This commentary is by Suresh V. Garimella, president of the University of Vermont.
The University of Vermont is well aware of the critical housing shortages facing Burlington and many nearby areas of Vermont. I hear regularly from students, staff and faculty about their difficulties finding affordable housing.
Those who are able increasingly turn to communities farther and farther away. Their longer commuting distances come with complications for child care, quality of life, and the environment.
One aspect of UVM’s economic contribution to Chittenden County and to the state are the thousand-plus graduates who choose each year to remain in Vermont to live and work. More than half of these new workers are out-of-state UVM students who fall in love with Vermont and choose to stay, adding critical strength to the Vermont economy.
These future Vermonters will face the same housing challenges that Vermonters are experiencing now.
Today, I am reinforcing UVM’s commitment to partnering with elected leaders, zoning officials and the private sector to alleviate some of the housing pressure we all feel by finding solutions together.
UVM already requires all freshmen and sophomores to live in campus housing. Our current inventory of beds accommodates over six of every 10 undergrads. But there is no doubt our on-campus housing capacity is stretched.
New housing facilities at UVM would allow even more of our students to comfortably reside on campus, relieving some of the pressure on local and nearby communities.
We are prepared to develop more housing options on campus not only for undergraduates, but also for graduate students. But we cannot do this without the city’s help.
While we stand ready to initiate these projects, we are confronted by zoning rules that constrain our ability to build on our Trinity campus. These outdated regulations that apply to UVM restrict the university’s ability to proceed with new housing in a fair, equitable, sustainable and financially responsible manner. The regulations need amendment.
We at UVM are committed to being a part of the solution to the housing challenge, but unhelpful and outdated zoning regulations won’t help any of us move toward a better future for Burlington’s housing market. We stand ready to partner with the city to remedy this obstacle.
