Manchester Housing Working Group

Key activities include:

  • Flexibility in the design, height and density of affordable housing projects
  • Encourages senior and workforce developers through density bonus
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Mad River Housing Coalition

Key activities include:

  • Ongoing land banking, Affordable land initiative.
  • Incentivizes homeowner’s construction of ADUs through grant and free professional services throughout permitting, design and development. In exchange, ADUs remain affordable for 5 years.
  • Developed a guide booklet to creating and renting ADUs.
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Jericho Affordable Housing Committee

Key activities include:

  • Conducted ADU survey in 2021 to know owners and renters perspective
  • Plans to conduct public forum and outreach to landowners and developers about affordable housing opportunities
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Hinesburg Affordable Housing Committee

Key activities include:

  • Accessory Apartment ADU video, Inclusionary Zoning, energy audit and retrofits at several mobile homes in Mountain View MHP, participated in Sunny Acres MHP becoming a coop.
  • Did Housing Needs Assessment in 2017, encouraged Select Board to seek VCDP funding for Kelley’s Field improvements, providing input to DRB on several large scale housing developments public to promote ADU.

Advice to other housing committees:

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Essex & Essex Junction Housing Commission

Key activities include:

  • Meeting other housing groups, learning about different aspects of zoning and planning.
  • Planning outreach campaign to the community, including opportunities for landlords, business owners, renters and those living or working in Essex.
  • Housing Needs Assessment completed.
  • Created different working groups for different activities, such as story sharing conversations and Outreach, Housing Trust Fund, Zoning issues
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Chester Housing Commission

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Donating municipal land

Definition

Municipalities may own land they can donate or sell at low cost for housing development.  

Land bank

Definition

Land banks are government-created nonprofit corporations designed to convert tax-delinquent and abandoned properties or land donations into affordable housing or other community uses.

Additional Resources

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Next City; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; The White House

Taxing vacant land

Definition

Vacant and abandoned properties are not only missed housing opportunities, but also can harm the surrounding neighborhood. Municipalities can enact vacant property registration ordinances that require individuals to register vacant land. Owners may be required to pay fees for vacant properties, which may be increased the longer it remains vacant, incentivizing owners to redevelop. Concept can overlap with land value taxation. 

Additional Resources

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Pew Center; The White House; 

Designated areas

Definition

The state of Vermont allows municipalities to “designate” specific geographic areas of their community as centers of economic importance. The five designations each offer a range of tools and incentives for towns to shape development or revitalization in the specified area. The available designations are Village Centers, Downtowns, New Town Centers, Neighborhood Development Areas, and Growth Centers.

Additional Resources

Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development

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