Montpelier, VT — Legislators, local government leaders, housing advocates, businesses, and conservation organizations gathered Tuesday at the Statehouse to call on the Legislature to act this session to realign the implementation timelines of Act 181, Vermont’s landmark 2024 land use reform law.

Speakers warned that Act 181 is moving faster than the maps and rules needed to implement it clearly and fairly, creating uncertainty for towns, housing projects, and working landowners across Vermont. The coalition is urging legislative leaders to take up H.730 to extend timelines and prevent further misalignment.

The call to extend Act 181 timelines is being led by members of the Legislature’s nonpartisan Rural Caucus, including leadership and bipartisan sponsors of H.730, who represent communities across all regions of Vermont.

“Right now, regulations are scheduled to come online before communities and landowners have the maps they need to understand where those rules apply,” said Rep. Laura Sibilia of Dover. “That misalignment creates confusion. It creates uncertainty. And it creates risk for towns, housing projects, and working landowners across Vermont.”

“The timelines in statute no longer line up with the reality on the ground,” said Rep. Monique Priestley of Bradford, a sponsor of H.730 and member of the nonpartisan Rural Caucus.

Local officials emphasized that unfinished rules and draft maps make it impossible for towns to plan or make consistent decisions.

“When town officials look at the draft Tier 3 map they fear that this sweeping new Act 250 jurisdiction will freeze their community in amber,” said Josh Hanford, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. “The draft rule would create new duplicative permit requirements along key highways and in existing neighborhoods for types of construction as incidental as a garden shed or one-car garage – as well as for the new housing towns need, want, and allow in local zoning. If the state is going to apply Act 250 to 80% of the land area in Vermont, then local officials and citizen planners need time to see and understand what the LURB proposes while they make decisions about future Tier 1 areas that could be Act 250 exempt. VLCT urges the legislature to take action this session to slow down Act 181 and make sure we are striking the right balance between environmental protection and smart growth.”

Housing advocates warned that uncertainty is already slowing projects statewide at a time when Vermont continues to fall short of its housing needs.

“When Act 181 passed it gave builders throughout the state 3 years of certainty that they could move forward with housing projects without the expense, complication and risk of the Act 250 process in housing growth areas,” said Miro Weinberger of Let’s Build Homes. “Developers responded, expanding planned projects and launching new ones, proving that the old Act 250 rules were a barrier to new homes where we need them most. Today we need housing growth areas as much as we did in 2024 – we are still falling short of our housing targets and Vermonters are suffering  – but the forward-looking certainty of the temporary Act 250 exemptions is expiring before good permanent exemption maps exist to replace them.” Weinberger added, “So a year out from the expiration of the temporary exemption areas, builders cannot be sure what the Act 250 rules will be a year from now.”

Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers called for legislative review before additional rules and maps are finalized.

“We need to slow down and listen to one another before finalizing any new Act 250 plans, mapping, and rules,” said Rodgers. “I am calling for legislative review and hearings prior to full implementation.”

Representatives of Vermont’s forest economy also raised concerns about unintended impacts on rural businesses.

“The logging community in Vermont is concerned with the implementation of Act 181 and the implications that it could have on rural businesses in the forest economy,” said Dana Doran, Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast. “We are supportive of the delay that H.730 imposes to ensure Act 181 does not cause unintended consequences.”

“Act 181 worked because it brought people together around shared goals.” Said Megan Sullivan of the Vermont Chamber. “That same approach is needed now. Taking time to make technical fixes, align implementation with intent, and sequence the rollout responsibly will protect housing momentum, protect community capacity and preserve trust in the process.”

Speakers emphasized that the goal of H.730 is to give communities, landowners, and project sponsors the time and clarity needed to understand where new rules will apply before they take effect.

The coalition urged House and Senate leadership to take up H.730 this session to prevent further misalignment and avoid unnecessary disruption to housing, town planning, and rural economies.