Planning Commission

Draft of Town Plan 2026 now ready for review!

The Planning Commission has set the date of November 19, 2025 for its official Public Hearing on our new Town Plan. The Commission has been overseeing the work of the Town Plan Steering Committee for the last year, and reviewed the body of the Plan at their October 15th meeting, giving it two thumbs up as an excellent piece of work! The Introduction and the 11 sections of the Town Plan 2026 Draft that the Commission approved for Public Hearing can be found below. The Implementation Table, and Appendix of Data and Additional Information will be posted here shortly.

Link to the Town Plan 2026 Draft ►►►► HERE

The schedule for moving forward to adopt the Plan is as follows:

November 4, 2025 - Presentation of the Plan to the Selectboard and the public at a special Selectboard meeting in the Richmond Free Library Community Room. This hybrid event will feature an overview of the Plan, a Q&A / discussion period, and desserts, with coffee and tea. Comments will be noted by the Steering Committee members.
November 19, 2025 – Planning Commission Public Hearing in the Town Center Meeting Room from 7 -9 pm (hybrid)
Month of December 2025 - Refinements to Plan based on public comment will be considered by Steering Committee and Planning Commission, and the Plan will be reviewed by the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC), which must approve the Plan for it to be legal
Early January, 2026 – Selectboard Public Hearing (exact date and location TBD) - If Selectboard accepts the Plan, it will be placed on the Town Meeting Day warning for a town-wide vote in March 2026
March 3, 2026 – we hope to have a vote to approve our new Town Plan 2026!

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The Planning Commission serves as leaders of the community on planning matters. Based on the input the public provides, the Planning Commission conducts its primary responsibilities of preparing and amending the Town Plan and the town’s land-use regulations (zoning and subdivision). The commission holds discussion sessions and public hearings to determine whether our current regulations are meeting our present and future needs, and whether they align with new state regulations concerning land use.

We meet 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7 to 9 PM. Meetings may be fully remote on Zoom or may be hybrid, with an in-person presence in the Town Center Meeting Room as well as on Zoom. Please check the meeting date and the agenda to see what type of meeting will be held and what is to be discussed. This information will be posted 5 days prior to the meeting, and often there will be additional materials for you to look at before the meeting. The public is invited to attend any of our meetings and provide comments at any stage of our deliberations. You may also view the video recordings of our meetings (at MMCTV) and email us your comments.

Thank you,

Virginia Clarke

Chair, Richmond Planning Commission