Brattleboro– Earlier this month Senator Sanders announced the investments he and the congressional delegation are bringing to Vermont. We are pleased to share the Chalet Redevelopment was among the projects awarded funding. The Congressionally Directed Spending award secured by Senator Sanders through the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development subcommittee will enable WWHT to construct these homes in a faster, more cost efficient manner to more quickly meet the demand for permanently affordable housing in the region.
“It is no secret that working people across the country are struggling to find affordable housing, but it is especially true here in Vermont. I am proud to have secured $3 million in funding for this important project, which will create 70 units of permanently affordable housing in Brattleboro. At a time when many Vermonters are paying 50% or more of their income on housing, this project will create affordable rental and homeownership opportunities now and for years to come.” Senator Sanders wrote.
“The Chalet redevelopment is a complex, multiphase project that requires extensive site and infrastructure work that will be utilized by all phases.” Peter Paggi, Director of Real Estate Development with the Housing Trust shared, “Rather than completing this site work in a piecemeal fashion with each individual phase, or having complex cost sharing arrangements between phases, the CDS award from Senator Sanders enables WWHT to move a significant portion of this sitework to its own discrete phase. This will simplify the financing of each individual phase without the need for complex bridge financing, and will allow us to construct these homes in a faster, more cost efficient manner.”
The Chalet Redevelopment project will include the construction of 70 new, permanently affordable homes in three distinct phases. Rental Phase 1 will include 31 units of new-construction rental housing in a highly energy efficient building that will include a mix of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments. The Homeownership Phase will include the construction of eight single family homes sold through WWHT’s Shared Equity Program, and Rental Phase 2 will consist of the new construction of 31 additional rental units in three buildings: a new construction townhome building, a new construction apartment building, and through the renovation of the historic Chalet building. All homes will be permanently affordable. The addition of a CDS award from Senator Sanders will allow us to move forward with site work on all three phases. Phase 1 is expected to begin this summer, with the full buildout of the site expected to be completed by 2029.
The design of the transformative project was informed by a series of meetings with residents on site and in the neighborhood. The priorities from the group included safety, accessibility, access to green space and continued enjoyment of the bucolic view-oriented site. Please visit our information page for the Chalet Redevelopment to stay up-to-date, view public presentations, and find FAQs: Info Page Here!
