By Kolby LaMarche

Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak earlier this week unveiled a new three-pronged housing strategy, a critical step, the City says, to expand affordable and equitable housing options in a city grappling with escalating costs and dire supply shortages.

The mayor described the framework as essential for preventing Burlington from lagging further behind in addressing its longstanding housing crisis. More than one in three renters in the Queen City spends over half their income on housing, straining families, seniors, workers, students, and even public servants.

Mulvaney-Stanak noted that even on the mayor’s salary, a typical one-bedroom rent around $1,700 would be unaffordable, she said. She stressed urgency: “If we don’t innovate now, we really risk starting to fall further and further behind.”

Mulvaney-Stanak and her wife, who works for the City, earn upwards of a combined $250,000 per year, according to public records. 

The strategy focuses on three core elements. First, revitalize established tools by updating the inclusionary zoning ordinance and Housing Trust Fund to better support low-income projects and equitable development. The language of the first prong shares similarities with former Mayor Miro Weinberger’s attempt at major housing reform. 

Second, leverage the 2024 neighborhood code reforms to facilitate smaller-scale, infill housing and assist individual owners or small developers. 

And third, pursue innovative public-private partnerships, including repurposing vacant or distressed properties—both city-owned and private—through targeted evaluations for feasibility with community backing.

Key ongoing initiatives include a 17-unit project at 184 Church Street and plans for over 200 homes in the first phase of a large South End parking lot off Sears Lane, with a high share intended as affordable. Officials say they are inventorying city land and examining underutilized commercial sites for conversion. 

A dedicated team will prioritize sites with strong community support, and the city plans to post updates on burlingtonvt.gov soon while launching broader resident input processes.

No drawn-out or written plan actually exists publicly at this time beyond the high-level outline shared at the announcement.

Burlington pioneered inclusionary zoning in 1990, one of the earliest mandatory programs nationwide, requiring developers of five or more units to designate 15-25% as affordable (with permanent controls), tied to incentives like density bonuses, roughly 15-25%, lot coverage increases, and fee waivers. 

The policy has produced many units—contributing to roughly 141 affordable homes in the Old North End alone by 2019—while allowing flexibility through off-site options, payments-in-lieu, and hardship exemptions or waivers. 

These provisions, designed to avoid deterring projects in a tough market, have drawn criticism for occasionally functioning as “free passes,” where developers secure bonuses but deliver fewer, later, or no affordable units at all due to claims of financial strain, like seen at Burlington Square. 

Proponents maintain the adjustments have sustained development that might otherwise stall.

Demand remains high from Burlington’s desirability, remote work influx, and regional appeal, pushing low vacancy rates and driving rents and prices upward—home values have climbed over 60% since 2018, rents about 45%.

The Champlain Housing Trust – formed in 2006 from the 1984 Burlington Community Land Trust, seeded with city funds under then-Mayor Bernie Sanders – stands out as the nation’s largest community land trust, preserving thousands of permanently affordable rentals and shared-equity homes through nonprofit stewardship, acquisitions, and collaborations. The mayor did not specifically name CHT as a potential partner in the work, though their involvement is likely. 

Challenges have emerged in past efforts, however. Some regional housing targets have fallen short due to funding gaps, delays, and economic barriers. High inclusionary requirements can squeeze margins, potentially reducing total units produced compared to more permissive markets.

Mulvaney-Stanak’s approach aims to learn from past experiences, emphasizing updates, facilitation for smaller projects, and strategic redevelopment, the City said. Advocates like the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity praised the equity focus and ties to reducing shelter strain amid Vermont’s rising homelessness rates.

Implementation will hinge on execution, community engagement, and navigating ongoing market realities, the City also noted.