SPRINGFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – Learning how to take the first step — to create more needed housing.
“In this space, we have the resources that homeowners need to actually go from ‘oh that’s an interesting idea’ to getting a project completed,” Ellen Hender, of Vital Communities said.
Homeowners spent Saturday learning about Accessory Dwelling Units at the River Valley Tech Center in Springfield.
Those are additional or converted spaces creating a new home or apartment.
It’s something Hender hopes to see more of throughout homes located in the Upper Valley and beyond.
“A lot of folks moving to the area really like the kind of rural feel and so this is a type of housing that kind of nestles into our communities without being super noticeable,” Hender said.
Financial assistance, engineering work and building resources were all available for locals to learn about.
But to tackle building barriers, the regional legislature has made some changes.
“We’ve been doing a lot of regulatory reform so we’re trying to make it easier to permit housing and make sure that town zoning meets the new, fairly new, statewide requirements,” Jason Rasmussen, of Mt. Ascutney Regional Commision said.
Rasmussen says the need for housing is very significant. The state’s housing development dashboard shows the region needs nearly two thousand new units by 2030.
Statewide — that estimated jump is over 40-thousand.
They’re hoping existing property owners can add to the inventory.
“There’s been many people we’re talking to that have an interest creating an accessory dwelling or maybe converting their old house into two or three units but they just don’t know how to get started,” Rasmussen said.
Even as local organizations hope to generate more units through home development, they say large scale units should be still prioritized.
“There’s no one solution to our housing challenge, and this is just one piece of the puzzle. You know we need to have some bigger apartment buildings built we need single family homes we need home ownership opportunities,” Hender said.
If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to your regional commission.
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