Housing and Infrastructure Report
Act 157 directed ACCD to develop recommendations to increase investment in our housing and infrastructure. Over the summer and fall, the steering committee and staff reviewed existing programs and statutes, gathered stakeholder input and evaluated the housing and infrastructure needs throughout Vermont. Top recommendations to increase the supply and quality of housing include increasing the available downtown and village center tax credits as well as regulatory changes to speed state permit approvals in state-designated centers. The committee learned that tax increment financing helped St. Albans, Winooski, White River Junction, Barre and others towns finance repairs to sidewalks, roads, sewer and water systems that leveraged millions more in private investment, including the development of housing. Expanding the use of this important tool would help revitalize other Vermont communities. Read the report and see the complete list of recommendations here.
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DHCD Welcomes New Leadership
DHCD welcomes Katie Buckley as its new Commissioner. Before leading DHCD, Katie served as Guilford’s Town Administrator and as Director of Housing Development for Windham & Windsor Housing Trust. She filled the ‘Smart Growth’ seat on the state Downtown Board and served on the boards of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, Friends of Algiers Village and the Windham Regional Commission. Her wit, energy and experience in local government, housing, historic preservation, planning and community development are an asset to the team.
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Downtown Transportation Fund
The application deadline for the next round of Downtown Transportation Fund grants is March 6, 2017. This year, $335,000 is available to designated downtown with a maximum award of $100,000 per community. The program funds streetscape improvements, bicycle and pedestrian projects, electric vehicle charging stations, transit facilities, utility relocation, way-finding signage, street lighting and ADA access improvements. For more information, review the application guidelines.
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New Tool - Planning Atlas
Need to know the boundary of a state designated downtown or village center? Want to find out which municipalities have zoning regulations? Check out the new Planning Atlas. This easy-to-use tool provides access to our most commonly requested data – the status of local planning and regulation, designation boundaries and more. In addition to the interactive map, the tool includes the municipal planning database that provides data on local land use regulation and policies.
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Municipal Planning Grants
DHCD recently announced the recipients of approximately $460,000 in Municipal Planning Grants (MPGs) that support local planning and community revitalization initiatives. This year, 69 applications were submitted, requesting over $780,000. The grants build on a 25-year track record of investments that help Vermont’s cities and towns create new economic opportunities and make smarter, more cost-effective investments in their future. Learn more about how MPGs supported revitalization and redevelopment in downtown Bennington.
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Historic Preservation Grants
The Division for Historic Preservation announced the 2017 State Historic Preservation grant awards. Nearly $200,000 in grant funds will support 15 projects and leverage more than $600,000 in additional investments. Projects awarded include the First Unitarian Universalist Society Meeting House in Burlington, the Bixby Memorial Free Library in Vergennes, Robinson Sawmill in Calais, Wheelock’s Town Hall, and window restoration projects in Bristol, Chester, Fairfield, and Weathersfield.
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Training Opportunities
Upcoming training and events.
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Funding Opportunities
Upcoming grants and incentives.
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Community Vision Realized – the New Jericho Market
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Residents of Jericho and Underhill no longer need to travel far for groceries thanks to a new village market that offers an array of local foods and provides opportunities for encounters with friends and neighbors. Ten years earlier, with Municipal Planning Grant support, the towns explored opportunities for infill development on a 22-acre former lumberyard and envisioned the Riverside/Jericho Flats village with a full-service market. Having obtained village center designation, Jericho received additional funds to engage the community in preparing a master plan and regulations to guide future village development. Inspired by the plan, the lumberyard building was converted into a grocery store and an adjacent village green was developed to provide a community gathering space which also serves as a leach field for the septic system.
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