CRAFTSBURY — The Craftsbury Planning Commission will host a Community Values Mapping Workshop at the Craftsbury Town Hall, on Wednesday, March 20. Doors open at 5:45 p.m., for pizza and socializing. The program kicks off at 6:15 p.m. and ends promptly at 8 p.m. There is no charge for this event, and everyone from the community is invited. Registration is strongly encouraged, to ensure adequate food and meeting supplies, at townofcraftsbury.com
Community Values Mapping (CVM) is a broadly inclusive, participant-driven planning process where Craftsbury residents collaborate and identify the shared values (places that they care about.) Craftsbury residents will work in groups to identify special places and resources in Craftsbury. Maps from each group will be gathered and collated to reflect the responses. This information will then be used to generate community values maps and compiled into a final report.
This planning event complements the Craftsbury Planning Commission’s ongoing efforts to solicit public input into the update of the Craftsbury Town Plan, which will expire mid-2024. The town plan, which is an eight-year document, establishes land use and investment priorities for the town. It also enables the town to maintain Village Center Designation, which makes tax credits available for investments in certain income-producing properties, and it can influence Section 248 proceedings for renewable energy projects. The existing plan is available on the Town of Craftsbury’s website townofcraftsbury.com.
The CVM Workshop comes on the heels of a widely distributed community survey in which 162 respondents prioritized actions and objectives for the town over the next eight years. Common themes that emerged from the survey included keeping working lands (agriculture and forestry) economically viable, making Craftsbury a more welcoming and inclusive community, and addressing the need for affordable housing.
For more information, contact Craftsbury Planning Commission Co-Chairs Farley Brown, (802) 586-9973 and Rudy Chase, [email protected]
