Main content

Form-Based Code for the City Center & Pearl Street Corridor

Form-Based Code for the City Center & Pearl Street Corridor

Essex Junction is proposing new rules for how buildings are designed in the City Center and along the Pearl Street corridor. These rules, called a “form-based code,” focus on the size and shape of buildings and how they meet the street, rather than leaving design to case-by-case judgment. This page explains what is changing, why, and how you can weigh in.
 

Have thoughts to share? Reach out to the Community Development Department or the City Council! The Planning Commission held its public hearing on September 3, 2026 and voted to forward the proposal to the City Council. The Council will take up the amendments on September 23, 2026 and may schedule its own public hearing in October 2026. 

This code is one part of a larger update to the City’s Land Development Code. There are also a number of more technical changes proposed, which are described in the Planning Commission’s report (linked below). The City Council will take public comment on the proposal at its October 28, 2026 hearing.

Planning Commission Report on the Proposed Amendments (Approved September 3, 2026)​​​

Draft code with changes marked (as transmitted by Planning Commission to City Council on September 3 2026)

Draft code with clean version- (as transmitted by Planning Commission to City Council on September 3 2026)

Public Engagement Summary as of September 17, 2026

Connect the Junction Transit Oriented Development Master Plan