Mayor Launches 2026 Burlington Housing Strategy

Read the full article at burlingtonvt.gov. Below is an excerpt.

On January 14th, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announced the launch of Burlington’s 2026 Housing Strategy. This marks a major step forward on one of the Mayor’s top priorities: creating ample, safe, and affordable housing for the Burlington community.

“Burlington has always dared to imagine a city where housing serves people, not just markets,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak said. “We are at a crossroads. We can accept a future where only a few can afford to live in Burlington, or we can choose to lead, as we have before. My administration will build on that proud progressive legacy with a housing strategy that meets this moment — one that puts residents first, expands opportunity, and ensures Burlington remains a place where people can stay, grow, and belong.”

Continuing Burlington’s Progressive Housing Legacy

Burlington’s response is rooted in its proud history as a national leader in affordable housing. In the 1980s and 1990s, under then–Mayor Bernie Sanders, Burlington helped redefine housing as a public responsibility and a public good—not merely a market outcome. The city pioneered the nation’s first large-scale, modern community land trust, now the Champlain Housing Trust, and strategically used public funding, City-owned land, and strong partnerships with nonprofit developers to produce a higher share of permanently affordable homes than most cities its size. Burlington’s creativity, vision, and values have inspired communities across the country.

Despite this history, Burlington, like cities across the country, continues to navigate both long-standing and emerging housing challenges. Rising construction costs, limited land, labor shortages, and complex and counterproductive state and local regulatory systems have slowed new development. The city is not currently on track to meet Vermont’s housing growth targets—underscoring the urgency for renewed leadership and innovation.

A People-First Housing Strategy

Burlington’s 2026 Housing Strategy is a three-pronged framework designed to accelerate housing production while centering equity, affordability, community stability, and democratic participation. The strategy reflects a belief that housing policy works best when it is shaped by the people who live here.

“Burlington has a proud history as a national leader in affordable housing that has inspired communities across the country. But we know we can’t rely on yesterday’s tools alone to solve today’s challenges,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak remarked. “It’s time to reinvigorate Burlington’s legacy and once again lead by example.”