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Property Requirements
The Paint Program covers a portion of the cost of paint only and does not include painting supplies. The property owner(s) is responsible for paying a portion of the paint costs, including taxes. Paint Program Awards will be as follows:
The City of Burlington has been providing free exterior paint to eligible properties since 1983. For applications, contact Lisa Chicoine at CEDO at 865-7183. For information on lead safety, call the Burlington Lead Program at 865-LEAD or go to http://www.cedoburlington.org/housing/lead_program.htm or www.leadsafevermont.org. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
City of Burlington Receives Housing AwardThe City of Burlington’s Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO) was recently given the “Welcome to the Neighborhood Award” by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB). The award, which was received by CEDO Director Michael Monte and Housing Director Brian Pine, was presented at a Montpelier conference celebrating the VHCB’s 20th anniversary. The City was recognized “for developing initiatives and programs to promote permanently affordable housing, demonstrating leadership in policy development and implementation, and for welcoming workers from all sectors of our economy.” While there’s more work to do in order to guarantee access to safe, decent and affordable housing for everyone, we should be proud of our efforts and our results. This recognition by VHCB confirms a belief that local government can make a real difference in the lives of people.
Browns Court Mixed-Income Rental Housing ProjectThe City Council unanimously endorsed converting the City-owned parking lot located on Browns Court and King Street into mixed-income rental housing. This culminates many years of consideration for making better use of this prime piece of downtown real estate. Both the City Council and the administration are committed to seeing this project come to fruition with minimal impact on public parking. CEDO issued a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) on May 14 inviting developers to submit letters by June 4th detailing their experience, expertise and financial capacity to undertake a major development project. CEDO received letters from six (6) interested developers. We will review the letters and make a determination regarding a qualified developer by the end of July 2007. For more information, email Brian Pine at bpine@ci.burlington.vt.us.
Champlain Housing Trust and Housing Vermont Announce Preservation of Twenty-Eight Perpetually Affordable Apartments in Burlington
The grand opening also coincided with the kick-off of National NeighborWorks® Week, a week long series of events in over 200 communities across the country to recognize the accomplishments of organizations and efforts of volunteers actively involved in developing and maintaining affordable housing. “It is remarkable what can be done when all of these people and organizations pull together to make neighborhoods livable,” said Mia Joiner-Moore of NeighborWorks® America’s New England Office in Boston. NeighborWorks® America provided funding for the project. Of the six buildings, the property at the corner of North and Rose Streets needed the most significant rehabilitation. It has eleven studio and one-bedroom apartments all with new wood floors, appliances and fresh paint. Also included in the scattered site project is the Callahan Building built in 1835 and located at 33 North Street, the namesake for the project, and four former cooperative housing buildings on Intervale Avenue and Front Streets. Lakewind Construction did the construction work.
Other financing partners for the six building project included the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the Chittenden Trust Company, which successfully applied to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Program. Liz Nickerson of FHLBB attended the celebration and described the subsidized loan made through the Chittenden Trust Company and a $130,000 grant. “This is exactly the type of housing preservation we want to invest in with our partners,” Nickerson said. “It is great to see this transformation.” Gus Seelig, of VHCB, echoed those comments. “VHCB has long supported efforts to preserve and maintain the integrity of the neighborhoods of the Old North End. This was a challenging project with six occupied buildings, and it is obviously a success.” VHCB supports affordable housing, and the conservation of agricultural land, natural areas and historic properties throughout the state, and is marking their 20th anniversary on June 11 with a service day just down the street at another of the Champlain Housing Trust’s properties. In addition to providing development assistance, Housing Vermont raised over $2.5 million in tax credit equity through its Green Mountain Housing Equity Fund. The ten state, regional and national investors in the Fund provided nearly 60% of the project’s total development cost of $4.4 million. Andy Broderick, President of Housing Vermont said, “This type of investment and focus in existing neighborhoods is not only critical to keeping Vermont and Burlington special, but it also represents smart public policy. We are happy to be a partner in this project.” The Vermont Housing Finance Agency awarded Housing Vermont tax credits. Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director of VHFA noted, “It takes a lot of effort, commitment and vision from a lot of different partners on the local, state, regional and national levels. It isn’t easy to do this work, but it has never been more important.” The Citizens Bank provided construction financing and the Burlington Electric Department and Vermont Gas provided energy efficiency technical assistance and grant funds. “We have a long history of preserving safe and decent homes for people to live in this neighborhood, and it is heartening to see such a change over the last twenty-plus years,” added Brenda Torpy, CEO of the Champlain Housing Trust. “There is more work to be done, but with friends like these gathered today I’m convinced we will succeed.”
Housing "Out of Reach" Report ReleasedBurlington area renters must earn $18.90 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment including essential utilities - 56% of Burlington area renters cannot afford the average rent of $983 for a two-bedroom apartment without paying more than 30% of their income on rent plus utilities. The Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition's December 12, 2006 press release is available here. (NOTE: If you get a message asking for a password, click Cancel.) You can view the full report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition at www.nlihc.org.
Affordable Condos For Sale in Old North EndA prviate developer is constructing 15 affordable condos at 354 Manhattan Drive. For more information, contact Don Marcelino of Prudential Realty Mart at 802-846-8470 or 800-488-5609 x 270, or go to: http://www.donmarcelino.com. Champlain Housing Trust is converting several existing buildings to perpetually affordable condos on Blodgett Street near North Street. For a listing of available units for sale, go to: http://www.getahome.org/homes_for_sale.htm.
City Council Committee Considers Making Some Condo Conversions EasierAs a way to increase the rate of homeownership in the Old North End and King Street neighborhoods, the City has drafted an amendment to its Condo Conversion Ordinance. As proposed, the amendment would exempt from the City's ordinance condo conversions of rental properties with 10 or fewer apartments located in areas with less than 50% homeownership rates. In order to qualify for the exemption, no less than 25% of the condos must be perpetually affordable to households at 80% of HUD area median income. For the full text of the proposed ordinance amendment, click here. (NOTE: If you get a message asking for a password, click Cancel.) The City Council Ordinance Committee voted in favor of this amendment on Wednesday, December 20, 2006, and it will be taken up at a City Council meeting in January.
City Council Adopts Housing Super Committee Report and RecommendationsMarch 27, 2006At its March 27, 2006 meeting, Burlington City Council adopted the report and recommendations of the Housing Super Committee. You can read the report and recommendations, together with the minutes from the three public hearings held last fall, here.
HUD RECOGNIZES BURLINGTON FOR INCREASING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Burlington cited as a model for removing regulatory barriers that drive up housing costsJuly 20, 2005WASHINGTON - They are teachers, police officers, nurses, firefighters and returning veterans-the sort of people anyone would be happy to call a neighbor. In some communities, however, excessive regulations are creating barriers that artificially drive up housing costs on working families. Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development acknowledged Burlington for its efforts in breaking down these barriers and creating a more inclusive environment for families struggling to afford decent homes. As more Americans become homeowners, rising housing costs are pricing out millions of hard-working families who hope to find homes close to their jobs and within their budgets. Often, regulations that drive up the cost of housing are to blame. HUD is taking a fresh look at these barriers to affordable housing with its America’s Affordable Communities Initiative. This initiative is designed to combat the outdated, excessive and duplicative regulations that significantly increase the cost and limit the supply of affordable housing and is motivating communities like Burlington to take a look at their housing regulations and determine which ones no longer serve a valid public purpose. “We know that regulatory barriers can increase housing costs by as much as 35 percent, making it impossible for many working families to live in the cities where we work,” said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. “Other communities around the country can learn from Burlington’s efforts to open more doors for the very people who should be our neighbors.” Burlington has adopted Housing Replacement Ordinance that does not allow conversion of housing to other uses without one-for-one replacement or payment into a Housing Trust Fund. Burlington's Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance mandates that affordable housing be included in all new developments of five (5) units or more or in adaptive reuse or conversion of a nonresidential to a residential use of ten (10) or more units. In rental developments, 15% of the units must be designated as inclusionary; 25% in the waterfront zone. In units for sale, if all units are sold to buyers at 80% or less median income, there is no inclusionary provision. The percentage rises as units become less affordable. Burlington also offers developers a Density Bonus to give developers incentives to build more dwelling units per acre and use more lot coverage. Developers also have an Off-Site-Option allowing them to build inclusionary units on a different site to meet the requirements. Barriers being targeted by HUD include public statutes, ordinances, regulations, fees, processes and procedures that significantly restrict the development of affordable housing without providing a commensurate health or safety benefit. These barriers can effectively exclude working individuals from living in the communities where they work. In addition, senior citizens often find it impossible to locate suitable homes or apartments near their adult children, and young families are unable to find a home in the communities where they were raised. By recognizing communities like Burlington, HUD hopes to encourage others around the country to reexamine their own regulatory climate and work closely with builders and urban planners to find creative solutions to allow for the development of more affordable housing.
Carbon Monoxide Detector OrdinanceThe Ordinance Committee has voted out a proposal that mirrors state law, but allows plug-in units in lieu of hard-wired units. For more information, contact Brian Pine at 802·865·7232.
Affordable Housing on the Waterfront
After a robust public process, zoning was amended in the 1980s to allow and encourage new housing development on waterfront land east of Lake Street. The City acquired the land from the Central Vermont Railway for the sole purpose of encouraging mixed-income housing. Following an engaged community planning processes, Burlington voters approved waterfront revitalization plans in 1990 and again in 1999, both of which embraced the concept of a mixed-use and mixed-income waterfront. Due to a groundswell of grassroots support for affordable housing, the City Council adopted an Inclusionary Zoning ordinance that required twenty-five percent (25%) of all new housing units created in a waterfront zoning district be perpetually affordable. Over the years, numerous obstacles prevented a feasible affordable housing project from coming to fruition. The City twice solicited development proposals from the private sector, but the risks and hurdles overwhelmed even the most sophisticated developers. In February 2001, after a competitive process, the City Council voted to select the Burlington Community Land Trust as the housing developer for Depot Street Triangle. The City’s Brownfields Program made a $35,000 grant of EPA funds to conduct Environmental Site Assessments. The contamination was remediated and the site deemed safe for human health. The City secured approximately $850,000 for infrastructure improvements to extend Lake Street and address longstanding storm-water run-off issues. This project received the equivalent of the City’s entire annual allocation of federal HOME funds, together with one of the largest City Housing Trust Fund grants ever. The annual ground lease payments are considerably below market rates. Thanks to Senator Leahy’s efforts, the project won an $800,000 Special Purpose HUD grant. The City also spent $110,000 to purchase two-tenths of an acre to expand the developable area of the site. Housing Vermont and the Burlington Community Land Trust went beyond just creating affordable housing with this development – they incorporated health and environmental concerns into the design and construction. They pioneered a model for how to build affordable housing in a sustainable manner that also creates ongoing operating efficiencies to help keep the housing perpetually affordable. In addition to the environmental benefits of redeveloping a Brownfield, the developers undertook measures to control erosion and treat storm water to minimize impact on nearby Lake Champlain. The City had been unable to dedicate sufficient funds to address a storm-water run-off problem that was undermining two streets, a steep slope and the water quality of Lake Champlain. This project provided the capital to rectify the City’s storm water problem at this site. The developers and their team worked collaboratively with the City’s municipal electric utility to maximize energy efficiency well beyond the requirements of the code. This building exceeds all EPA Energy Star standards for efficiency and will realize annual savings of tens of thousands of dollars. Reduced flow toilets, showers and faucets will conserve water and minimize the operating expense associated with water usage. The use of “cement board” siding, high quality interior finishes and other durable materials will further reduce maintenance costs. An integral component of the energy efficiency measures used in this building is the attention to moisture control through proper ventilation.
Waterfront Housing is also under review for a smart growth award from the U.S. EPA and is one of the 10 finalists in the rental housing category of The Home Depot Foundation's Inaugural Awards of Excellence For Affordable Housing Built Responsibly.
For more information, contact Brian Pine at
802·865·7232.
Page last updated April 24, 2008 |
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