The economic development visioning session at Burr & Burton, traced through the published minutes of Manchester’s boards, April to August 2026.
“Whatever happened with that meeting? The town said they’d consider things, so where did that go?”
A member question, August 2026The workshop input was incorporated into the rewrite of the Manchester Town Plan, which is renewed every seven years. The town’s consultant, Regrowth Planning, is organizing input from the visioning sessions into a Goal / Policy / Action framework. A first draft was released to the public on July 13.
At its May 12 meeting, the Planning Commission summarized the workshop feedback: big ideas were appreciated, but the consensus was that the town should “start small and gain momentum.”
Cost estimates and funding mechanisms have not been decided. On June 29 the commission chose to keep the public draft high-level and to address funding and costs after public feedback. The schedule stated at the July 7 Selectboard meeting: a rough plan by end of summer, review by town boards, Selectboard approval, then the Bennington County Regional Commission and the State.
Michael Allen of Regrowth Planning briefed the commission on the housing forum held the week before. April 29 was the second session in the Town Plan visioning series. The minutes state: “The next ‘visioning workshop’ discussion on the Town Plan is going to be held on April 29th at Burr and Burton.” An attendee suggested the Manchester Business Association notify its members.
Source: PC minutes, April 13
The workshop was part of the Town Plan update, facilitated by Regrowth Planning at the Rowland Center. It was a public workshop rather than a board meeting, so no minutes were produced for it. The entries below are the references to it in board minutes afterward.
Chair David Michelson gave an overview of the April 29 session. This is the first appearance of the workshop in any board’s minutes.
“While big ideas were appreciated the consensus was that the town should start small and gain momentum.”PC minutes, May 12
Two workshop ideas were discussed: a tech campus as part of the Manchester community, with Southwest Tech’s role in Bennington cited as a model, and an attendee’s request for a sidewalk from downtown to the rec park. On the sidewalk, a commissioner noted an existing walking trail serves the route and could be better marked.
Source: PC minutes, May 12
Allen presented a document of Goal, Policy, and Action items described in the minutes as “the framework for the construction of the town plan,” to be expanded for public comment. Michelson asked that possible funding solutions be incorporated into each category and requested a vision statement for the plan revision. A public information session was proposed for July 13 at a location other than town hall.
Source: PC minutes, June 8
The commission debated whether the draft should include specific funding mechanisms and cost estimates. The recorded consensus: keep the July 13 public document high-level, address detailed funding and costs after public feedback, and include placeholder language showing the town is considering funding sources “beyond property taxes.”
Source: PC minutes, June 29
Asked how the Town Plan group interacts with the Selectboard, board chair Ivan Beattie said it is a Planning Commission process, with the Selectboard approving afterward. Town Manager Scott Murphy said a draft would be released July 13, and that by end of summer a rough plan should go “to various boards for finalizing before the Plan goes to the Selectboard. Then it goes to the Regional Planning Commission … and finally must be approved by the State.” The Town Plan is renewed every seven years. This is the only Selectboard reference to the effort in the May through August minutes.
Source: Selectboard minutes, July 7
Held at Manchester Community Library per the July 7 Selectboard minutes. Like April 29, this was a public session with no minutes of its own. The draft has not yet appeared on the town’s Planning & Zoning documents page, which still lists only the adopted 2025 plan.
A dedicated workshop session compared the draft outline with the existing plan. The minutes describe housing and economic development as “the most notable topics of discussion.” Ideas recorded:
Source: PC workshop minutes, July 16
Responding to public interest in an outdoor concert venue, the chair cited feedback from multiple community meetings: start small, using resources already at the town’s disposal, to test interest before building anything large. The commission also discussed retaining Allen as a town planner, proposed a roundtable with larger area businesses, and announced a follow-up public workshop for July 28.
Source: PC minutes, July 20
The July 28 workshop session was held as a discussion, but the commission lacked a quorum. The town’s agendas page states: “The Planning Commission did not have a quorum, therefore no decisions/actions were made during the discussion. No minutes are required as the discussion did not qualify as a Planning Commission meeting.” Further Planning Commission meetings were scheduled for August 13 and August 17; as of August 18, no minutes for those have been posted.
Source: 2026 PC Agendas & Minutes page
| Record | Covers | References the effort? |
|---|---|---|
| Planning Commission minutes (6 sets) | Apr 13 to Jul 20 | Yes, every meeting |
| Selectboard minutes of Jul 7 | Jul 7 | Yes |
| Selectboard minutes of May 5, May 19, Jun 9, Jun 23, Jul 21, Aug 4 | May 5 to Aug 4 | No reference found |
| Town Economic Development page | as of Aug 18 | No plan content |
| Planning & Zoning documents page | as of Aug 18 | 2025 adopted plan only; no 2026 draft posted |
| 2026 PC Agendas & Minutes page, Jul 28 entry | Jul 28 | Yes: no quorum, no minutes required |
How this was assembled. Compiled from the Town of Manchester’s published meeting minutes and website on August 18, 2026. It reports what the record says and quotes it verbatim. Where the record is silent (the workshop itself, the July 13 session, and anything after July 20), that silence is stated rather than filled in. Planning Commission minutes are published as drafts and approved at the following meeting; each set quoted here was approved at a later meeting except July 20, the most recent posted. The town’s minutes remain the official record.
Prepared by Manchester Commerce, the Manchester Chamber of Commerce effort in formation, in response to a member question. Monthly board decisions are published at Town Watch.