Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 24 Sec. 4415

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Bylaws: means municipal regulations applicable to land development adopted under the authority of this chapter. See
  • following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
  • Land development: means the division of a parcel into two or more parcels, the construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation, or enlargement of any building or other structure, or of any mining, excavation, or landfill, and any change in the use of any building or other structure, or land, or extension of use of land. See
  • Legislative body: means the selectboard in the case of a town, the trustees in the case of an incorporated village, and the mayor, alderpersons, and city council members in the case of a city, and the supervisor in the case of an unorganized town or gore. See
  • Municipality: means a town, a city, or an incorporated village or an unorganized town or gore. See
  • Plan: means a municipal plan adopted under section 4385 of this title. See
  • Planning commission: means a planning commission for a municipality created under subchapter 2 of this chapter. See
  • Public notice: means the form of notice prescribed by section 4444, 4449, or 4464 of this title, as the context requires. See

§ 4415. Interim bylaws

(a) If a municipality is conducting or has taken action to conduct studies, or has held or is holding a hearing for the purpose of considering a bylaw, a comprehensive plan, or an amendment, extension, or addition to a bylaw or plan, the legislative body may adopt interim bylaws regulating land development in all or a part of the municipality in order to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare and provide for orderly physical and economic growth. These interim bylaws shall be adopted, reenacted, extended, or amended by the legislative body of the municipality after public hearing upon public notice as an emergency measure. They shall be limited in duration to two years from the date they become effective and may be extended or reenacted only in accordance with subsections (f) and (g) of this section. An interim bylaw adopted under this section may be repealed after public hearing, upon public notice by the legislative body. The legislative body, upon petition of five percent of the legal voters filed with the clerk of the municipality, shall hold a public hearing for consideration of amendment or repeal of the interim bylaws.

(b) An interim bylaw adopted, extended, or reenacted under this section may contain any provision authorized under this chapter.

(c) Interim bylaws shall be administered and enforced in accordance with the provisions of this title applicable to the administration and enforcement of permanent bylaws, except that uses other than those permitted by an interim bylaw may be authorized as provided for in subsection (d) of this section.

(d) Under interim bylaws, the legislative body may, upon application, authorize the issuance of permits for any type of land development as a conditional use not otherwise permitted by the bylaw after public hearing preceded by notice in accordance with section 4464 of this title. The authorization by the legislative body shall be granted only upon a finding by the body that the proposed use is consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the municipality and the standards contained in subsection (e) of this section. The applicant and all abutting property owners shall be notified in writing of the date of the hearing and of the legislative body’s final determination.

(e) In making a determination, the legislative body shall consider the proposed use with respect to all the following:

(1) The capacity of existing or planned community facilities, services, or lands.

(2) The existing patterns and uses of development in the area.

(3) Environmental limitations of the site or area and significant natural resource areas and sites.

(4) Municipal plans and other municipal bylaws, ordinances, or regulations in effect.

(f) The legislative body of the municipality may extend or reenact interim bylaws for a one-year period beyond the initial two-year period authorized by subsection (a) of this section in accordance with the procedures for adoption in that subsection.

(g) A copy of the adopted, amended, reenacted, or extended interim bylaw shall be sent to adjoining towns, to the regional planning commission of the region in which the municipality is located, and to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. (Added 2003, No. 115 (Adj. Sess.), § 95.)