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Title:	Is Vermont an Endangered Place?: Looking at the Efficacy of Vermont's Act 250 on High-Growth Towns, 1970-2005
Authors:	Karyl Fuller
Date/Time	Wednesday, November 7 ~ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Abstract:	In both 1993 and 2004, the National Trust for Historic Preservation took the unusual step of listing the entire state of Vermont (the first and second time it has ever done so) on its annual list of 11 Most Endangered Places. The National Trust's listing was meant as a call to action, to encourage Vermonters themselves to help preserve their way of life. This is, in some ways, quite ironic because Vermonters have long been concerned about the increasing demographic and development pressures on its rural character and way of life. Vermont indeed had enacted a state-wide land use regulation in 1970, known as Act 250. And while it is generally acknowledged that Act 250 has had a positive impact on Vermont’s landscape, there has also been criticism that it has not done enough (Cowart 1985). Cowart's report highlighted the fact that the towns that had inspired Act 250, those near ski resorts and Chittenden County, were still high-growth towns in 1985. So, this presentation will examine Cowart's report in 1985, broadening its scope to include all Vermont towns, as well as looking 15 years further out to 2005. I will conclude by attempting to answer the question of has Act 250 done what it was meant to do to regulate land use.
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