Lawmakers move to inventory underused state buildings to identify housing sites

State Representative Connor Casey told the Senate Institutions Committee that H.50, a bill to create an annual inventory of underutilized state buildings and land, passed his chamber’s committee unanimously and cleared the House by voice vote.

Casey said the bill was pared back from a more ambitious initial draft but is intended to give legislators the information they need to consider whether state-owned parcels or buildings could be repurposed — most commonly for housing. “I’m very excited about this bill, H.50, which we passed out unanimously from committee and voice vote on the floor,” Casey said.

The bill directs state agencies to identify vacant or underused space and deliver that information to the Institutions Committee each year. Casey and other speakers in the committee discussion named Buildings and General Services (BGS), the Agency of Transportation (AOT) and a unit referred to in the meeting as BTS as the primary data holders. Casey said BGS staff showed the committee a “space book” that lists properties and land the state controls; he called it “the space book, which I didn't even know existed.”

Casey framed the effort as a response to Vermont’s housing shortage. He cited the governor’s inaugural target of roughly 8,000 housing units a year and called for a regular, accessible inventory so legislators and local developers can propose reuses. “We've got this underused state space. Who's got a good idea?” he said.

Commissioner McNally, speaking for agency staff, told the committee that staff would identify which properties are vacant or underused and produce an annual report for legislators. “We’ll be able to identify which are vacant, which are underused, and we’ll have a report come to you every year,” McNally said.

Committee members and Casey exchanged examples of municipal efforts and town-initiated conversions of public buildings into housing, citing Montpelier, Windsor and Williston as places with state- or municipal-owned properties that may be candidates for reuse. Casey also mentioned that an earlier, broader version of the proposal considered direct conversion processes but was scaled back after agency feedback and practical constraints, such as cleanup and other remediation responsibilities.

There was no formal committee vote on H.50 recorded during this meeting; Casey reported that the bill had already passed his committee unanimously and received a voice vote on the House floor. The meeting discussion focused on the content and presentation format of the inventory — participants said they wanted an accessible, easy-to-read annual list rather than a technical file.

If enacted as described in committee discussion, the bill would not itself convert property into housing but would centralize information so legislators, local governments and private developers can propose specific reuses. Casey said the inventory is intended as a first step to spark creative proposals from across the state.

Next steps described at the meeting: agency staff will work to standardize the reporting format so the Institutions Committee receives a readable annual list of vacant and underused state buildings and parcels. No timetable for delivery beyond “annually” was specified in the committee remarks.