People can’t afford an apartment or house because they have to spend too much on health care, child care, property taxes, food, clothing, heat, electricity, internet, phone service, car registration, car insurance, etc.
Speaking at his weekly press conference Tuesday, Gov. Phil Scott focused on infrastructure and economic development while standing in front of the remodeling project of the Fairbanks Museum.
With interest rates at 7.6% and climbing, construction costs at record levels, and construction labor in short supply, it is not the time to build. It is, however, time for towns and villages to plan and acquire housing sites with zoning and all approvals in place.
The recent discussion of “Vermont’s housing crisis” reminds us that this problem never goes away. That’s because the interests active in shaping housing policy continue to be far apart on almost any policy change that promises more affordable housing.
“It’s no secret that in every corner of the state, lack of housing is a major concern,” Scott said in a release. “This is impacting Vermonters already here and it’s a barrier to growing our workforce. We know there are people who are looking to work in Vermont, but they can’t find decent, affordable housing.”
Gov. Phil Scott gathered with members of the Legislature and local housing partners at the Salisbury Square, a planned affordable housing neighborhood, in Randolph today to sign two historic housing bills.
The legislative session was generally helpful to independent school interests. A bill to provide free school meals to publicly-funded students in the coming school year has passed, along with funding in support of a program adopted last year to test all Vermont schools for PCB contamination.
The governor on Tuesday had the mayor of Vermont’s largest city and another housing policy expert on hand at his weekly press conference to tell Vermonters now is not the time for red tape when it comes to reforming the state’s land use law, Act 250.
Therein lies the problem. We meet, we talk, we pass legislation, and in the end, we still don’t have the housing so desperately sought not only in southwestern Vermont but throughout the state.
S.210, an act relating to rental housing health and safety and affordable housing, passed in the State House of Representatives on April 22, 2022, by a vote of 88-54.
The S.210 rental housing bill would require an upfront state commitment of $20.4 million in ARPA funding to get up and running and subsequently would receive funding through the new revenue stream linked to the annual registry fee. ARPA funding also comes into play for S.226.
Right now, the supply of affordable homes is practically non-existent. In December, the median home price in Vermont was more than $369,000. Last month, there were only 136 homes for sale that a middle-income family can afford.