What would your town really look like if it were built out to the maximum standards set by municipal planning and zoning documents? Many of us have a hard time envisioning the real-life applications of terms such as "medium-density mixed-use." That's why the Town of Hinesburg undertook its Village Visualization Project, which is now available for viewing on the town's website.
The project is a three dimensional depiction of what Hinesburg's "Northwest Village Growth District," as defined in the town's zoning regulations, might look if it were built out to the maximum allotments under current zoning.
The recently completed project has been a couple years in the making.
In 2011, the Town’s Village Steering Committee advised the Select Board that Hinesburg would benefit from more pro-active planning in order to provide a clearer vision of how the community wants to grow. They correctly pointed out a confluence of recent development projects and proposals that have surfaced since the Village Growth Area zoning was adopted in 2009.
The town hired a local architectural and planning firm to work with community members, landowners and developers on the project.
One purpose of this project was to help the community design and guide development in order to facilitate connection and integration of a diverse suite of existing and possible future uses. Another purpose was to help support future economic development forecasting that the Town plans to pursue in 2013 as part of a Growth Center Designation application.
The project uses SketchUp renderings of buildings, streetscapes and green spaces to offer the viewer a virtual tour of what the Village Growth Area might look like if built out to its maximum potential under current zoning regulations.
The town hopes the project will bolster its application to the state to have that portion of town officially designated as a Growth Center, a designation that comes with State regulatory and financial incentives.
