Support diverse and creative ways to work in Warren residential districts

Support diverse and creative ways to work in Warren residential districts

Started
August 9, 2022
Petition Closed
This petition had 25 supporters

Why this petition matters

Started by Monica Cahilly

Like many of the towns in the Mad River Valley, Warren is struggling to provide affordable housing and attract the workforce required for many of the local businesses. I believe affordable, obtainable, sustainable living requires: 1) affordable housing; 2) livable wages; and 3) zoning that allows for diverse and creative opportunities to generate income when wages are not "livable"--or when residents have skill sets and interests that go beyond computer-based home businesses.

The new draft Land Use and Development Regulations (LUDR) under construction by the Warren Planning Commission (PC) divide Warren into new zoning districts, including Business Districts, Mixed Use Districts, Residential Districts, Protected Districts, and a Rural District. The draft LUDR offers many opportunities for affordable housing in all districts with the understandable exception of Protected Districts.

In the Residential districts, although 'home occupation' and 'home business' are available uses, the necessary tools and facilities for varied and creative work from home--such as Artist Studio, Catering and Commercial Kitchen, Event Facility, Specialty School, and many other uses--are not available as either permitted or conditional uses. However, in the Rural district, home occupation and home business uses are available, together with conditional uses for many of the facilities for non-computer-based work, such as Artist Studio, Catering and Commercial Kitchen, etc.

Given that Residential districts are smaller lot size minimums (10,000 sq ft to 1 acre) than Rural district (5 acres), all things being equal, there may be more future opportunities for affordable home ownership in Residential districts. However, the restricted uses in Residential districts may limit a person to computer-based work from home or cobbling together one or more local jobs, depending on wages.

I believe more opportunities to create viable home businesses for persons in Warren Residential districts with varied skill sets and interests helps create diverse, vibrant, and walkable neighborhoods--but also helps support our local businesses who may only be able to offer seasonal work or limited hourly wages.

I propose offering to the Residential districts (VR, RES, RR) all of the same conditional uses (with the exception of natural resource based uses) that are being made available in the draft LUDR to the Rural (RL) district.

If you support this proposal, please sign this petition.

If you support this proposal with amendments, please send me an email with your comments to mjcWHSO@gmail.com.

Thank you for your consideration!

Monica Cahilly 

Petition Closed

This petition had 25 supporters

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