Greensboro Planning Commission

The Planning Commission is a public advisory board and its purpose is to review and advise the Selectboard on public and private activities involving the physical, social, and economic development of the town and to review and make a comprehensive long-range plan for the development of the town (view the Town Plans). The Commission also reviews and advises the Selectboard on the creation and revision of town bylaws (view the Zoning By-Laws).

Welcoming new members:

The Town of Greensboro is welcoming new members to its Planning Commission now that the planning cycle is renewing. Overview of the Planning Commissioner’s Role. Please send a letter of interest to Kent Hansen, Chair, khansen@greensborovt.gov, PO Box 119, Greensboro, VT 05841.

Latest Updates from the GPC

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Municipal Planning Grant:

In May 2025 the GPC was awarded a grant to hire professional planning consultants to explore Land Use and Housing with our Greensboro community members. The GPC and the Select Board approved the selection of the SE Group. The GPC will use this project to guide the writing of the Land Use and Housing chapters of the next Town Plan. All materials have been placed in a public folder. To see these materials click the following link: MPG Folder

The GPC will use this project to guide the writing of the Land Use and Housing chapters of the next Town Plan…

 In order to gather and gauge town sentiment about future housing and land use development we held a Community Housing Workshop in August along the SE Group in Fellowship Hall. The SE Group Team started the meeting off with an educational update on State policies related to housing and the various housing design possibilities that are available to us. Over 65 participants attended! Lunch was served and the group worked its way through three 40-minute breakout sessions – Accessory Dwelling Unit & Duplexes, Adaptive Reuse of Older Buildings and Planned Unit Developments. The GPC and the SE Group have interacted several times since the Workshop to discuss the ideas and sentiments that came out of the Workshop. SE Group has now delivered their Report which includes their observations and recommendations. The Report is 70 pages long, plus Appendices. It can be found by clicking MPG Folder. The GPC will be evaluating SE Group’s Report to determine how to use their ideas to best address the unique housing and land use challenges facing Greensboro The Executive Summary from the SE Group’s Report can be found below and is also in the MPG Folder

2024 Town Survey and Community Conversations:

• The preliminary Survey Highlights can be found here.
• The detailed Survey Data results can be found below here.
• The feedback from the two Community Conversations can be found here.

New Flood Maps:

FEMA is currently updating the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) in Vermont for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This will be the first map update for many towns since the 70’s or 80s. This new update will cover the entire state in stages and will be available for Greensboro in 2027.

Why does this matter for Greensboro?

When the new maps go into effect, FEMA requires that our bylaws meet the current standards for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program–so residents can purchase or renew flood insurance through the NFIP. We also have taken the opportunity for Greensboro to qualify for 92.5% disaster funding through the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund. (ERAF). That’s an additional 10% of public disaster recovery costs that the state will cover instead of local taxpayers. This is an opportunity to provide additional safety for our community by protecting the buildings, roads, and bridges that already exist in our community by preventing further risky development in hazardous areas.

The GPC has completed writing and has approved the draft Flood and River Corridor bylaws and will bring them to the public in a public hearing early in 2026.

Ongoing and Future GPC Work :

1. Evaluating the the workshop feedback and the Municipal Planning Grant Consultants’ analysis to focus action on our local land use policies for the next Town Plan.
2. Preparing the draft of the new Town Plan.
3. Preparing for a GPC Public Hearing around proposed amended Flood and SPD Articles and other proposed various Bylaw amendments. (See above.)
4. Evaluating areas of our current bylaws which will need updating.

Proposed bylaw changes:

The GPC hopes to hold a public hearing about proposed amendments to the Flood and River Corridor bylaws, the Shoreland Protection District bylaws and sundry items early in 2026 with a subsequent Selectboard public hearing shortly thereafter. Greensboro community members are encouraged to stay tuned for future scheduled Public Hearings.

Meetings & Agendas

Hybrid meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the Month at the Greensboro Free Library and on Zoom. Typically, meetings start at 5 PM, however some meeting start times may shift as we try to determine what start time is most inclusive for the community. Please check the town calendar for a specific time.

• For agendas, zoom links, and meeting document links, select the event on the Town Office Calendar.
• You can view past and upcoming meeting documents here.
• You can view Zoom recordings of recent meetings here.

Planning Resources

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