The Division of Community Planning and Revitalization provides tools, training, grants, and incentives for local leaders to plan and implement projects that support thriving, walkable communities. Here are some of our current initiatives:
Act 181 Affordable Housing Study: DHCD, the Land Access Opportunity Board (LAOB), the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) submitted their Act 181 recommendations to increase the supply of affordable housing to the General Assembly. The study group engaged extensively with stakeholders and focus groups and conducted a broad survey of over 750 Vermonters to gather ideas and suggestions for increasing affordable housing in and around downtowns and village centers.
While addressing the complexity Vermont’s Housing crisis within a six-month timeframe was challenging, the report outlines actionable recommendations that support DHCD’s housing bill. These include updates to Act 250, increased funding for housing programs, infrastructure, and the modernization of local bylaws and the appeals process, and exploring tax policy changes. View the report here.
Leahy Institute for Rural Partnership Grant: As part of the last year’s Designation 2050 program review and evaluation, stakeholders highlighted the need for more effective technical assistance to support rural communities. In response, DHCD partnered with UVM’s Center for Rural Studies to secure a $250,000 grant from the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships. This initiative aims to strengthen Vermont's rural technical assistance ecosystem by leveraging UVM’s students and faculty to study successful models in other states and improve collaboration, communication, and governance among Vermont’s training and service providers.
The project will kick off with a meeting of the Advisory Committee, which includes key partners such as the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Land Access Opportunity Board, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Vermont’s Regional Planning Commissions, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Vermont Council on Rural Development, and USDA Rural Development. Following an inventory of successful models, the team will host regional listening sessions to gather insights, amplify rural challenges and opportunities, and build collaboration among stakeholders.
The initiative will culminate in a fall summit to present and refine recommendations for legislative action. These final recommendations will be submitted to the General Assembly, as required by Act 181, aimed at helping Vermont’s rural communities thrive.
Homes for All: A 'Design & Do' Toolkit for Small-scale Home Builders, Investors & Community Leaders: The Vermont Homes for All Toolkit and community engagement process re-introduced Missing Middle Housing (MMH) to Vermont by focusing statewide attention on small scale gentle infill and incremental development as a strategy to address Vermont’s housing and affordability crisis. This approach is emphasized by Enabling Better Places: A Zoning Guide for Vermont Neighborhoods. This ‘Design & Do’ Toolkit is comprised of four deliverables useful to housing champions across Vermont, including prospective and emerging small-scale developers, planning and regulatory policymakers, municipal and community leaders, and Vermont-based technical advisors. This effort will expand in 2025 through a cohort training program for new developers and a catalog of pre-approved home designs.
DRAFT Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Application: The Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Housing and Community Development is applying to HUD on behalf of The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) to address infrastructure and capital needs with state resources to provide technical assistance and feasibility to non-profit and cooperative parks, and HUD EDI funding to provide high efficiency individual homes. The applicants propose to use an award of $15 million in PRICE MAIN funding to address these critical infrastructure needs in manufactured home communities around the State.
Public Notice: Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Competition: The Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Housing and Community Development is applying for $15million in HUD funding to be subgranted to the Vermont Housing Conservation Board (VHCB) to address critical infrastructure needs in non-profit and cooperatively-owned manufactured home communities.
DRAFT Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) Application: The Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Housing and Community Development is applying to HUD on behalf of the consortium of the Department of Housing and Community Development; Vermont Housing and Finance Agency; the Vermont State Housing Authority; the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity; Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies; and the City of Burlington. The consortium proposes to use $8 million award of PRO Housing for local, regional, and statewide efforts to remove barriers and increase housing opportunities across Vermont. Awards will be announced in January 2024.
Designation 2050: Design the Future of Vermont: The Vermont Legislature authorized an evaluation and reform project for 2023, to review how well Vermont’s designation programs are working and develop recommendations for strengthening, streamlining, and modernizing the programs in the future.
Small Towns, Healthy Communities Podcast: a podcast about the intersection between health equity and community design in Vermont, hosted by Richard Amore and Suzanne Kelley. https://healthycommunitiesvt.com/podcast/