Introducing CVRPC

WHAT IS CVRPC?

CVRPC is a regional planning organization working with and for twenty-three municipalities in Central Vermont, including all the towns in Washington County and three towns in Orange County; Orange, Washington, and Williamstown. Our mission is to assist member municipalities in providing effective local government and to work cooperatively with them to address regional issues. We also work with area non-profits, other regional organizations, State and Federal agencies, and the general public.

Formed in 1967, CVRPC is one of Vermont's eleven regional commissions. Local representatives to the Commission are appointed by the legislative bodies of each municipality. The Commission meets monthly with topics covering a broad range of Central Vermont concerns: regional land use issues, local growth center identification and evaluation, economic development, natural resource issues, public/private sector cooperation, and review of Act 250 projects. CVRPC is uniquely positioned to coordinate and guide activities between state and local governments.

Additional information about CVRPC’s services, as well as the Central Vermont Regional Plan, can be found on our web site at www.centralvtplanning.org.

COMMISSION PROGRAMS

Technical Assistance

CVRPC provides direct hands-on help to local officials on a range of activities:

development and review of municipal plans, zoning bylaws, subdivision regulations,
impact fee ordinances, capital budget plans, and other local planning tools;
regional data collection, analysis and interpretation through our roles as a GIS Service Center and a U.S. Census Data Center;
professional assistance and opinions on local ordinances and bylaw administration;
obtaining and administering grant funds for community development, housing, economic development, capital improvements, recreation, conservation, and infrastructure improvements.

GIS Service Center

CVRPC is designated as an official Geographic Information System (GIS) Service Center. We provide a variety of maps to municipalities, and develop and maintain computerized regional databases that are compatible with GIS data standards. . Hundreds of data sets are now included on the system. This information helps select boards, planning commissioners, listers, and other municipal officials to better fulfill their duties and responsibilities.

Regional Planning

CVRPC's comprehensive Regional Plan is used to guide growth and development in the Region. The Plan is useful to local communities as a resource in the preparation of local plans, and is also used in the Act 250 review process to evaluate major land use developments and subdivisions.

Transportation Planning

CVRPC is also an active player in Vermont=s Transportation Planning Initiative (TPI). This program is designed to include all segments of the public in planning improvements to the transportation system. It expands local decision making and planning of transportation priorities, projects, and long range plans. CVRPC has an active Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) to address transportation issues in Central Vermont.

Intergovernmental Planning and Coordination

One of CVRPC's primary functions is to help communities work together to solve problems. Our work with union municipal districts exemplifies this mission.

Taking advantage of a provision in Vermont Statutes which allows municipalities to pool their resources to serve their common needs, CVRPC helped facilitate the formation of the Mad River Valley Planning District (Fayston, Waitsfield, and Warren) and the Wrightsville Beach Recreation District (Montpelier, East Montpelier, Worcester, and Middlesex) over a decade ago, and more recently, the Mad River Resource Management Alliance. We have been providing technical and administrative support to these organizations ever since, thereby ensuring that they continue to provide the benefits for which they were created.

In addition, CVRPC serves State agencies and the Executive branch of government. We often sponsor various public forums on behalf of State agencies, and serve as a conduit for the exchange of information and technical support to our member municipalities. For additional information, please visit our web site at www.centralvtplanning.org. You will find links to Central Vermont municipalities that have web sites, as well as links to other planning resources.


Central VT Regional Planning Commission, 29 Main Street, Suite 4, Montpelier VT 05602
Phone: (802) 229-0389 FAX (802) 223-1977; cvrpc@cvregion.com