Winooski holds second public hearing on just-cause eviction charter change as resident warns of unintended harms

Winooski opened a second statutorily required public hearing Feb. 3 on a resident-driven charter change that would limit no-cause evictions, drawing an extended public comment from a longtime local property owner who warned the change could have unintended consequences for small landlords and housing availability.

The petition under consideration would add a just-cause eviction requirement to the Winooski charter. The measure is resident-driven and has already been forwarded to the Vermont Legislature; the council does not itself adopt charter changes without legislative action, a council member said during the meeting.

Bridal Armstrong, who identified herself as a Winooski-area property owner and real estate agent with more than 20 years in local housing, told the council she supports tenants but urged caution before removing no-cause evictions. "It's really easy to sink our teeth into this and say it makes sense," Armstrong said. "But I think if we dive deeper, there could be some significant long term effects to people who wish to not only buy Winooski, but more importantly, live and own in Winooski." She described situations where landlords use no-cause eviction as an…