Dear Editor, What will rural Vermont be like after implementing the new Act 250 requirements? From Dec. 31, 2026, Act 250 permits will be required for any development, including single-family homes, in areas that meet certain criteria.   These are contained in Act 181, which reduced som e Act 250 requirements in developed areas and increased them in the rest of the state. READ MORE These include habitat connectors, headwater streams and other areas that meet the act’s environmental criteria. As currently mapped, habitat connectors are the largest feature, covering more than 300,000 acres along many rural roads.   In addition, on July 1, 2026, the new road rule takes effect. Construction of a road longer than 800 feet, or a road and driveways totalling more than 2,000 feet when combined, will require Act 250 permits in all of Vermont outside already developed areas.  The rules to implement Act 181 are now being finalized. Act 250 was designed to regulate large developments. It is a complicated permitting process in which applicants must satisfy its 32 criteria and subcriteria. I have been through this process in the 25 years I spent helping local groups and municipalities create projects.   Act 250 is the wrong tool for implementing Act 181. You don’t have to take my word for it. During the rulemaking process, the Land Use Review Board considered reducing the number of Act 250 criteria required. However, a September 2025 legal opinion from the board’s counsel concluded that the statute does not give the board authority to eliminate review criteria. The Legislature should fix this. Each step in the Act 250 process can be time-consuming, difficult and expensive. What is needed instead is a simpler Act 181 permit designed to address its concerns.  It is unfair to ask people, especially nondevelopers who just want to build a home, to do unnecessary work. This is especially true given the need for more housing in Vermont. The Legislature is unlikely to make this important change unless its constituents demand it. Please contact your legislators if you agree.  Norm Etkind,  Woodbury, Vt. Read the story on VTDigger here: Norm Etkind: Act 250 expansion risks rural housing. ...read more read less