Montpelier, VT- Housing was on Governor Scott’s mind once again during his weekly press conference on Wednesday, and he pushed for regulation to make the home-building process quicker and more affordable.
The Governor stressed urgency when it comes to housing legislation and said that some lawmakers aren’t moving fast enough to grow Vermont’s housing stock. Scott said private sector investment is necessary to solve the housing crisis in the Green Mountain State. He said tax incentives for housing development are necessary to create new housing.
Scott also said that while he and some lawmakers are trying to make home construction more accessible through Senate Bill S-311 which is stalled in committee, he accused other lawmakers of doing the opposite. Gov. Scott cited House Bill H-687, an environmental protection bill, which he says will increase restrictions on housing development and make it more difficult to build new homes.
“It’s clear the most impactful way to get results is to make it easier faster and less expensive to build and restore the housing we desperately need,” Scott said, “It should be a surprise to no one that I will not accept any bill that makes it harder, slower, or more expensive to build housing.”
The Governor was joined by Commerce and Community Development Secretary Lindsay Kurrle who said that Vermont’s lack of housing is the state’s biggest barrier to accessibility and economic growth. Kurrle said the state needs 8,800 new units to meet market demand, and noted that presently only 6% of Vermont renters can afford to buy a median-priced home due to the low supply of homes.
Kurrle agreed with Scott that the best way to create more housing was to remove barriers to development, making it cheaper and faster to build homes. Kurrle said, “Part of what’s driving our housing crisis is the added time and expense required to navigate Vermont’s current permitting process under Act 250. Driving up costs for renters and buyers, as well as taxpayers who contribute to affordable housing efforts.”
Governor Scott also noted that many lawmakers ran on housing platforms but failed to deliver housing legislation and didn’t treat the housing crisis with urgency. He said he would only support a housing bill that includes tax incentives and regulation reform to make housing development easier, cheaper, and faster.