This Spring, we welcomed experts in affordable and “missing middle” housing to present on the current issues facing our communities locally and abroad. As Yestermorrow moves through its strategic planning process, we are incorporating educational solutions to the housing crisis in our plans for the organization's future. A pressing topic in many areas, we welcomed the open dialogue and questions of those who attended the series as we work together to create better communities. Thank you to the Valley Reporter, who covered many of the talks in detail, and to MRVTV, who helped us record each presentation. If you missed them, you can check out all the talks on our YouTube channel.

First up was Yestermorrow Executive Director Britton Rogers, who gave an update on the strategic planning process currently underway. With the Board of Directors and a strategic planning committee, we are reviewing many hypotheses for our next chapter. The leading hypothesis is that Yestermorrow will reinvigorate a design/build group, a for-profit arm of the organization that existed in a previous form in the 80s and 90s. With this group in place, Yestermorrow will work towards creating a “model village” of affordable, small-scale housing for students, instructors, and staff. The goal is to provide on-campus living space for our community and use the buildings as teaching tools and inspiration. We aim to teach students various methods for creating sustainable, affordable dwellings that they can replicate in their environments. 

Mac Rood, former Yestermorrow board member, and current instructor, followed this with a case study of two housing developments he and his wife, Bobbi, created locally. In 2020, the Roods bought the Waitsfield 10 property, the first major residential build by Yestermorrow, and so named because it sits on ten acres of land on the Mad River. After renovating the existing structure, Mac and Bobbi divided the acreage into eight additional lots. The lots are modest, designed for small-scale homes, and sold at an affordable price. Each buyer is responsible for their build, though there are restrictions on square footage and the price point of selling the homes to ensure that the community remains an affordable resource. The lots share electric and sewer facilities and a road. Mac’s presentation walked participants through the budgeting and permitting process, design, and construction of the first few dwellings. 

How can you make a difference if you do not have ten acres to subdivide? Kaziah Haviland, Director of the Village Trust Initiative for the Vermont Council on Rural Development, sought to help answer that question in the next lecture in the series, “Small Scale, Big Impact." Kaziah discussed the incentives available and the process for adding more liveable space to your property - in the form of a detached ADU, garage, basement unit, or duplex. Haviland emphasized that a little can go a long way: large-scale developers run into permitting and construction that can take many years to complete, whereas a few individuals adding units every year can add up to a similar change in the housing stock.

The state is also stepping in to help alleviate the housing crunch. Amy Tomasso is the Community Planning Coordinator for the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development. Amy gave an overview of the current legislative initiatives in the process of potentially becoming law. She also talked about the Department’s new “Homes For All” toolkit, a guide for small-scale developers that includes designs for missing middle homes, neighborhood infill case studies, a builder’s workbook, and training resources.

Last but not least, Anya Raredon, President of the Affordable Housing Institute, gave an insightful and nuanced talk about the framework the Institute uses to assess community housing needs. Locally and abroad, the framework allows the Institute to identify weak links in the affordable housing delivery chain on both the supply and demand side of the equation. The AFI then provides tailored solutions and consulting to repair the identified broken links and create better channels to access affordable housing for those who need it. 

The throughline of the presentations is that a little bit can go a long way. As we look into solutions to complex problems involving public and private actors, the steps we make in the right direction are incremental changes that add up to meaningful differences over time. We hope that by continuing these conversations, we can maintain the energy and build the momentum to increase access to affordable housing in the Mad River Valley, throughout Vermont, and beyond. Thank you to our presenters and our engaged and curious audience members. See you in the Fall for our next Speaker Series on transportation infrastructure!