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Home shortage proves vexing: Group asks county's towns to plan for future grow
by Matt Sutkoski
Free Press Staff Writer

(Burlington Free Press, 01/06/05)

COLCHESTER — Fewer regulations could ease Chittenden County's housing crunch. More regulations could do the same.

From those two polar opposite statements, housing policy is about to be born. Maybe.

Colchester, at least, is taking a crack at it. Consultants Sharon Murray and Michael Munson are examining housing trends in Colchester, trying to help the town plan future housing needs for young families, people with modest incomes, the elderly and others.

Tuesday, the pair sought comment from Colchester residents to help them formulate a housing plan. That's where the conflicting sentiments emerged.

On one hand, regulations stymie housing construction. Colchester resident Adam Nilson said people who want to subdivide their property to provide more housing are intimidated because passing muster with regulators is difficult and expensive.

Dick Pecor agreed, saying that people shy away from Colchester because of restrictions on what can be done with property.

Regulations can also encourage affordable housing. Munson mentioned inclusionary zoning, which requires developers to include affordable units in housing plans. Other zoning regulations can allow dense development, packing many housing units in a small, cost-effective bunch for developers.

Density an option
Municipalities also can encourage denser developments with placement of utilities. For example, sewer lines can serve to entice developers to bunch housing, added Planning Commission Chairman Mickey Palmer. "Judicious placement of some of that infrastructure can be instrumental in the kind of growth you want," he said.

The whole thing is complex, but the work must be done, said Town Planner Sarah Hadd. "There's a very high level of housing demand regionwide that's resulting in a housing shortage that we didn't have 10 or 12 years ago. That's why municipalities are getting involved. What role can we play in solving this problem?" Hadd said.
Looking ahead

Wading into the issue, the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission has recommended housing targets for all communities in the county. Planners said the targets will help ease the county's housing shortage. The plan recommends 10,000 new housing units in Chittenden County by 2010. The county had 146,571 houses, condominiums, apartments and other living quarters in 2000, the last year for which reliable figures are available.

"These are targets, not quotas," said Tim Fluck, a principal planner at the Regional Planning Commission. The goal is to start communities thinking about housing and ways to ease housing shortages, he said. He noted state statutes require that towns try to encourage affordable housing in their municipal plans.

The commission also will release a guidebook containing strategies towns and cities can use to develop numerous, affordable housing, Fluck said.

Cities' approaches
Communities and developers already are in varying ways encouraging more housing, including the inclusionary zoning in Burlington, more than 300 apartments in South Burlington, and the housing component of Winooski's massive downtown redevelopment.

Even with these efforts, a housing shortage won't ease soon, Fluck said. "Keep in mind we're not talking about the production of cans of creamed corn. It's not like you put on an extra shift and produce a lot of creamed corn. It takes a long time to go through the permit process and build a house. You can't respond immediately to the shortage," he said.

Housing options
Communities in Chittenden County are beginning to see efforts to ease a housing shortage. Projects include:

Burlington is the first municipality in Chittenden County to enact inclusionary zoning, consultant Michael Munson said, which could help scatter affordable housing across the city.

Some towns, including Charlotte, are considering density bonuses in town plan updates. The bonuses would allow developers to build in certain areas with densities that are higher than normally allowed.
South Burlington has authorized a density bonus to allow 312 apartments in several buildings east of U.S. 7 and north of Interstate 89. Many of the units are occupied, some of them are still under construction. Most of the apartments are regarded as moderately priced and affordable.
Winooski's massive downtown redevelopment project includes numerous apartments and condominiums. About 300 students will live in suites scheduled for completion at the end of the year. Buildings containing about 230 apartments also are planned and are scheduled to be ready in 2006. Riverfront condominiums should be ready in 2007.

On the Web
Targets: The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission's document on housing construction targets through 2010 is available at www.ccrpcvt.org

Colchester: The public is invited to offer comments on what types of housing and growth is needed in Colchester's future. Forward comments to Town Planner Sarah Hadd via e-mail, shadd@town
.colchester.vt.us

Contact Matt Sutkoski at 660-1846 or msutkosk@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com