Municipality

Officially established by the Montpelier City Council on May 11, 2022. The Housing Committee’s mission is to "evaluate housing-related information and propose solutions to the City Council that address identified problems". The Housing Committee also works to educate the public about Montpelier’s housing situation and to advocate for policies and proposals that further the goals of the City’s Master Plan. The official committee is preceded by the Montpelier Housing Task Force, which acted between 1999 and 2022.

Key activities include:

• Flexibility in the design, height and density of affordable housing projects
• Encourages senior and workforce developers through density bonus

Key activities include:

• Ongoing land banking, Affordable land initiative.
• Incentivizes homeowner’s construction of ADUs through grant and free professional services throughout permitting, design and development. In exchange, ADUs remain affordable for 5 years.
• Developed a guide booklet to creating and renting ADUs.

Key activities include:

• Meeting other housing groups, learning about different aspects of zoning and planning.
• Planning outreach campaign to the community, including opportunities for landlords, business owners, renters and those living or working in Essex.
• Housing Needs Assessment completed.
• Created different working groups for different activities, such as story sharing conversations and Outreach, Housing Trust Fund, Zoning issues