offs inherent in any course of action. A draft of her framing of the issues (which had been sent via email to Commission members in advance) is attached to these minutes: Balanced approach to land use discussion 

○ The commission then talked about what might be a relevant topic of interest to most Guilford residents that would allow us to facilitate a thoughtful discussion (e.g., neutral language, presenting options rather than outcomes, incorporating different voices to provide a range of perspectives, use of a neutral moderator). 

○ Suggestions included holding listening sessions with specific groups and potentially partnering with local organizations like the Grange to facilitate these conversations. Including food was seen as important to promote attendance. 

○ The group discussed potential topics for community conversations, with a member of the working group presenting four proposed topics: A New Land Use Map for Guilford, River Corridor protections, Where will our Children live (housing discussion) and Conservation efforts under Act 59. Marty raised concerns about the lack of a clear “hook” or specific topic for discussion, emphasizing the need to engage the broader community before making decisions. Christina suggested focusing on increasing the tax base through housing development as a relevant and engaging topic for the community. 

○ Consensus emerged to focus on housing as increased housing can 1) provide homes for working families 2) increase the tax base. The working group will convene again to discuss developing such a program and report back at next month’s meeting 

Action Items 

1. Tammy will send Jeannette a summary of key points supporting repeal of Act 181 a week or more ahead of the next PC meeting 

2. At next month’s meeting the PC will discuss the information and vote on the requested action 

3. The working group will convene again to discuss developing such a program and report back at next month’s meeting 

Adjournment 

Meeting adjourned at 7:59 pm after unanimous vote 

Next Meeting 

Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 6:30 pm 

Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83942012410 4 

Disclaimer: portions of these minutes were created by reviewing the meeting summary generated by Zoom AI companion and in some instances, pasting language from that summary into them. Minutes were created by Jeannette Tokarz. 

Addendum to be added: “Balanced approach to land use discussion.pdf”