Vermont land‑use history lesson
A VTDigger retrospective revisits a failed 1970 attempt to create a statewide land‑use map, offering lessons as lawmakers debate Act 181 and current land‑use mapping proposals. Organizers are being urged to study past political dynamics to avoid repeating mistakes. (vtdigger.org)
The 1970 statewide land-use plan was drafted by staff in Governor Deane C. Davis’s office, according to the VTDigger retrospective recounting the episode. (vtdigger.org) Act 250 — Vermont’s Land Use and Development law — was enacted in 1970 and provided the statutory framework that the proposed map would have used to direct which developments faced state review. (vermonthistory.org) Deane C. Davis is documented as shepherding Act 250 through the 1969–1970 legislative session while his gubernatorial papers record simultaneous statewide planning efforts tied to that statute. (vermonthistory.org) The current overhaul, Act 181, was signed into law on June 17, 2024, and explicitly tasks Regional Planning Commissions with producing standardized Future Land Use (FLU) maps to guide growth and conservation. (nrpcvt.com) Act 181 gives the Land Use Review Board (LURB) final authority to approve regional plans before FLU maps become operative, concentrating decisive map approval in a small appointed body. (theregreview.org) Recent public conflict echoes 1970-era tensions: VTDigger reported hundreds protesting Act 181 on the Statehouse steps on March 24, 2026, and described Senate debates in late March that kept conservation measures under intense scrutiny. (vtdigger.org 1) (vtdigger.org 2) Regional plans under Act 181 can be administratively adjusted for small map changes (generally under 10 acres) without a full plan amendment, making RPC hearings and LURB review the practical leverage points for local advocacy. (centralvtplanning.org) (act250.vermont.gov)
