Plans & Policies

The current Barnard Town Plan was adopted on May 15, 2024, and is valid for 8 years.

The Barnard Town Plan aims to help the citizens of Barnard define and direct the future of their community. It is a planning tool that provides a vision of what the community should be and is used by town boards, commissions, departments, developers, and businesses in a number of ways, including:

• Serve as a basis for responding to state Act 250 (land use) and Act 248 (public utility) permit requests;
• Provide the required rationale and justification to apply for state grants;
• Guide decision-making in local site plan and conditional use review; and
• Establish the framework for developing zoning and subdivision bylaws. 

Town plans are developed and approved by the Planning Commission, adopted by the Selectboard, and certified as consistent with state planning goals by the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission.

The Development Review Board’s Rules of Procedure and Conflict of Interest Policies were adopted to ensure:

• Consistent and fair treatment of applicants, interested persons, and participants;
• Orderly and efficient public proceedings;
• Compliance with state and federal law; 
• No board member will gain a personal or financial advantage from his or her work for the board.