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DRB chair: housing approvals 'anemic' this year; several infill projects and training builds continue
Summary
DRB Chair Mr. Alden told the council that local housing approvals are low (he referenced about 12 new units this year), described multiple infill and student-built housing projects, and urged stronger plan-drawing standards and design review to improve project quality.
Mr. Alden, chair of the Development Review Board, presented the board’s annual update and framed the year as active in review but modest in new units.
"Our housing approvals are anemic, in the vast scheme of what Chittenden County is attempting, to build in order to satisfy the demand," Alden told the council, noting construction delays and labor shortages that have left some approved projects unbuilt. He said the DRB saw a small number of new units (he referenced '12' for the year) but that larger multi-unit approvals in prior years accounted for most of the city’s recent additions.
Alden highlighted several local projects: an Educational Drive stormwater improvement that responded to regulatory requirements and improved water quality; a West Street triplex that required tight site design but was approved with parking placed in the rear; and the Center for Technology (with BOCES) house-building program, which periodically seeks additional parcel approvals to allow students to design and build homes for sale.
He also pushed for clearer submission standards, saying some plan sets arrived at the DRB as low-quality sketches that made assessment difficult. Alden praised a recent change to the Land Development Code that expanded design control over major routes and said the DRB will continue to press for minimum drawing standards and consistent design review to ensure higher-quality, predictable development outcomes.
Councilors thanked Alden and raised neighborhood concerns — including possible traffic cut-throughs where road extensions are proposed — and Alden said design treatments could be negotiated with applicants when projects move from approval to construction.
Alden and councilors encouraged residents to take the extended "Connect the Junction" survey (deadline Oct. 20) because building-height and design limits under discussion could influence developer decisions about downtown and corridor projects.
