By Carol Everett
May 31, 1999

What is sprawl? How is it defined? How is it different from sustainable economic development and "smart growth"? What is causing it? And, what can we do about it? These are questions communities across America are asking and may find answers to in a just released report championed by Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle entitled, "The History of Sprawl in Chittenden County."

The new report, which was funded in part by the USCM/NACo Joint Center for Sustainable Communities, was commissioned by the Sustainability and Growth Center Team of the Champlain Initiative -- an initiative that covers the Burlington/Chittenden County region of Vermont. The report was undertaken to help the residents of this region think about the future of land use and transportation planning, development patterns, and open space conservation by first thinking through what causes sprawl. Following are some of the major findings of the report related to what causes sprawl.

Finding #1: The dependency on autos is the key to understanding the creation of sprawl patterns of development and many of the most serious problems created by sprawl in Burlington/Chittenden County. Unlike major urban centers in the Northeast, Burlington/Chittenden County had a limited experience with mass transportation before World War II. The streetcar system, for example, was confined mostly to the City of Burlington, and lasted only until 1929 when it was purchased and closed by the local bus company. The bus service subsequently was challenged as private cars became more affordable and grew in popularity. As a result, the re-energized post-war auto craze did not have to compete with an established local or regional system of mass transportation. In addition, the federal interstate highway program directed enormous resources to road building at the expense of rail. Thus, post-war settlement patterns were based primarily on auto access.

Finding #2: Development dictated by zoning regulations often has resulted in sprawl patterns in Burlington/ Chittenden County, although many times the outcomes have been unintentional. Communities in Chittenden County, like communities across the country, have adopted zoning regulations to direct patterns of growth. Once these regulations have been adopted, they have been subject to periodic reviews in response to new growth pressures, to conform with revised town plans, and to address changing community needs such as open space protection and affordable housing. Before 1950, Burlington had adopted zoning regulations to direct growth within its borders. The remaining towns enacted zoning over the following three decades. Over time, these regulations have grown increasingly sophisticated. Municipalities now have provisions for historic districts, design review, mixed-use growth centers, and protection of important natural features. In spite of the many improvements in municipal zoning regulations, however, patterns of sprawl are still emerging in the County. This indicates that zoning regulations may need further improvement and that there are other forces at work causing sprawl besides zoning.

Finding #3: Developers believe that it is easier and cheaper to develop outside the City of Burlington. Some developers believe that Burlington’s permitting process causes delays, and that there is more uncertainty about neighborhood reaction to development proposals that are located in the City. Commercial developers also may choose land outside Burlington in part because it appears cheaper. One reason for this perception is that there is little undeveloped land in downtown Burlington, so in many cases developers must combine parcels and demolish existing buildings if they want to put in a new structure and parking. In addition to the cost of demolition or rehabilitation, some urban developers are faced with the problems of brownfields. Currently, many potential developers say that brownfield properties in Burlington are too expensive to redevelop given the risks of liability compared to uncontaminated sites in greenfields.

Finding #4: For many years, town officials in Chittenden County have encouraged development because it increased municipal tax rolls. Although it has been assumed that development lowered property taxes, the evidence does not support this view. In many cases, development increased municipal budgets as infrastructure and operating costs grew in response to greater demand for services. This was especially so in towns that experienced significant growth. On average, municipal taxes are higher in towns that are more developed, regardless of how development is defined.

Finding #5: Concerns about schools influence where people choose to live in Burlington/Chittenden County. For those families with higher incomes (who can afford higher taxes), the search for good schools is likely to attract them to high-tax towns. The reverse is true for lower income families. While this dynamic means that no one town is likely to be a magnet for all the County’s growth, it does contribute to the growing income segregation in the County.

Finding #6: Each town in Chittenden County has enacted its own zoning regulations that in many cases encourage sprawl development. The perceived fiscal incentive to attract commercial development in order to increase the tax rolls and stabilize or lower property tax rates creates competition between towns in Chittenden County. This has made it difficult to reach agreement on consistent and enforceable regional land use controls.

Finding #7: Municipalities in Chittenden County not only have considerable control over the location and type of development through local zoning regulations, but also through utility extension policies and impact fees. Municipal water and sewer services enable development in areas that otherwise couldn’t be developed or could only be developed at low densities. Interviews with developers reveal that the presence of these utility services are an important factor in where they decide to build, and a comparison of maps of utility service areas between 1969 and 1996 show that utility extensions have in fact facilitated sprawl patterns of growth. Some towns have attempted to direct growth by establishing sewer service in particular areas. Nevertheless, towns with sewer service are under constant pressure from landowners and developers to expand these areas to serve their properties. Because impact fees for the most part don’t vary according to the size of the lot in Chittenden County, this policy also has led to sprawl development.

Finding #8: Vermont regulations regarding the construction of septic systems inadvertently have promoted sprawl. Since 1969, the State Agency of Natural Resources has administered rules that govern the construction of on-site septic systems on subdivided lots smaller than 10 acres in size. Until 1984, subdivisions of ten or more lots that were greater than 10 acres in size were exempt from state review as well. Since 1984, only subdivisions of land into nine or fewer lots -- regardless of lot size -- have been exempt. To circumvent state rules, developers and landowners sometimes split land into lots greater than ten acres in size. The proliferation of ten-acre lots has had several sprawl-related impacts. They have wasted valuable prime agricultural and forest land by carving up these lands into lots that are excessively large for standard homesites and too small for most agricultural and forestry management practices. They also have resulted in strip roadside residential development as well as left long, skinny and unusable backyards that grow into brush.

Finding #9: Consumer preferences have had a role in driving the suburban residential land use patterns that contribute to sprawl. According to interviews with developers in Burlington/Chittenden County, residential consumers are looking for privacy, quiet places, green space, three car garages, big yards and low traffic. They also prefer town sewer and water to on-site systems. In light of buyers’ preferences, developers say that it is difficult to market small, village scale lots and mixed use neighborhoods for other than low and moderate income families.

Finding #10: National retailers, including grocery, convenience, drug and discount stores, gas stations, and fast food restaurants, have had a major impact on sprawl patterns of development. These retailers have auto-oriented site design principles that have considerable impact on development patterns. These principles often include parking requirements in excess of zoning standards; the placement of parking in the front of buildings; large signs that are out of character with the area; broad setbacks of buildings from roads; multiple access points from the highway; and building entrances and exits that cater to the automobile rather than pedestrians. Finally, national retailers typically are not interested in mixed-use buildings, preferring their buildings to stand alone.

To obtain a copy of the report "The History of Sprawl in Chittenden County," contact the United Way of Chittenden County at 802/864-7541.