Land-use restrictions will impose an unfair economic burden
The town of Halifax Selectboard is writing to register our deep concern regarding the implementation and consequences of Act 181. The town of Halifax believes that Act 181 should be repealed in its entirety. While generally supportive of the stated goals of the Act to address and promote Vermont’s housing needs while being sensitive to conservation matters, the unintended consequences of Act 181 have not been fully and publicly explored. The implementation, as written, will unfairly and significantly damage the current and future property rights of our state’s rural communities including Halifax. It directly hinders the rights of Halifax property owners who may wish to develop their lands in the future. We are concerned that, if enacted and unchanged, Act 181’s land use restrictions will impose an unfair economic burden on, not only our landowners, but also the town of Halifax’s overall economic stability in the future.
We caution the Land Use Review Board and our Legislature that further restrictions on our landowners could have substantial impact on multi-generational families, farmers and all other landowners seeking to own and maintain their property for the future. As you know, Halifax is a small rural community with roughly 771 residents. We are concerned that the Act’s proposed restrictions do not appropriately consider the fact that many single generation and multi- generational properties in Halifax are already successful stewards of their own land and subject to existing Current Use and ANR regulations.
We are grateful to learn that on April 9, 2026 our representative, Emily Carris-Duncan, joined 56 of her other Rural Caucus colleagues to register their objection to the pace and key elements of the legislation’s content that is currently in process as the Legislature approaches the end of the session.
We concur with the Rural Caucus’ recommendation that "if nothing else, the delays included in S.325 must pass this session.” We further agree that repealing both Tier 3 and the Road Rule will be in the best interests of our community.
It is the opinion of many members of our community that the state’s projections for how to manage our land have no business in what many of us consider our life savings, our right to ownership and our livelihood. We are not seeking to restrict further growth and development. Maintaining our rural landscape, with careful steady growth strategies over time, is already part of our Town Plan and zoning rules. We believe that the evolution of the Town Plan and zoning rules are the responsibility of the town and not the state.
In conclusion, the town of Halifax is opposed to increased regulations under Act 181 in proposed Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas, the "Road Rule" as currently proposed, and supportive of any amendments or drafts of Act 181 that would remove these burdens on our rural landowners and their rights or abilities to develop their lands in the future as allowed within our existing land use permitting processes and procedures.
Thank you all for the important roles you play in advocating for what is best for our town and our state. We encourage you to be wise, moving forward, and hope you will take the time to speak with us directly and share our concerns as you tackle this legislation.
