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 Planning Commission! Public hearings will be held this fall. See full details at the bottom of this page.
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 staff memos to the Planning Commission (linked below). The proposal is still being refined and may change over the coming month before it is finalized for public hearing.
Planning Commission Memo on the Proposed Amendments (As of July 2, 2026)
Draft code with changes marked (as of July 2, 2026)
Connect the Junction Transit Oriented Development Master Plan