Officials and developers seek $3.1M in capital-bill support for three housing projects

The House Committee on Corrections & Institutions on Feb. 27 heard presentations on three housing projects seeking $3.1 million in the capital bill: Prospect Heights in Berry City (requesting $1 million for site infrastructure), the BenHigh redevelopment in Bennington (requesting $1.1 million toward remediation, floodproofing and geothermal/well systems) and a Winston Prouty phase in Brattleboro (requesting $1 million to fund a pump-house to support future residential development).

Alex Farrell, commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, told the committee the capital bill request includes $3.1 million split as two $1 million allocations and one $1.1 million allocation to the three projects. “In the capital bill request for dollars 3,100,000.0, dollars 1 million to 2 projects and then 1,100,000.0 to another,” Farrell said, introducing the applicants. Each presenter described a project that officials and developers say is near a funding/approval milestone but needs public infrastructure dollars to proceed.

Berry City’s Prospect Heights: Nicholas Storre (city representative) described a 37-acre site with an executed purchase option and preliminary engineering indicating the site could support about 79…