Governor Phil Scott joined state legislators, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, and VHFA Executive Director Sarah Carpenter in Brattleboro last week to celebrate the groundbreaking of Snow Block apartments. The project will create 18 affordable apartments for low-income Vermonters as part of a 23-unit mixed-income building. The affordable units will be rented permanently at well below market rates. The project was funded in large part by federal low-income housing tax credits awarded by VHFA.
Snow Block will be constructed to achieve Passive House certification, which means it will use much less energy than comparable buildings. The building will feature a rooftop solar array, with no fossil fuels used for everyday heating and cooling. Governor Scott praised Windham & Windsor Housing Trust for their innovation and leadership in developing the project.
The building is also intended to serve as a vehicle for community development, replacing a vacant lot on Flat Street and bringing tenants within walking distance of stores, the library, and transportation. Youth Services will have an office within the building to provide resources to children and families.
Among the funding for the project were $574,000 in federal housing credits awarded by Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), which will be sold to investors to raise an estimated $4.9 million in equity for construction. VHFA also awarded the project a construction loan. In total, the $7.4 million project will receive nearly two thirds of its funding from VHFA. Other funding partners included the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, which awarded $1.5 million from the state's Housing for All Revenue Bond, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME and Housing Trust Fund programs, and NeighborWorks.
The apartment building will be managed by Windham & Windsor Housing Trust and is expected to be completed by next fall, 2019.
Photo courtesy of Windham & Windsor Housing Trust