The Rupert Planning Commission has worked for more than two years to revise its zoning and subdivision bylaws, combining the two separate documents into a unified set of land use regulations. The Planning Commission has sent the draft to the Selectboard for their review and consideration. A summary of the proposed changes to the zoning districts and map is presented below.
Proposed Changes to Rupert's Zoning Districts and Map
Some of the changes the Planning Commission is proposing include:
Adjusting the dimensional standards (lot size, setbacks, etc.) in village centers to match the historic development pattern.
Zoning additional land adjacent to existing village centers for higher-density development in order to guide growth to those areas rather than land designated for agricultural or forest uses.
Allowing density-based zoning in rural areas so that property owners wishing to subdivide a few residential lots off a large parcel of land can create smaller lots than the 10- or 25-acre minimums the town currently requires in the Forest and Agriculture districts.
Allowing a wider array of commercial/industrial uses in most districts while controlling the scale of those uses through limiting the maximum size of buildings.
Redrawing the zoning district map so that it more closely follows property lines (limiting the number of lots that are located in more than one zoning district).
Redrawing the "forest" area to more accurately reflect wooded land, rather than continuing to zone all land further than 1/4-mile from a public road as forest. Largely prohibiting development of year-round homes in the new Forest Conservation Overlay district. Landowners with land in multiple districts may be able to "transfer" any potential homes from the portion of their land in the forest to the portion outside the designated area. Undeveloped properties entirely within the Forest Conservation Overlay would still be allowed one year-round home.Seasonal camps would be allowed with review by the board.
Online map of draft zoning districts. The map is centered at the 153-315 intersection in Rupert. Use the +/- signs to zoom in or
out and the arrows (or the hand) to move the map view. The color overlays represent the proposed districts, not including the Flood Hazard and Fluvial Erosion Hazard Overlay Districts. A printable map can be
downloaded from the link at the top-right of this page.
Rupert Regulations 