As the project's overall density met this requirement, the Board concluded that the project was not prohibited under the plan. Provisions of a regional plan, like zoning ordinances, should be construed according to the ordinary rules of statutory construction. If the meaning of the plan is clear, it must be followed according to its express terms. A project in an agricultural area conforms with this regional plan as long as it does not exceed the listed density of one unit per ten acres or the density prescribed in the applicable local bylaws. This language is clear and unqualified, and creates no ambiguity.
All parties agree that the overall project density meets the South Burlington zoning requirement.
Looking to the regional plan, we agree that the project qualifies as having a substantial regional impact because it occurs outside a designated growth center and requires an Act 250 permit. We see nothing in the regional plan's provisions concerning substantial regional impacts that alters the plan's density limitations. The Town also contests the Board's conclusion that the regional plan is not specific enough to deny the project because nowhere in the plan is there a clear restriction such as a numeric limit on housing densities above a certain level outside the designated growth centers. The Town complains that the Board is inconsistent in that it has found other regional plans sufficiently specific to deny permits even though those plans did not contain numeric restrictions. We decline to engage in comparing the Board's interpretations of various regional plans.