Promote and enforce safe and healthy living conditions for rental properties. Vermont has some rental housing laws, but municipalities may supplement those laws with municipal rental housing codes.
Housing trust funds (HTF) can support construction or rehabilitation of owner or renter homes, including creating Accessory Dwelling Units. HTFs can be used to encourage young families to move in and renovate homes through grants, low-interest loans, or loan forgiveness over time.
Requires housing units torn down by developers to be replaced with a specified percentage of new housing units to maintain housing stock within a community. In some areas developers have the option of paying a fee in lieu of constructing new housing units, which may be placed in a housing trust fund.
Reducing or waiving impact fees for affordable housing projects. Impact fees are important for municipalities because they require developers to pay their fair share of the costs of providing public services to the new development. However, impact fees can be an additional barrier to developing affordable housing projects.
Allowing permit fee reductions, waivers, or deferments for affordable housing projects.
Allowing building proposals that fit within the specifications of local zoning policies to proceed "as of right", without additional review. Developers still need to secure a building permit and fulfill customary regulatory requirements, but the approvals process is generally less contentious and/or time-consuming than the process for proposals that require an exception from current zoning regulations.
Cluster developments are a permitted use in which density regulations are determined for an entire specified area instead of a lot-by-lot basis, allowing more smaller units to be constructed in the area. Cluster development allows the developer greater flexibility in designing projects but preserves the overall density in an area. This can naturally encourage the construction of low-cost and therefore more affordable housing units. Municipalities can also require affordable housing to be developed as a condition of approval for adjusting density requirements.
PUDs are municipal regulations that allow developers exemptions from certain zoning requirements in exchange for developing properties with desirable criteria. Some municipalities include PUDs within overlay districts. By allowing greater flexibility in the configuration of buildings on a site or allowing mixed usage of a site, a municipality can encourage more creative and efficient use of a space than is typically allowed in local zoning laws. It can also result in lower infrastructure costs and better coordination of development across an area.
Tools such as inclusionary zoning require developers to create housing that meets definitions of “affordable” by its rent or purchase price. Some municipalities additionally require long-term or perpetual affordability of the unit. Municipalities can ensure that the units remain accessible to future residents through stewardship by a housing trust and/or by setting rent or resale price restrictions.
Municipal planning ordinances that allow developers to increase the maximum allowable development on a property in exchange for making a certain percentage of the housing affordable. May be incorporated into inclusionary zoning requirements
Additional living quarters on single-family lots that are independent of the primary dwelling unit. ADUs can offer more options for affordable housing, as they can be inexpensively constructed and do not require additional land for development. According to Vermont law (24 VSA §4412), municipalities must allow accessory dwelling units. However, municipalities may choose to adjust local bylaws to actively encourage the construction of ADUs.
Zoning bylaws often set a maximum density level (number of homes permitted in an area) without regard for the size and type of those homes. Instead, more units could be permitted in the same area if they are physically smaller in some circumstances. This is often seen with accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or in senior housing, which can allow smaller unit sizes in exchange for shared community spaces within a development.
Zoning bylaws that require unnecessarily large unit sizes can prevent developers from building smaller, more affordable housing units. Municipalities can adjust zoning requirements to allow for studios, or micro-units or compact units in some instances.
Zoning bylaws that require large minimum lot sizes (≥2 acres per dwelling unit) require developers to purchase more land for each unit and these costs are ultimately passed on to homebuyers or renters. Towns can promote the development of new affordable housing by changing their zoning bylaws so that less land is required for each lot.
Municipal planning ordinances that require or incentivize developers to set aside a certain percentage of affordable housing units for low and moderate-income residents.
