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Consultants: Dorset average home price $709,000; study finds many residents cost‑burdened
Summary
Community Scale presented a two-part housing market study to the Dorset Select Board, reporting a $709,000 average home price and estimating that 292 households are at or below 60% AMI with only 16 units available at Culver Lane; final report expected late spring.
Community Scale consultants Jeff Sauser and Emma Tzotschew presented a two-part housing study to the Dorset Select Board on Feb. 17, outlining a housing needs assessment and a market-demand analysis that examined migration patterns and local absorption.
The consultants reported an average home price in Dorset of $709,000, which the presentation characterizes as unaffordable to roughly 59% of current residents. Sauser and Tzotschew told the board that 292 households appear to be at or below 60% of area median income and that only 16 units at Culver Lane currently serve that demographic. Based on a 45‑minute market area, Community Scale estimated Dorset could absorb roughly 50–100 new units per year in the near term; the firm said a final report and formal presentation will be completed in late spring.
Board members and attendees asked questions about short‑term rentals, deed restrictions, and shared‑equity models as tools to preserve affordability. Rob Gaiotti noted the consultants can perform a focused absorption analysis for a specific project if the town defines a Raptor Lane proposal for evaluation.
The consultants said the town’s school choice for grades 9–12 and in‑migration of younger, wealthier households appear to be important drivers of the local market trends identified in the draft study.
