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Vergennes council reviews request to seek $5M federal funding for 60-unit ‘Vergennes North’ workforce housing project
Summary
In a special April 4 meeting, the Vergennes City Council considered authorizing staff to apply for a FY25 Congressionally Directed Spending request for $5,000,000 toward a 60‑unit workforce housing project on a 14‑acre Northern Gateway District parcel; minutes record a motion and second but do not include a recorded vote tally.
The Vergennes City Council met in a special session on April 4 to consider authorizing city staff to apply for a FY25 Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) allocation of $5,000,000 to help build 60 units of workforce housing on a 14‑acre parcel in the city’s Northern Gateway District.
City staff member Ron Redmond provided an overview of the request and described the application as "a worthy longshot," saying Congressional allocations are highly competitive and limited. Fred Kenney, executive director of the Addison County Economic Development Corporation, said he had been in conversation with developer Peter Kahn about the project and suggested the developer ask the city to submit a CDS request through Senator Welch’s office.
Peter Kahn told the council the deadline to submit a CDS request was Monday, April 8, and described the first phase of the proposal—branded in the packet as Vergennes North—as 60 workforce housing units on a 14‑acre parcel. Kahn requested that the City apply for $5,000,000 toward an estimated $17,000,000 project; the minutes state that any award would be administered by the City and applied solely to hard construction costs, covering approximately 30% of overall project funding.
Councilor Cheryl Brinkman moved to authorize staff to apply for the FY25 CDS allocation; the motion was seconded by Councilor Dickie Austin. The minutes record the motion and second but do not include a roll‑call vote or a recorded tally indicating passage or defeat. The special meeting then concluded with an adjournment motion.
