by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Addison County has challenges related to housing, workforce, and child care, and organizations and municipalities are working towards solutions.
“So the good news is, the challenges are, in most cases, balanced by some good news and the projects that are happening,” said Fred Kenney, executive director of the Addison County Economic Development Corp.
Vergennes Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Study: The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is preparing the study to evaluate ways to reduce the impacts of large trucks on Vermont Route 22A. The route is a major trucking corridor between the Port of Albany and Chittenden County. It also travels through downtown Vergennes, and the city is looking for travel alternatives for these large trucks to bypass the downtown. AOT will also investigate how to make these changes without negatively impacting the surrounding towns.
Addison County Economic Report: Aiming beyond the pandemic for a new phase of growth
The ACRPC is collaborating with AOT on the study. Lougee said the PEL study was created by the Federal Highway Administration and is intended to set the stage for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a federal process required for any significant road projects.
Providing infrastructure for housing: Conversations across Vermont have focused on the state’s housing shortage. Conversations around the infrastructure that supports housing, such as wastewater, public transportation, and community amenities, such as parks and grocery stores, have often been overlooked.
Collaborating on housing planning: Adam Lougee, executive director of the Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC), said Vergennes, Ferrisburgh, and Middlebury each received $100,000 through the federal RAISE grant program to study and plan for housing development near public transportation, including rail lines and to link in with the local bus company, Tri-Valley Transit.
According to Lougee, the City of Vergennes and Ferrisburgh have meshed their funds for a joint study covering the northern part of the city and the southern part of Ferrisburgh.
Lougee said the communities are collaborating on more and more projects. “If they're looking at housing together, they must at least consider the infrastructure underneath together.”
Vergennes is upgrading its water/sewer system: Voters approved a $25.5 million bond to overhaul the city’s sewer collection system and wastewater treatment facility. According to a presentation by engineering firm Wright-Pierce, the project is still in the design phase. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.
Lougee said that during the recent floods and heavy rains, Vergennes’ system lacked sufficient capacity to handle the extra water.
According to articles in the Addison Independent, the sewer and wastewater systems had led to regular overflows of primary stormwater but occasionally untreated waste. The treatment plant was constructed in the 1960s, and portions of the system’s piping are as many as 100 years old.
New Housing: Kenney estimates the county needs at least 800 new housing units annually to meet demand. The county needs all housing types, especially workforce housing.
“We need to develop all types of housing, and I'm just not sure the changes that were made are going to allow that to happen,” he said of the state’s updates to Act 250.
Stonecrop Meadows: Summit Properties and Middlebury College have collaborated on Stonecrop Meadows, a 200 mixed-income, mixed housing types, multi-phased development in Middlebury.
Middlebury College purchased 35 acres of land on Seminary Street Extension in 2022. According to a press release, the college plans to sell the land to Summit Properties in phases as the project progresses. The estimated cost of the development is $40 million.
In a press release, David Provost, executive vice president for finance and administration at Middlebury, said, “Middlebury College’s goal with this project is to support one of the community’s greatest challenges—affordable housing.”
He added, “The College’s ability to attract and retain faculty and staff is dependent on the economic development of the Town of Middlebury, Addison County, and the state of Vermont. This provides the beginning of a solution for the College, Porter Medical Center, and all regional businesses.”
Lougee said the college purchased the land for the project with the stipulation that it be used to provide affordable and workforce housing.
In May, the project received $5,670,000 in funding from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. According to the VHCB, the funding will support one of the project’s many phases, a 35-unit apartment building. Six units will be designated for individuals exiting homelessness.
Lougee said the area's lack of housing is one of its biggest obstacles. He hopes Stonecrop will inspire other developers to consider neighboring communities like Vergennes of Bristol.
Lougee said the project has yet to break ground and is still compiling funding. He expects that the project will be exempt from Act 250 because it is located in a neighborhood development area. Pending funding, the project will hopefully break ground next year.
Bristol Firehouse Apartments: In 2023, Evernorth and Addison Housing Works opened the Firehouse Apartments, a 20-unit low—and moderate-income housing development in downtown Bristol. The development cost more than $8.6 million and was funded through a complex mix of public and private sources.
In a press release, Elise Shanbacker, Addison Housing Works, Executive Director, said, “Firehouse Apartments will create a new neighborhood in Bristol where people can send their kids to school across the street, walk to work and downtown, and have easy access to nearby recreational trails. Firehouse Apartments will contribute to the continued success and vibrancy of the Bristol community into the future.”
Armory Lane in Vergennes: Developer Peter Kahn is working on a multi-phase project with a potential goal of 170 units, said Lougee. So far, 10 apartments have come online.
Otter Creek Child Center expansion: The center’s Community Child Care Expansion Project (C3EP) is set to double the capacity of Otter Creek Child Center and College Street Children’s Center. The project is expected to cost $11.8 million.
The center’s expansion will provide at least 77 more slots for children and help provide educational and workforce development opportunities for local students.
Construction is expected to begin this year and be completed in the summer of 2025.
According to Let’s Grow Kids, Addison County has unmet toddler and infant care needs. The organization estimates that 323 toddlers, 129 infants, and 148 preschool spots are needed to meet demand.
“Housing and child care are probably the two big issues in Addison County that have been holding back the economy,” Lougee said.
Expanding performing arts spaces: Town Hall Theater in Middlebury is undergoing a $7.5 million expansion to add a 7,000-square-foot, three-story addition. The addition will add new spaces to the theater, such as a scene shop, educational classrooms, and rehearsal rooms.
The Vergennes Opera House’s All Access Project is updating the structure to make it ADA-accessible. The work includes adding an elevator tower to the 1897 Opera House, a new walkway from the street to a new entrance, a lift from the auditorium level to the stage and dressing room levels, and an ADA restroom.
On the organization’s website, the Friends of the Vergennes Opera House wrote about the project that, “…We know that a significant portion of our community has been excluded from events at the Opera House because of the impractical access for those with mobility challenges. Our goal is to fix that problem, and we are committed to making this project come to life and have it completed in time for our 2025-2026 season.”
The estimated cost for the project is $1,639,428.
Improving energy efficiency at the municipal level: ACRPC is participating in a statewide energy retrofit program with the state Buildings and General Services part of the Agency of Administration.
The program focuses on improving the energy efficiency of municipal buildings. The first phase includes conducting energy audits of municipal buildings. The next phase will provide up to $500,000 in grants for towns with the highest energy burden.
Lougee said that only some towns that apply will receive funding. However, the program still excites him because it presents the opportunity to improve community spaces—town halls, libraries, and recreation centers—many of which are two centuries old.
“I hope it'll allow them to be used for more community things,” he said. “Some of them are held back by lack of infrastructure, whether it's wastewater, heating, or ADA.”
Applications open in September, with funding available for the 2025 construction season.
“So that's something that a significant portion of our towns will do to reinvest in their own community infrastructure, which is kind of nice,” Lougee said.
Creating Moosalamoo’s Master Plan: The US Forest Service has asked ACRPC to create a master plan for the Moosalamoo National Recreational Area, which is part of the Green Mountain National Forest and lies between Middlebury and Brandon Gaps.
Moosalamoo’s trail network contains approximately 70 miles of trails. The area is home to attractions such as Silver Lake, Falls of Lana, and the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail, which is accessible to people with all abilities. The land was designated a recreational area in 2007.
ACPRC staff and interns are hitting the trails to gather data. Lougee said programmatic and improvement recommendations will be released at a later date.
AllEarth Renewables: The solar company has returned to Addison County after a stint in Williston. The company moved into Bristol’s Firehouse Development, a three-parcel industrial development built by Kevin Harper and David Blittersdorf. Located within the Bristol Village area, the 12.5-acre parcel includes residential buildings like the Firehouse Apartments and commercial buildings.
Deer View Business Park: This is a 65-acre property in New Haven near US Route 7. The area is zoned for five commercial lots and one industrial lot. T
The project has received its permits, and the ACEDC is helping identify potential tenants. As of June 2024, two tenants have committed to taking space at Deer View when the buildings are ready in the fall of 2024.
Grant programs for small businesses: The ACEDC recently finished two successful rounds of programming for small businesses. One grant program uses federal ARPA funding; the other receives state money.
Technical assistance to small businesses: The ARPA funds went to the Small Business Technical Assistance Exchange program. The ACEDC had $64,000 in funds, which it used to support 16 businesses.
Kenney said the beauty of the program is that while providing the recipients with assistance that boosts their businesses, it also puts money into the pockets of the companies—such as a website designer, photographer, coaching, or legal help—who provide the technical know-how. Many of the businesses were owned by people identifying as LGBTQ+ or BIPOC.
Building Communities: An annual program through the state Building and General Services. The program provides matching funds for capital expenditures. This year, ACEDC worked with seven businesses. Kenney said the ACEDC used its pool of $60,000 in grant funds to leverage half a million dollars in capital improvements. The improvements included a new hood and stove at the Chipman Inn, Ripton, and a new canning line at Shacksbury Cider, Vergennes.
“I’ve got to give a shout-out to our legislature on these programs,” he said. “They appropriated funds for both of them.”
ACORN Food Hub: A $50,000 USDA Rural Development grant helped fund a feasibility study on expanding the ACORN Food Hub and adding a Commercial Community Kitchen. According to Kenney, the goal is to support the sale and distribution of local foods and increase local food access in the Champlain Valley region.
This organization seeks to increase local food consumption across the Champlain Valley and connects farmers with markets for their goods.