Gov. Phil Scott signed Senate Bill 100 on Monday afternoon, which is designed to spur more progress in addressing the state’s housing shortage. The new law will bring more regulatory reforms to the housing sector.
The bill was cleverly designed so that most of the sticker shock does not take effect until after next year’s elections. So when one of your legislators who supported this bill and is running for reelection asks you whether you have been adversely affected by this law, don’t be fooled — the shoes start dropping in 2025.
“The risk to Vermonters and our economy throughout the state is too great; the confusion around the language and the unknowns are too numerous; and we are making real and measurable progress reducing emissions with a more thoughtful, strategic approach that is already in motion.”
The added language further states, “No bylaw shall have the effect of excluding these multiunit or multifamily dwellings from the municipality.”
Housing advocates see the bill as a chance to protect people who would otherwise be homeless — by telling towns they can’t prevent hotels from renting rooms to those in a state emergency assistance program. The bill would also prohibit municipalities from interfering with efforts to set up emergency shelters.
Vermont continues to see spikes in housing prices with the median home price rising 15% in 2022, according to the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. Communities and state officials alike have spent a lot of time discussing how the growth of short-term rentals in Vermont has contributed to the state’s housing crisis.
What has been made abundantly clear to us is that there is a real threat that the House Energy and Environment Committee will strip S.100 of all Act 250 Reform — which negates the good work on the other 50% of the bill we were able to look at and discuss.
Republicans will continue to fight for a more open and deliberative process on every issue, and specifically push for greater reforms to Act 250 so that young people can get access to housing they can afford.
Ted Brady, executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, said the legislation “ignores the largest obstacle” when it comes to housing creation, the state’s decades-old Act 250. The act is known as the state’s land and use act.
Landlords who apply can receive funding — up to $10,000 per unit — to hold units for up to two months while they work with providers that offer housing vouchers.
Manufactured housing communities in Vermont will benefit from a new state investment. The Healthy Homes Initiative will dispense $12.6 million in state funding, Gov. Phil Scott said, that will be used to repair, replace, and upgrade water infrastructure in mobile home parks around the state.
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board is in an excellent position to balance the goals it was given by the Legislature. Some legislation will be required to make clear that, although keeping the land dairy farms are on productive is essential, preserving them as dairy farms is not.