Duties

The Development Review Board's authority and duties are laid out in both the Vermont State Statutes and the Montpelier Zoning and Subdivision Regulations. Established on July 24, 2002 by the City Council, this board combines the development review functions of the former Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Planning Commission into a single body that must evaluate and decide upon the appropriateness of proposed development measured against the standards and procedures defined in the Montpelier Zoning and Subdivision Regulations. It is an important and difficult job carried out by volunteers appointed by the City Council, with staff support from the Montpelier Department of Planning and Community Development. This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak, toward implementing the community's vision, goals, policies, and priorities as expressed in the Montpelier Master Plan and codified in our development regulations--one case at a time--while at the same time respecting due process, the rights of applicants, and the rights of the public to participate.

The DRB has the following duties:

• adjudicates appeals of acts or decisions made by the Zoning Administrator;
  
• adjudicates appeals for variances from the provisions of the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations;
  
• considers applications for conditional uses;
  
• considers applications for site plan approval;
  
• considers applications for design review approval;
  
• considers applications for subdivision;
  
• considers applications for access to landlocked parcels of land;
  
• considers applications for development in the flood plain; and
  
• interprets the meaning of provisions of the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations when questions arise.