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Tunbridge residents form land trust and seek support to buy Willoughby property for affordable housing
Summary
A newly incorporated nonprofit, Tunbridge Affordable Housing, is pursuing an 8+ acre Willoughby property in North Tunbridge as a village-site for permanently affordable housing and asked the Selectboard for a letter of support while exploring grants including the Village Trust Initiative.
The Tunbridge Selectboard heard a proposal on July 28 from residents forming Tunbridge Affordable Housing, Inc., a newly incorporated community land trust aimed at creating permanently affordable housing sized to fit Tunbridge’s historic villages. Founding directors led by Betsy Gaiser described an 8+-acre property owned by Stephen and Margaret Willoughby in North Tunbridge, adjacent to the Tunbridge Grange, as the board’s primary candidate for purchase and reuse.
Betsy Gaiser said the group has worked with state and regional partners since August 2025, including the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, Two Rivers‑Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC), and the Preservation Trust of Vermont, and has reviewed the Vermont Homes for All Toolkit. She read excerpts from the Preservation Trust of Vermont describing a community trust as “a 501c3 organization with a locallybased mission to revitalize and sustain resilient and vibrant rural communities. Community trusts respond to needs identified by the community, coordinate with available resources and partners, and pool funds together to help fund community-driven projects. These Trusts serve a variety of needs, often with a focus on supporting local community development, historic preservation, or small-scale housing.”
The proposed Willoughby site includes potential village green space, a pond used for fire response and recreation, and a barn that could serve as rental or small-business space. The Housing Board envisions the land being owned by the community land trust while buildings could be owned by a separate nonprofit; responsibility for property taxes was not yet determined. The group is targeting grants and noted the Village Trust Initiative as one possible source but said timelines are tight; they will also pursue other grant options and administrative funding where available.
The Housing Board will meet August 6 at 10 a.m. at the Tunbridge Library and is inviting more board members; the Selectboard agreed to consider a letter of support at its August 11 meeting and asked staff to coordinate draft language.
