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Administration seeks to speed infill with 'Homes for All' toolkit, cohort training and 10 preapproved statewide designs
Summary
The Department of Housing and Community Development described a three-part Homes for All initiative — toolkit, training cohort, and an "802 Homes" program to create 10 open-source preapproved designs — with pilot communities and a proposal to make a statewide preapproval list effective July 1, 2027.
Alex Farrell described the administration’s Homes for All initiative to the General & Housing Committee. The plan includes (1) a published toolkit, (2) a training cohort with in-person workshops and online curriculum beginning this year, and (3) an "802 Homes" phase to develop 10 open-source, preapproved designs ranging from accessory dwelling units to four-unit multifamily buildings.
Farrell said pilot communities (Essex Junction, Hartford and Manchester) will work with the vendor to refine designs in a Vermont vernacular. He said the administration will publish the designs in the spring, run pilots and a one-year comment period, and then propose that DHCD have authority to establish a statewide catalog of preapproved designs effective July 1, 2027. The list would be zoning-sensitive (for example, four-unit designs would be preapproved only in districts zoned for that density).
Committee members asked whether pilot grant agreements include build-out timelines; Farrell said municipalities cannot control whether units are actually built but grant agreements require municipalities to create a "highway" (process improvements) to make approvals and financing easier. Farrell also highlighted efforts to facilitate off-site or modular construction, recommending a statewide unified off-site code as a practical starting point to make Vermont accessible to modular vendors.
Farrell said the preapproval catalog is intended to reduce time and cost for small-scale developers and enable potential bulk purchasing of materials as a later step.
