[S]OUTH BURLINGTON — A new collaborative initiative aims to help build 3,500 housing units in the next five years in Chittenden County, where communities and advocates have long expressed a need.
Members of local and state government as well as businesses and housing nonprofits gathered Monday to announce their Building Homes Together initiative.
“Every community (in Chittenden County) needs to up its game,” said Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger on Monday. “It requires different municipalities coming together.”
Dozens attended the event in South Burlington, including state officials and representatives of cities and towns across Chittenden County.
In addition to pursuing the housing goal, the coalition will assist with infrastructure to encourage developers to build in nonrural areas of the county, said Chris Donnelly, director of community relations for Champlain Housing Trust.
Over the past five years, Chittenden County has added on average 450 housing units a year. Meeting the coalition’s goal would require an increase of 250 units a year.
Champlain Housing Trust CEO Brenda Torpy said the idea is that 20 percent of the new units, or 700, come from nonprofit housing organizations.
For nonprofits to build that much housing, the county will need around $65 million to $70 million in capital from public sources and private investments with below-market interest, Donnelly said.
The initiative grew out of discussions involving Champlain Housing Trust, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and Housing Vermont on how to address countywide housing issues.
The organizations were quickly joined by local and state government officials, Donnelly said.
This is the first time a coalition of this sort has committed to combining private and public sectors to make this happen, he said.
“The coalition will allow for a collective effort to address a regional issue,” Weinberger said.
In Burlington, the cost of housing is frequently raised as an issue. National statistics recently said that 2.2 minimum wage jobs would be needed per household to affordably rent a two-bedroom apartment in the city. Earlier this month, some residents and advocates said part of the reason is that UVM students living off campus have driven up market prices.
But Weinberger said the county needs more than affordable housing. It also needs housing for seniors, environmentally friendly housing, and housing that allows for easy commuting throughout the area by bike or walking, he said.
South Burlington’s city manager, Kevin Dorn, said the need for rental housing has increased as demographics in Chittenden County have shifted to include greater numbers of young people. The coalition plans to address this need by assisting in the creation of housing spaces with both rental and permanent housing options, he said.
Businesses in Chittenden County want to see housing at different affordability levels in order to infuse new energy throughout the business community, Torpy said.
Each city or town has specific and different needs that must be met, Donnelly said.
Colchester Town Manager Dawn Francis said the town needs to change its sewer system if it is to accommodate more units.
Williston is looking to start a housing trust to aid with costs, Donnelly said as an example of individual communities’ needs. The coalition will look to bolster such efforts with small decisions that support each community, he said.
Members of the public interested in participating in the coalition can contact Donnelly at chris@champlainhousingtrust.org.