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Housing committee asks council to back a new needs assessment and clearer trust‑fund rules
Summary
The Housing Committee requested a new housing needs assessment to guide a housing action plan and refine eligibility and outreach for the city's housing trust fund (AMI raised to 120%). Councilors pressed for clarity on definitions ("missing middle," workforce housing) and condo/ownership barriers.
Nora Senecal, chair of the Housing Committee, presented the committee's FY27 work plan and urged the council to support a new housing needs assessment to replace the 2013 study and feed an action plan focused on affordability and workforce housing.
"My name is Nora Senecal. I'm the chair of the South Burlington Housing Committee," Senecal told councilors before outlining priorities including scope development for an updated needs assessment, housing trust fund guidelines and outreach, and participation in regional infill events. Councilors emphasized that the needs assessment should explicitly address what "affordable" and "missing middle" mean for South Burlington residents, and should evaluate ownership pathways (condos and small ownership units) as potential ladders into homeownership.
Committee members said the trust fund's AMI limit was raised last year to 120% and that staff and the committee will propose application criteria and an outreach plan to encourage high‑quality applicants. The committee also recommended coordinating with economic development on ownership barriers and exploring whether a consultant or joint work group should examine financing obstacles (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac limits) for condo development.
Councilors and public speakers asked that the final scope explicitly quantify how many units of different types (rental, ownership, missing middle) are needed, and whether investor (corporate) purchases in the city are increasing local prices. Staff and the committee said some of that data is public record and can be incorporated into the assessment.
