Rep. Kate Logan: Housing for all takes planning!
At a time when our national government prioritizes corporate interests over everyday people, the role of state and local governments in meeting our basic needs have never been more critical. Last week, Rep. Brian Cina highlighted the public health crisis in Vermont, where homelessness and housing instability affect too many of us. This week, I’ll be discussing what we are doing in Vermont to put housing first, because stable housing is foundational to addressing other personal or community issues. Your Progressive legislators are dedicated to ensuring that Vermont provides affordable and accessible housing for all.
In the last legislative session, I was assigned to the House Committee on Environment and Energy, where I brought a “Housing First” and equity approach to all of the work that we did on renewable energy and land use policy. Vermont needs to build 24,000-36,000 new homes by 2029 to meet demand. I helped ensure that low-income, moderate-income, and historically marginalized Vermonters were considered in two key bills related to housing and homelessness: the HOME Act (Act 47) of 2023, “An act relating to housing opportunities made for everyone,” and Act 181 of 2024, “An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use,” the Act 250 reform bill.
Put simply, the HOME Act and Act 181 struck a balance between encouraging rapid housing development and protecting Vermont’s ecological sustainability. The HOME Act loosened regulations temporarily in areas ready for development, required municipalities to allow denser housing, and prohibited them from refusing emergency shelters. These actions have already had a positive impact on housing and shelter development. (Watch last week’s Progressive Caucus to learn more!) Act 181 also initiated statewide land use planning, creating maps that will guide development without oversight from the Act 250 Land Use Review Board in certain areas, while maintaining protections for less-ready areas and critical ecological resources. By 2026, Vermont will be ready to move ahead with housing development in identified areas without delays.
This planning is underway now! The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) is starting a community engagement process for the updated regional plan, which will include Act 181 land use maps. There are multiple ways to get involved. Advocates for particular interest groups can participate in focus groups on environmental justice, natural resources and working lands, housing and land access, and economic development. Municipal and environmental justice engagement opportunities across the county will soon be announced. In Burlington, CCRPC staff will review Act 181 and our land use map with the Planning Commission this Tuesday, February 11, at 6:30pm. If you don’t live in Chittenden County, you can find links to your regional planning process here.
Planning to build housing isn’t enough—we need public investment to guarantee affordability and accessibility. Vermont’s Housing and Conservation Trust Fund supports affordable housing development (start on page 49), but our efforts in 2024 to raise taxes on high-income Vermonters to increase funding by $80 million per year were blocked by Senate Republicans and some Democrats. With a more conservative legislature this session, state investment in affordable housing will remain insufficient. Governor Scott’s plan for housing development offers modest investments, but relies mostly on tweaks to existing programs to encourage private development. Without substantial investment, Vermont will continue to struggle for years with housing unaffordability and homelessness.
As we plan for sustainable, denser housing development, Progressives will continue to agitate for more public investment, asking wealthier Vermonters to contribute their fair share. Please reach out to your legislators and the Governor to ask them how they’re working to guarantee housing for all.
In solidarity,
Rep. Kate Logan, Chittenden-16
Leader, House Progressive Caucus
House Committee on Environment
klogan@leg.state.vt.us
