Specifications include, but are not limited to: • Improve consistency between and among the state designations programs. • Improve consistency and alignment between designation programs and regional plans and future land use maps, corresponding with statewide initiatives to improve and coordinate the effectiveness of local, regional, and state planning, mapping, and community development; • Make the state designation programs and associated benefits more accessible to diverse municipalities, appropriately scaled to municipal capacity; • Improve designations as a platform for regulatory and nonregulatory benefits; • Strengthen state designation and incentives as a platform for place-based economic development and emerging priorities, including climate action, complete streets, and equity and efficiency of public investment and service delivery, and tax policy; • Modernize the programs, including potential consolidation to make them more efficient and effective in program delivery and impact toward advancing the stated goals and objectives; • Develop recommendations for near-term and easier-to-achieve changes to the program, as well as recommendations for major reforms that prepare the program for the next 25 years; • Implement the smart growth principles established by 24 V.S.A § 2791; and • Achieve the goals established in 24 V.S.A. § 4302.
