Project Review
staff: ALYSSA SABETTO
Role of WRC
WRC’s role in state and federal permitting processes is to represent the Windham Regional Plan and its policies. This is a role given to us by statute.
How do we fulfill this role?
Following initial staff review and determination, relevant information is brought to the Project Review Committee (PRC) for consideration and input. The purpose of the PRC is to:
Process
The PRC first determines if a project is of regional significance. This is defined by the Windham Regional Plan. The Committee then evaluates the development proposal and its constituent parts on the basis of the extent to which it is consistent with the Regional Plan. Having evaluated the proposal against the plan, the committee provides comments to all parties about whether the region’s policies are supported by the project and to what extent.
The WRC issues no permits and has no determining authority on any permit approval. We advise the permitting authority what the plan says and what we believe the project as proposed will do. Primary focus is on:
- Information needs, issues and areas of non-conformance with the Windham Regional Plan and relevant town plan(s);
- Cumulative impacts that may occur; and
- Precedent setting characteristics.
The Committee also asks staff to reach out to the affected town or towns to determine what perspective they have on the project and if they need our assistance with their own review. If the answer is yes, we advise the town about the process. It is left to the town to present its own opinion about the extent to which a project is consistent with its own plan and/or bylaws. Affected towns are invited to attend PRC meetings at which projects in their town are being discussed. More information can be found in our Purpose and Objective Statement.
Position
It is important to note that WRC neither supports nor opposes applications. The WRC is instead tasked with supporting the duly adopted Windham Regional Plan and its policies. Value judgment is reserved for the process through which we develop the Windham Regional Plan. It is then and there that we ask what does the region value, and what goals, objectives and policies support those values. The value judgment has been made before any permit comes before us. The only judgment made when the WRC receives a permit application is about plan compliance.
Act 250
- Information about Act 250 can be found here.
- All Act 250 materials are accessible electronically through the Act 250 database.
- Act 181 of 2024 made numerous and significant updates to Act 250. WRC is currently working on Regional Plan updates, housing targets, and future land use mapping for Act 181 compliance. More information can be found here.
Section 248 and 248a
- Information about the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and their permitting processes can be found here.
- All PUC documentation on past and current permits is available on the ePUC database. Click on ‘List of Searches’ at the top of the page and search by town name if you do not know the case number.
For questions related to Project Review, please contact Alyssa Sabetto at asabetto@windhamregional.org or 802-257-4547 ext. 113.