By Guy Page

The Chester Telegraph, the online community newspaper for Chester and surrounding towns, reported yesterday April 21 that a member of the Land Use Review Board (LURB) is suspending work on Tier 3 and the Road Rule “given the Legislature’s likely repeal of these two elements of the law.”

For more details, see news article by Shawn Cunningham. 

The statement by a member of the regulatory board charged with writing rules for implementing Act 181 comes a week after Chair Amy Sheldon and every other member of the House Environment Committee, as well as House Speaker Jill Krowinski, announced plans to repeal the rural development restrictions passed in 2024 over Gov. Phil Scott’s veto and slated to take effect this summer. 

The Road Rule requires Act 250 review of virtually any development of rural land with a road 800 ft. or longer. It, and other proposed restrictions, have prompted a grassroots outrage and call for repeal – including a Chester Telegraph editorial republished with permission in today’s VDC. Alison Despathy and I will interview the founder of the Act 181 Facebook page on Hot Off The Press today at 11:15. Tune in to WDEV AM 550, 96.1, or wdevradio.com. Calls are welcome at 802-244-1777.

House Environment is discussing a path forward to repeal this week. As noted in VDC news coverage and commentary, it is not clear what language will be proposed to replace repeal.