To Build on Burlington’s Progressive Legacy and Put People at the Center of Housing Policy
Vermont Business Magazine On January 14th, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announced the launch of Burlington’s 2026 Housing Strategy. This marks a major step forward on one of the mayor’s top priorities: creating ample, safe, and affordable housing for the Burlington community.
“Burlington has always dared to imagine a city where housing serves people, not just markets,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak said. “We are at a crossroads. We can accept a future where only a few can afford to live in Burlington, or we can choose to lead, as we have before. My administration will build on that proud progressive legacy with a housing strategy that meets this moment — one that puts residents first, expands opportunity, and ensures Burlington remains a place where people can stay, grow, and belong.”
A People-First Housing Strategy
Burlington’s 2026 Housing Strategy is a three-pronged framework designed to accelerate housing production while centering equity, affordability, community stability, and democratic participation. The strategy reflects a belief that housing policy works best when it is shaped by the people who live here.
“Burlington’s proud history as a national leader in affordable housing has inspired communities across the U.S. But we know we can’t rely on yesterday’s tools alone to solve today’s challenges,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak remarked. “It’s time to reinvigorate Burlington’s legacy and to once again lead by example.”
1. Revitalizing Legacy Tools
The City will modernize its Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance and Housing Trust Fund—longstanding pillars of Burlington’s affordable housing system. While these tools have delivered meaningful results for decades, market conditions have outpaced their impact. The City will explore updates informed by peer cities such as Portland, Oregon, and Baltimore, Maryland, including innovative funding mechanisms like limited tax forgiveness for buildings that provide needed affordable homes.
“As the landscape for building affordable housing changes, we need to modernize the tools at our disposal to better suit this evolving environment,” acknowledged Kara Alnasrawi, Director of the Community & Economic Development Office. “Cities around the country are adapting these decades-old tools to better respond to the current crisis, and Burlington hopes to be a leader, once again, in this arena.”
2. Activating the Neighborhood Code — the “Democracy” Pillar
Burlington’s Neighborhood Code opened the door to more infill housing options, including duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units, and small multi-unit buildings. But zoning reform alone is not enough. This strategy pillar emphasizes “democratizing” housing production by helping residents, individual property owners, and small developers actually use the code.
“The City is engaged in multiple initiatives, from exploring pre-approved plans to education and technical assistance for property owners and small-scale developers and advocating for common sense reforms to State building codes. This work will deliver on the potential that Neighborhood Code promises – to build the housing the community wants and needs,” said Charles Dillard, Director of the Office of City Planning.
3. Reclaiming the Public Sector’s Role as a Housing Leader
Burlington will continue and expand its long-standing practice of leveraging public assets for public good. This includes pursuing public-private partnerships and thoughtfully developing housing on City-owned land to meet community needs. A major new example is the South End Coordinated Redevelopment Project, which will deliver more than 200 homes in its first phase alone, with a high percentage of affordable units. A second phase is being planned on City-owned land, with another 200 homes envisioned.
“Eventually, thousands of new residents from diverse backgrounds will call this corner of the South End home,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak added. “It’s proof that when the public and private sectors truly work together, we can design a better Burlington.”
The Mayor and Director Dillard also emphasized that city governments have long played a role in developing high-quality housing that embodies the values of their people. “When we look nationally and internationally, the cities doing best are those that play a strong, forceful role in leading, including in leveraging their own land,” Director Dillard said.
Groundwork with Lessons from Peer Cities
Development of the 2026 Housing Strategy is already underway through a cross-departmental team led by the Office of City Planning and the Community & Economic Development Office. The team has conducted research, peer city comparisons, data analysis, and extensive community engagement.
This work has been strengthened through Burlington’s participation in the Bloomberg–Harvard City Leadership Initiative, which selected Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak and Burlington to participate in this year. The Mayor chose affordable housing growth as the city’s central challenge to focus under the Initiative. Using a human-centered design approach, the City is engaging residents, renters, developers, contractors, lenders, and City staff to ensure the strategy responds to real experiences and barriers.
Ahead Together
The 2026 Housing Strategy aims to put Burlington on a path toward creating 7,000 housing units by 2050, in line with the city’s share of statewide housing goals. But Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak emphasized that housing strategy is about far more than numbers – this is about the people who live and work here. Equity will be central to every element of implementation.
“Burlington’s 2026 Housing Strategy represents Burlington’s renewed commitment to democratized and people-led housing policies, which distinguishes my administration from those of the past,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak said. “We will design housing solutions with our residents to ensure they embody lived experience, prioritize community wellbeing, and create a city where everyone has a fair chance to thrive.