I'm strongly in favor of efforts to support new housing in order to improve Vermont's economic outlook. I also support the repeal of Act 181's road rule and of enhanced review in certain Tier 3 areas. I've been involved in a (so far) 4 1/2 year effort to construct a wastewater project in a rural area, and believe that another challenge is the weak role of county government, unlike other states where it supports infrastructure projects.
My only concern with your excellent reporting is the lack of identification and distinction between news articles and opinion pieces, which I think are necessary to maximize credibility.
Thank you for both the kind words and the wastewater point — a 4.5-year infrastructure slog is exactly the kind of structural observation that belongs in the next piece in this series, and I'd welcome any of the specifics you're willing to share (on or off the record).
Your point on the weak role of county government in Vermont compared to other states is one I'll be researching for Part 3.
On the news/opinion distinction: fair critique. Compass's model is document-based analysis with every factual claim hyperlinked to its primary source, so the evidence is always visible to the reader — but you're right that the genre distinction matters for credibility, and clearer labeling would serve readers.
Going forward, including this article, pieces that synthesize, explain structural causes, or draw conclusions from primary-source data will carry an 'Analysis' tag.
..........."I'm strongly in favor of efforts to support new housing in order to improve Vermont's economic outlook.".........With all do respect Mr.Zamore, Are you putting the Cart before the Horse?? What "Jobs" are we talking about under the current economic reality that's going to be buying all these homes???
If an analysis has been done that identifies all other possible sources of providing people with good places to live I have not seen it and it should be done, and shared here. It appears that the only solution to this "housing crisis" is new construction and much of it in areas that could, and should be avoided to keep the working landscape and ruralness that is the basis of the extensive tourist business in Vermont. It appears that there are numerous unoccupied apartments in older downtown areas of towns like Bristol, Vergennes, Brandon etc. etc. that might be economically rehabbed. As well home sharing is a wonderful solution to single older Vermonters. Are there any clusters of small (not tiny) homes being explored. Wastewater solutions other than the very expensive systems that currently are required, for very small inexpensive homes would open the gates to a lot of them. Your articles are opinion pieces couched in biased "reporting" Please support something more than the construction business lobby in Vermont.
.........."the state is projected to need 24,000 to 36,000 additional year-round homes by 2029 according to the Vermont Housing Needs Assessment produced by VHFA for DHCD".........How is that even remotely possible, given the current economic reality in Vermont ??? First question of many! , within 3 yrs, 30k people coming and who are they, [buyers]??? Prices too! And the Jobs that are going to support this??? Who's kidding who??? By the way, thanks Vermont Compass for bring all this to light. Your second to none...
The focus on the mixed blessings of Act 250 tends to obscure the fact that regulatory change will not, of itself, produce a single housing unit. It is hard to distinguish the resistance to an awkward rule from a desire to simply facilitate sprawl, but however one reads that, low density rural housing development simply is not going to provide the number of units, much less the number of units near centers of employment that are needed. The question Vermont faces should be framed as how to expand the areas where there is adequate capacity to accommodate housing. Saying that 40% of the necessary housing has to come from outside the existing growth centers may or may not be accurate (sure sounds like a guess to me), but whatever the number, the way to get there is not sprawling into the countryside, but focusing investment in the existing and expanded centers.
I'm strongly in favor of efforts to support new housing in order to improve Vermont's economic outlook. I also support the repeal of Act 181's road rule and of enhanced review in certain Tier 3 areas. I've been involved in a (so far) 4 1/2 year effort to construct a wastewater project in a rural area, and believe that another challenge is the weak role of county government, unlike other states where it supports infrastructure projects.
My only concern with your excellent reporting is the lack of identification and distinction between news articles and opinion pieces, which I think are necessary to maximize credibility.
Peter,
Thank you for both the kind words and the wastewater point — a 4.5-year infrastructure slog is exactly the kind of structural observation that belongs in the next piece in this series, and I'd welcome any of the specifics you're willing to share (on or off the record).
Your point on the weak role of county government in Vermont compared to other states is one I'll be researching for Part 3.
On the news/opinion distinction: fair critique. Compass's model is document-based analysis with every factual claim hyperlinked to its primary source, so the evidence is always visible to the reader — but you're right that the genre distinction matters for credibility, and clearer labeling would serve readers.
Going forward, including this article, pieces that synthesize, explain structural causes, or draw conclusions from primary-source data will carry an 'Analysis' tag.
Thanks for pushing on this.
Tom Davis, Publisher
..........."I'm strongly in favor of efforts to support new housing in order to improve Vermont's economic outlook.".........With all do respect Mr.Zamore, Are you putting the Cart before the Horse?? What "Jobs" are we talking about under the current economic reality that's going to be buying all these homes???
If an analysis has been done that identifies all other possible sources of providing people with good places to live I have not seen it and it should be done, and shared here. It appears that the only solution to this "housing crisis" is new construction and much of it in areas that could, and should be avoided to keep the working landscape and ruralness that is the basis of the extensive tourist business in Vermont. It appears that there are numerous unoccupied apartments in older downtown areas of towns like Bristol, Vergennes, Brandon etc. etc. that might be economically rehabbed. As well home sharing is a wonderful solution to single older Vermonters. Are there any clusters of small (not tiny) homes being explored. Wastewater solutions other than the very expensive systems that currently are required, for very small inexpensive homes would open the gates to a lot of them. Your articles are opinion pieces couched in biased "reporting" Please support something more than the construction business lobby in Vermont.
.........."the state is projected to need 24,000 to 36,000 additional year-round homes by 2029 according to the Vermont Housing Needs Assessment produced by VHFA for DHCD".........How is that even remotely possible, given the current economic reality in Vermont ??? First question of many! , within 3 yrs, 30k people coming and who are they, [buyers]??? Prices too! And the Jobs that are going to support this??? Who's kidding who??? By the way, thanks Vermont Compass for bring all this to light. Your second to none...
The focus on the mixed blessings of Act 250 tends to obscure the fact that regulatory change will not, of itself, produce a single housing unit. It is hard to distinguish the resistance to an awkward rule from a desire to simply facilitate sprawl, but however one reads that, low density rural housing development simply is not going to provide the number of units, much less the number of units near centers of employment that are needed. The question Vermont faces should be framed as how to expand the areas where there is adequate capacity to accommodate housing. Saying that 40% of the necessary housing has to come from outside the existing growth centers may or may not be accurate (sure sounds like a guess to me), but whatever the number, the way to get there is not sprawling into the countryside, but focusing investment in the existing and expanded centers.