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Vermont Housing & Conservation Board touts housing‑plus‑conservation projects, asks lawmakers to back capital funding
Summary
The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board updated the Senate committee on recent projects that pair affordable housing with land conservation, explained how Act 59 inventories count conserved farmland versus current‑use land, and urged support for capital funding drawn from the property transfer tax.
Beth Stew, identified in the hearing as executive director of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB), and VHCB staff told the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on April 2 that the agency is prioritizing projects that combine affordable housing and land protection.
Trey Martin, VHCB’s director of conservation and rural community development, highlighted a 24‑unit affordable housing project in the Putney village center that permanently conserves an acre of open space next to local markets and a farmers market. He said the development — which spent years in permitting and required a Vermont Supreme Court decision over Act 250 jurisdiction — illustrates VHCB’s “dual mission” of advancing housing and conserving natural resources.
VHCB speakers described additional projects in Morristown and West Rutland that converted visitor‑oriented rental units to year‑round housing, supported nonprofit partners such as Downstreet Housing to acquire parcels, and used conservation transactions to reduce flood risk and catalyze neighborhood redevelopment. Presenters also cited investment metrics VHCB tracks: they said the agency leverages external funding alongside state dollars and highlighted the agency’s role as early or “first” funder that helps projects attract private and federal capital.
On funding, presenters said the governor’s capital recommendation emphasizes clean‑water and conservation projects funded from the property transfer tax (PTT). VHCB staff noted that VHCB received substantial one‑time general funds during the pandemic (referenced in testimony as approximately $78.8 million in the prior year’s supplemental actions) but said the governor did not recommend the same one‑time amounts this year and urged the committee’s support for the capital package. VHCB also presented summary statistics about the state’s housing needs — in particular that roughly half the demand is for households below 80% of area median income — and argued that state capital and flexible funding are essential to keep the pipeline moving.
On Act 59, VHCB staff explained how the initial statewide inventory treated conserved lands: the first inventory counted land under perpetual conservation easement and conserved forest acres but did not count parcels merely enrolled in tax‑status programs commonly called “current use.” VHCB emphasized that Act 59’s 2050 goals call for a mix of long‑term (perpetual) and shorter‑term protections, and presenters urged legislators to consider both the durability of protections and the local planning context as mapping and policy choices are refined.
The hearing closed with presenters listing near‑term openings and projects expected this spring and summer and urging lawmakers to stabilize capital funding so developers and partners will move forward with planned construction and reuse of vacant downtown buildings.
The hearing included time for questions from senators and ended with committee staff directed to collate budget requests and priorities.
