Burlington unveils three-part strategy to address housing affordability and homelessness

Read the full article at mychamplainvalley.com. Below is an excerpt.

Burlington officials are rolling out a new three-pronged housing strategy aimed at improving affordability and equity as housing costs continue to climb across the city.

Since 2018, home prices in Burlington have increased by more than 60 percent, while average rent has risen 45 percent, according to city data. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak says those rising costs, combined with limited land and construction challenges, have slowed the city’s ability to add new housing.

“Burlington continues to navigate both long-standing and emerging housing challenges,” Mulvaney-Stanak said. “We have rising construction costs, limited land, labor shortages, and complex state and local regulatory systems that have really slowed new development.”

The first part of the mayor’s plan focuses on revitalizing two long-standing housing tools: Burlington’s inclusionary zoning ordinance and the city’s housing trust fund. Officials say the goal is to modernize how affordable housing is financed and built, while ensuring new development includes units priced for lower- and middle-income residents.

The second prong looks to activate Burlington’s neighborhood code by streamlining approval processes and encouraging more housing within existing neighborhoods, rather than relying solely on large-scale developments.

The third element of the strategy aims to expand the city’s housing supply through new public-private partnerships. City officials say an interdepartmental team led by the planning office is already working to identify opportunities for collaboration.