The Canal and Main building in Brattleboro combines commercial space for the Brattleboro Food Co-op on its lower floors with affordable and market rate rental housing above. The synergy this project generated for the city’s downtown was recognized yesterday in Washington, DC when EPA awarded Vermont housing officials the 2012 Smart Growth National Achievement Award for Main Street or Corridor Revitalization.
Awardees were chosen based on their effectiveness in creating sustainable communities, fostering equitable development among public, private, and non-profit stakeholders and serving as national models for environmentally and economically sustainable development.
The project was led by Windham & Windsor Housing Trust and Housing Vermont. VHFA helped finance the construction of the 24 apartments (“Upper Story Housing”) through the Section 1602 Exchange and Tax Credit Assistance Program and through allocated tax credits.
Learn more through the project video at the EPA website and through Housing Vermont’s press release.