PZC to Shoulder Greater POCD Revision Workload

04/22/25

In attendance: Chair Jon Carroll, Shilo Garceau, Lu-Ann Zbinden, Patrick Lucas on Zoom and Cindy Barrett on Zoom. Alternates on Zoom are Jared Dennis and Jerry Abrahams.

The meeting began with a discussion of the minutes from the special meeting on April 2nd, 2025. Chair Carroll raised an objection to the incomplete reporting of an exchange between Town Planner Janelle Mullin and PZC Vice Chair LuAnn Zbinden regarding correspondence Zbinden had sent to Carroll. During that exchange, Mullen had cautioned against sending correspondence to all Commission members as it could represent a violation of transparency requirements if a quorum of the Commission held a discussion outside of a public meeting. It was then confirmed that nothing improper had occurred, as Zbinden only sent the correspondence to staff and copied Chair Carroll. Mullen then characterized her comments as just a “friendly reminder”. The minutes did not include Zbinden’s explanation and Mullen’s confirmation that nothing was done improperly. Carroll wanted the minutes amended. “I would make sure that that is definitive, that we were operating within the appropriate parameters.”

Attention then turned to the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). “Keeping in mind the budget constraints we currently have and are facing, I think it's in the best interest of the town and this commission if the commission steps up and starts to take the lead on this”, Carroll said. “It is going to require more work and input from all of the members, alternates included, because this is going to be a lengthy process.”

An email drafted by Land Use Enforcement Official Spencer Mussman was to be sent to various town boards and commissions seeking input on the POCD by June 19th, 2025. This email outlined the need for feedback on various aspects such as economic development and housing to ensure the POCD reflects the community's evolving needs.

The Commissioners discussed the importance of public workshops and surveys to gather comprehensive community input, with Carroll noting the significance of these tools in capturing a wide range of perspectives. Members were urged to read specific POCD pages and think about "what questions are going to be on the survey or in the workshop."

In the enforcement official’s report, the introduction of a violation complaint form was noted as a significant step to ensure consistent enforcement and transparency. “So I've been getting a lot of anonymous complaints recently and I like to have people actually give me what the complaint is about in a form, so it's all legitimate and it's public record”, Musselman said. Discussion moved to the fee schedule for permits, with acknowledgment that the current system, which charges a flat fee regardless of project size, was outdated.

The meeting also addressed the issue of the back entrance to the Goshen Fairgrounds on Lyman Lane, where sight lines and safety concerns were raised. There are plans to meet with relevant parties to address these concerns and an update was promised by the next meeting.

As the meeting drew to a close, correspondence was read, including a letter from Steve Dutton, thanking the commission for their efforts on the special permit application for a sports car country club at 777 North Street. The letter expressed appreciation for the commission's guidance and commitment to being good neighbors.