Town of Bennington 1998 Annual Report
Planning:
In 1998 the Town of Bennington Planning Commission and Zoning Department continued
the important task of planning for Bennington's future growth and development. The
Planning Commission began the process of amending and updating Bennington's Town
Plan. The Town Plan, last amended in 1993, sets forth the community's vision for future
of Bennington. Completion of revisions to the Town Plan is expected in the first half of
1999.
The Planning Commission continued its successful implementation of the Design Review process for Downtown Bennington. Bennington's Zoning Bylaw requires that the Planning Commission review changes to the exteriors of buildings located in the Downtown Bennington Design Review District to ensure that they meet design guidelines set forth in the publication Time & Place in Bennington (available at the Zoning Department in the Town Off.ices). Over the past year, numerous significant improvements to Bennington's Downtown were reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission through the Design Review process, including the new Panache, Evan's News, Compuworks and Carmody's facades and signage.
In 1998 Bennington was chosen from among several other Vermont municipalities to participate in the Orton Family Foundation's Empowering Local Communities project. As part of this project, Bennington received the powerful new geographic information software, ArcView (GIS). Through the use of detailed and colorful graphic displays based on accurate data for Bennington, this software will help the Town of Bennington visualize future growth and development.
Zoning Department:
Bennington's Zoning Department administered over 300 permits in 1998. As part of the
departments continued commitment to increase the efficiency of the Zoning Permit and
Building Permit process, permit automation software is scheduled for implementation in
1999. The permit automation software will also be dynamically linked to the Town's new
GIS software (discussed above) to further improve the efficiency of the Zoning Department
and Building Department. In August of 1998, the Town was awarded a sizeable grant from
the State of Vermont to implement this new system of administering permits.
As of July 1, 1998, the State of Vermont, pursuant to the so called "Bianchi law," began requiring all local permits to be recorded in the local land records. This new law imposed significant additional burdens on the Town's Zoning, Building and Public Works Departments. All permit forms and applications needed to be revamped and new systems and procedures had to be implemented to ensure compliance. With the help of the Town Clerk's Office all Town Departments successfully implemented the new law on schedule.
Unfortunately, significant time, effort and money must be expended each year on the enforcement of the Zoning Bylaw. In 1998, most of the offenses involved junk automobiles, the sale of automobiles in restricted Zoning districts and commencement of construction projects without a permit. Sometimes Zoning violations occur when businesses or individuals show intentional disregard for local and state ordinances, but often violations result from a lack of knowledge of the applicable regulations. The Zoning Department and Building Department will continue its initiative to inform the public of local ordinances through the utilization of the local press and other community outreach efforts.
In conclusion, as Bennington moves into the 21st Century, the Zoning Department is committed to: delivering efficient and professional customer service to the citizens of Bennington, ensuring compliance with the Town of Bennington's Zoning Bylaw and other local and state land use ordinances; aiding Bennington's Planning Commission and Bennington's citizens to plan for the future growth and development of Bennington, and implementing modern tools for the administration of the Planning and Zoning functions of local government.
Respectfully submitted,
Daniel W. Monks, Zoning Administrator