Committee members devoted the meeting’s second segment to housing and broad economic-development priorities, emphasizing faster permitting, fewer project delays from appeals, modular construction support and improved metrics to measure program results.

Why it matters: Committee members said housing affordability and development bottlenecks are the committee’s top priorities and urged a mix of regulatory fixes, legislative drafting and stakeholder engagement to speed construction and preserve affordability.

Discussion highlights

- Permits and appeals: A committee member argued the state allows projects to continue to be delayed by repeated appeals and urged exploring rules that would allow projects to move forward after defined appeal stages. The member said appeals and duplicative permit steps add time and cost to projects and asked staff to examine Massachusetts and other models.

- Act 250, ANR, urban soils and wetlands: Members said environmental reviews and soil- and wetlands-related requirements sometimes add cost without corresponding environmental benefit for specific housing projects. The committee discussed revisiting Act 250 and Agency of Natural Resources permit processes to identify where streamlining could lower costs without sacrificing environmental protections.

- Historic preservation and housing comfort: Members said project reviews have, in some cases, prioritized interior historic-preservation requirements over occupant comfort in rehabilitation projects, creating trade-offs that affect affordability. The committee asked historic-preservation stakeholders to explain how preservation standards interact with modern housing needs.

- Modular housing and workforce: Several members urged support for modular construction and other efficiency measures, coupled with workforce development, to bring builders and contractors back to the state. The committee discussed coordinated workforce, training and contractor-credentialing efforts.

- Film industry: Members proposed revisiting a prior film-industry task force report and renewing efforts to attract film and media production — for editing, studios and local service suppliers — noting many Vermont-based film workers currently work on projects produced elsewhere.

- Community wealth building and immigration: The committee discussed broader economic strategies — including community-wealth building, infrastructure and the economic contributions of immigrants — and asked for input from federal delegation offices on visa and workforce issues such as H-2B.

- Flood risk and consumer protection: Members raised concerns about real-estate listings that carry high flood risk and suggested incentives for property owners to meet flood-code standards; the committee discussed whether meeting flood code should affect flood-insurance costs and real-estate disclosure.

Quotes from the meeting

- “The cost of housing started with us,” a committee member said, urging the committee to examine state-added requirements that raise project costs.

Next steps and committee direction

Members said they expect a committee housing bill that would incorporate proposals from multiple senators and the administration; several members said they were already drafting language and asked for collaborative, committee-driven drafting and clearer metrics to evaluate proposed changes. The committee also requested follow-up briefings from historical-preservation officials, film-industry stakeholders and federal-delegation staff on visa and housing-program questions.