At its May 11, 2026 meeting, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) committed $22,718,076 in state, federal, and philanthropic funding to create 247 net-new rental homes, including 110 affordable homes; support 8 new affordable homeownership homes; preserve and rehabilitate another 185 homes; protect critical infrastructure for a 29-lot mobile home community; support the preservation of permanently affordable homes across Vermont; and conserve 466 acres of working lands and community forest.

These investments respond to urgent needs across the state: adding mixed-income and affordable homes in Burlington, Montpelier, Hinesburg, Rutland, Randolph, and the Northeast Kingdom; preserving existing affordability in South Burlington and Starksboro; expanding Woodstock’s town forest and drinking water source protection; and keeping productive farmland in agricultural use in the Champlain Islands, Franklin County, and Central Vermont.

“These projects demonstrate VHCB’s commitment to meeting Vermont’s diverse housing and conservation needs through creative partnerships,” said Gus Seelig, VHCB Executive Director. “From inclusive housing that serves our most vulnerable residents to protecting natural resources that strengthen the local community, these investments will strengthen Vermont communities for generations to come.”

Summary of Awards

Addison County

Starksboro — Hillside Manor Mobile Home Park (Addison Housing Works): VHCB committed $1,978,125 to support water infrastructure upgrades for drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and roadway improvements at Hillside Manor, a 29-lot manufactured home community in Starksboro. The project will protect an at-risk mobile home park, improve daily living conditions for residents affected by repeated infrastructure failures, and strengthen long-term affordability.

Caledonia County

Peacham, Danville, and St. Johnsbury — Caledonia Crossing (RuralEdge): A $3,000,000 supplemental award will help RuralEdge move forward with a project spanning multiple communities that will , including 23 net-new homes, across Peacham, Danville, and St. Johnsbury. The revised plan allows Rural Edge to respond to a fire which damaged a downtown St. Johnsbury building while also preserving and adding needed rural housing in Peacham and Danville.

Chittenden County

Burlington — Ride Your Bike (Jonathon Rose Companies, Ride Your Bike LLC, and Champlain Housing Trust): VHCB awarded $6,700,000 to support a 204-unit mixed-income development, the first building in the ambitious plan to redevelop Burlington’s South End. VHCB’s funding will support 67 affordable apartments, with 10 homes reserved for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and will help launch the broader redevelopment of underused industrial land into a walkable new neighborhood.  VHCB’s early investment in this innovative project will help to catalyze the development of much needed mixed-income housing in Burlington.

Hinesburg — Riggs Meadow Homeownership (Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity and Champlain Housing Trust): A $920,000 award will help create 8 permanently affordable homeownership homes in Hinesburg. Developed through a partnership between Champlain Housing Trust and Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity, the homes will use a shared-equity model and Habitat’s sweat-equity approach to keep ownership within reach for lower-income households in one of Vermont’s most expensive housing markets now and into the future.

South Burlington — Dorset Commons (Champlain Housing Trust): VHCB committed $5,490,000 for the first phase of rehabilitation at Dorset Commons, a 105-unit mixed-income community in South Burlington. The investment preserves one of Chittenden County’s significant sources of naturally occurring affordable housing while allowing major exterior, energy-efficiency, and site improvements to proceed without displacing current residents. CHT originally purchased the property when it came on the market, protecting residents from displacement and preserving the site as an important source of moderate-income housing in a highly desirable South Burlington location. The aging buildings require this major renovation, so they can continue to serve as an important source of moderate-income housing long into the future. The location of this property near schools and jobs makes it a critical source of affordable housing for families in the area.

Franklin County

Swanton —Farmland Project (Vermont Land Trust): VHCB awarded $270,000 to add an Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV) to 330 conserved acres in Swanton and strengthen water-quality protections along a tributary of Hungerford Brook. The project helps keep highly productive farmland affordable for future farmers while adding riparian and wetland protections within the Missisquoi watershed.

Grand Isle County

Alburgh — Farm Conservation (Vermont Land Trust): In Alburgh, VHCB awarded $150,000 to conserve 48.4 acres of highly productive farmland, nearly all of it prime or statewide agricultural soils. Protecting this parcel keeps valuable tillable land in farm use in a community facing strong development pressure and helps sustain agricultural viability in the Lake Champlain Islands.

North Hero — Farm Conservation (Vermont Land Trust): VHCB committed $645,000 to conserve 79.2 acres in North Hero, including productive farmland and 420 feet of Lake Champlain frontage. The project combines farmland protection with shoreline and wetland restoration, helping reduce runoff to the lake while keeping an important agricultural parcel available for farmers in the future.

Orange County

Randolph — RACDC Portfolio Acquisition (Downstreet Housing and Community Development): A $348,459 award to support a potential acquisition of the Randolph Area Community Development Corporation portfolio and help preserve permanently affordable homes in Randolph. The transaction protects prior public investment and ensures that essential housing assets remain in mission-driven ownership as RACDC winds down operations.

Rutland County

Rutland —  Templewood Court (Rutland Housing Authority): VHCB awarded $439,325 for critical electrical infrastructure improvements at Templewood Court, a 60-unit affordable housing community serving seniors and people with disabilities in Rutland. The project addresses a 50-year-old system identified as a safety hazard and will preserve one of the county’s limited lower-income senior housing options without displacing residents during construction.

Washington County

Montpelier — Heaton Street Apartments (Downstreet Housing and Community Development): A $1,712,051 award will help transform a former office building at 9 Heaton Street into 20 affordable apartments in Montpelier. The adaptive reuse project will return a historic nurses’ dormitory to residential use, preserve important architectural features, and add much-needed homes that are out of the flood plain and within walking distance of downtown and local schools.

Plainfield — Farmland Transfer and Conservation (Vermont Land Trust): VHCB committed $165,000 to conserve 15 acres of farmland in Plainfield, helping a farmer purchase the land to support a growing rural enterprise. The project protects highly productive soils and will expand local vegetable production, strengthening Central Vermont’s regional food system.

Windsor County

Woodstock — Vondell Cobb Reserve (Vermont Land Trust and Town of Woodstock): VHCB awarded $650,000 to conserve 323 acres at the Vondell Cobb Reserve in Woodstock, expanding the town forest and protecting critical watershed, wildlife habitat, and recreation land. The project also safeguards Woodstock’s drinking water source, preserves a well-used trail network, and strengthens an important ecological connection between Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the Green Mountain National Forest

About the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (vhcb.org) invests in permanently affordable housing, farmland conservation, forest and natural area protection, historic preservation, and community revitalization across Vermont. Since its creation, VHCB has helped create and preserve affordable homes and conserve working lands, natural areas, and historic properties in partnership with local communities, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies.