Middlebury, along with the rest of the state of Vermont, is experiencing a major housing shortage, especially regarding affordable housing. Current rental prices in Addison County would require a person to earn at least $26 an hour working full time— almost double the minimum wage here in Vermont (Homes First Vermont 2022). Additionally, a 6-8% vacancy rate for homes is considered healthy, but the vacancy rate in Addison County was only 2.4% in 2021 (Reynolds 2023). Not only are we lacking in affordable housing, we are lacking in housing altogether.
Smart Growth and Affordable Housing
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is endorsing a smart growth approach to housing which emphasizes compact development; green design and construction; and transportation options in order to protect the environment and develop more affordable neighborhoods. Conventional housing development has contributed to the conversion of rural land at a rate three times faster than population growth and large lot housing development poses a significant threat to air and water quality. Additionally, dispersed housing developments make it more difficult for state and local governments to maintain infrastructures such as schools, utilities, streets, and police and fire departments. Dispersed housing developments can be very exclusive because they often cannot support viable public transit, biking, or pedestrian options, which can make automobile ownership almost a necessity. The cost of transportation should be included in the cost of housing. For example, green building materials and appliances can help to reduce energy consumption by 33% and water use by 30%. These reductions are substantial because energy costs can amount to as much as 22% of household income for low-income households. Additionally, green building methods contribute to healthier living environments, which reduce health care costs and reduce missed work days which can increase strain on parents. Smart growth approaches encourage building a range of housing types to meet the needs of families, young professionals, and the elderly. They encourage investing and redeveloping in existing communities, which uses existing infrastructure and adds amenities in areas that have suffered from disinvestment (Environmental Protection Agency 2022).
Conservation Developments
In the long term, there is also an argument surrounding land preservation versus housing. Land preservation is necessary for climate mitigation, public access to outdoor recreation, and the many people in the state of Vermont who cut their own timber, hunt, or forage. The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) has a proposed solution to achieve the best of both worlds. VNRC calls them “conservation developments.” They will provide housing while “protecting key rural features such as woods, meadows, steep slopes, floodplains, critical habitats, scenic views, archaeological sites, historic buildings and their settings, wetlands, streams, farmland or other types of open space” (“Conservation Developments ” 2023). Potential developers are encouraged to identify natural and cultural features that should be protected, and develop around those sites. The VNRC stresses the importance of creating a “comprehensive open space plan” for the town that will ensure widespread implementation of conservation developments, and connectedness throughout the community. If you would like to learn more about conservation developments, click here.
The town of Middlebury’s Planning and Zoning Commission developed a new Plan of Conservation and Development in 2015 to “help guide the future growth and development of the Town, through a series of coordinated goals, policies and strategies” (Turner Miller Group 2015). The overarching goals of this plan were:
- Maintain the semi – rural, small town character of Middlebury.
- Recognize that there is a limited need for additional residential growth, beyond what has already been permitted. Therefore, the additional needs for residential development can be met with the construction of approved projects, as well as the development of small residential subdivisions consistent with the semi-rural character of the Town and environmental limitations of the land.
- Promote the economic growth of Middlebury in a way to preserve the character of the Town, as well as provide an environment for modern emerging industries. This will require the most efficient use of properties designated for commercial and industrial development to avoid the creation of commercial sprawl throughout the Town.
- The Plan is intended to guide the growth of Middlebury into an environmentally sustainable community, appropriate for a modern semi-rural community of the 21st century. (Turner Miller Group 2015)
In addition to the 2015 town plan, the Middlebury Conservation Commission is currently working on a Conservation plan that will eventually be implemented into town documents. It will mark important ecological areas that should not be developed due to value as farmland, wildlife habitat and corridors, and important aesthetic spaces. However, it is still in the early stages of development.
Summit Properties- A Local Solution
Summit Properties and Middlebury College are partnering to build 150-250 housing units in downtown Middlebury, some affordable and some market rate. The 35-acre lot is on Seminary Street Extension and was purchased by the college in 2022 (Reynolds 2023). The college has stakes in the housing issue because if there is no housing available, the college will be unable to hire and keep employees. The same goes for Porter Medical Center. While the project has overwhelming support, there has been pushback. Some neighbors worry about a loss of Middlebury’s “small-town feel,” while others worry that a two or three story building won’t look right (Israel 2022). With an overwhelming need for housing, what else is the town to do?
Tiny Homes
Here in Addison County, the Patricia Hannaford Career Center has started a project working with local high schoolers to build tiny home(s) to combat the housing crisis. Additionally, the Hannaford Career Center allows students to begin training in the trades and set them on a career path they are interested in. Students interested in construction and woodworking worked on these tiny home(s) to make a home available to a low income family. These creative and community oriented projects like this one at the Hannaford Career Center are the kind of projects that will solve local issues, such as a lack of housing, with local solutions that are long lasting and create resiliency in the community (Flowers 2022).
A similar course has been offered at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School. Yestermorrow teaches hands-on classes in construction, design, and architecture with a mission to build a more sustainable future. Students live on their campus, all of which has been built by past students. While they are not currently offering the tiny house design/build course, they have offered it in the past. Students design and build their own tiny home and get practical experience in building structures should they work on larger projects later on. Other related classes they offer include yurt design/build, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) design, and a class on composting toilets. Learn more about the Yestermorrow School here.
Homes First
Homes First Vermont aims to produce affordable homes for members of Addison County that do not earn enough to pay current rental rates. This organization creates small house communities in Middlebury because it is close to public transportation and other services, The vision of Homes First Vermont is pocket neighborhoods of homes ranging from 300-500 square feet within the village of Middlebury. They are also working to place single tiny homes in open lots in local mobile home communities (Homes First Vermont 2022). Learn more about Homes First here.
Housing First
Housing First is a homeless assistance program that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness. The goal is to end their homelessness and serve as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. This approach is guided by the belief that people need to have their food and shelter needs met before they can deal with other matters such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or addressing substance abuse issues. Housing First is also based on the idea that clients should have the ability to choose their housing because giving clients a voice is more likely to make them successful in remaining housed and improving their life (National Alliance to End Homelessness 2022).
Housing First does not require homeless people to address all of their behavior health problems or substance abuse issues before they can access housing. The program also does not require homeless people to participate in services before obtaining housing or in order to retain housing. The Housing First Program views housing as the foundation for life improvement and enables access to permanent housing without prerequisites or conditions beyond those of a typical renter. The program offers services to support people with housing stability and individual well-being, however, participation is not mandatory because these types of services have been to be more effective when people willingly take advantage of these services (National Alliance to End Homelessness 2022).
Housing First can help homeless families and all individuals with any degree of service needs. This program is flexible and responsive, which allows it to be tailored to fulfill anyone’s needs. Therefore, this approach can be used to help end homelessness for people who have become homeless due to a temporary personal or financial crisis who have limited service needs and only need help finding permanent housing. However, on the other hand, the Housing First approach has also been extremely successful at ending homelessness for chronically homeless individuals. This program provides rental assistance to meet the unique needs of different households and the consumers sign a standard lease with the support of the program (National Alliance to End Homelessness 2022).
Ultimately, the goal of the Housing First program is to meet the housing needs of individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness for any reason. This program does everything it can to avoid deterring people from utilizing its services. It understands that many homeless people suffer from addiction and mental illness, however, this program also understands that housing and other forms of support can be an effective first step in treating these issues. A sustainable community relies on the help and well-being of all its citizens. Housing First contributes to this effort by increasing the availability of housing and supporting people on their journey to a better life.
Works Cited
“Conservation Developments.” 2023. Vermont Natural Resources Council. https://vnrc.org/community-planning-toolbox/tools/conservation-developments/.
Flowers, John. 2022. “Career Center Thinks ‘tiny’ on Big Housing Problem.” Addison Independent. February 17. https://www.addisonindependent.com/2022/02/17/career-center-thinks-tiny-on-big-housing-problem/.
“Housing First.” 2022. National Alliance to End Homelessness. March 20. https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/.
Israel, Sam. 2022. “Planned Middlebury Housing Project Draws Pushback.” My Champlain Valley, December 15. https://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/vermont/new-proposed-housing-project-in-middlebury-gets-pushback-from-neighbors/.
Reynolds, Maggie. 2023. “Up to 250 Units Planned to Help Address Middlebury’s Affordable Housing Shortage.” VTDigger. January 20. https://vtdigger.org/2023/01/20/up-to-250-units-planned-to-help-address-middleburys-affordable-housing-shortage/.
Turner Miller Group. 2015. “Middlebury Plan of Conservation and Development.” Middlebury Planning and Zoning Commission. https://nvcogct.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Middlebury-POCD-2015.pdf.
US EPA. 2022. “Smart Growth and Affordable Housing.” Overviews and Factsheets. June 28. https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/smart-growth-and-affordable-housing.
2022. Homes First. https://homesfirstvt.org/our-vision/.