February 12, 2025
Agenda:
• Welcome
• VT Outdoor Rec Day Announcement - 5 minutes
• Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development - 10-15 minutes
• Housing Update from RPCs - 10 minutes
• Bill Priorities Re-visited
Welcome
Rep. Woody Page shared JRH.2, a joint resolution urging President Trump to refrain from imposing tariffs on goods and services imported from Canada. This resolution is treated as a bill and was referred to the House committee on Commerce and Economic Development.
VT Outdoor Rec Day Announcement
Nick Bennett shared that there are over 100 individuals representing outdoor recreation organizations and groups at the State House for the day for VT Outdoor Rec Day.
Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development
Vermont Evaluation of Rural Technical Assistance (VERTA) Presentation
Homes for All - Last year DHCD convened over 200 participants in launching Vermont’s first Homes for All Toolkit, featuring resources for small-scale developers, guides, case studies, and workshops. This effort will expand in 2025 through a cohort training program for new developers and a catalog of pre-approved home designs.
Muni Planning Grants - The online application was recently overhauled. The local match requirement is now waived for towns seeking assistance in developing zoning and subdivision regulations—a step required to qualify for Act 250 exemptions.
Housing Update from RPCs
Peter Gregory - Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Charlie Baker - Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Tasha Wallis - Lamoille County Planning Commission
All discussed housing development initiatives and the effects of Act 181. Peter described the efforts and relationship between towns and RPCs. They have been assisting Towns with making updates to land use maps and zoning to progress housing development through regulatory relief with the interim exemptions. Tasha highlighted the challenges in Lamoille County due to inadequate infrastructure, emphasizing the need for rural areas to prioritize infrastructure investment. Charlie addressed concerns about the Act 181 Tier 3 zones and town anxiety about meeting housing targets without the necessary support. Overall, the group emphasized the importance of infrastructure, regulatory relief, and flexibility in developing the land maps with designated development areas outside of town/village centers.
Bill Priorities Re-visited
All Bills that were submitted by members for prioritization consideration will assist the caucus leadership with agenda setting. Previously the caucus has tracked bill progress, developed letters of support or amendments.
Caucus members are encouraged to provide recommendations on stakeholders they would like to come speak to the caucus.
Rep. Bram Kleppner discussed H.177, an act relating to income-based education funding. This bill proposes to transition from an education property tax to an education income tax in fiscal year 2027.
Next time:
More on rural housing
NEK Collaborative - 5-10 minutes
