Housing 10/28/25

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Town of Richmond Housing Committee Meeting Minutes

Date: October 28, 2025

Time Started: 7:04

Time Ended: 8:40

Present: Virginia Clarke, Mark Hall (Chair), Andrew Mannix, Mairead O’Reilly, Connie van Eeghen

Guest: (none)

Absent: Nick Blanchet,

Committee is approved at 5 members, 2 alternates (5/16/22); quorum is 3

1. Welcome and troubleshooting (0:00:00)
2. Adjustments to Agenda
   1. No changes to the posted agenda
3. Approval of the September 23, 2025 meeting minutes (0:01:00)
   1. Accepted as written
4. Follow up on presentation to Selectboard on Housing Strategic Plan (0:01:15)
   1. Discussion included:
      1. Water and sewer requirements: current users will never pay for any expansion
         1. Virginia: 3 opportunities for which we can create a plan to be ready when they are in the future
            1. Gateway
            2. Farr Farm:  already has W/S and an independent well; uplands portion is developable
            3. Cochran Rd, past cemetery: 90 acres owned by Rick and ChiChi Barrett – close to the village but not on W/S
         2. Andrew: developers can offer packages over time (10 years) with significant returns to owners, based on key variables (infrastructure, zoning, …). If the town supports an expansion in the direction of Hinesburg and Cochran, developers will make these packages appear.
      2. Funding could come from Champlain Housing Trust in 3/2029 or from CHIP
         1. Virginia: Borden Street funds are seen as a grant rather than a loan by CHT; we could research this more
      3. Gateway residents come to consensus about what they need – we would need more information about what kind of consensus is needed
   2. Action steps:
      1. Chair of W/S invited us to their Dec 1 meeting – need talking points (see below)
      2. Research funding sources:
         1. CHT loan
         2. CHIP funding
      3. Community outreach:
         1. W/S customers understanding of new $20K upgrade
5. Discuss how to put into action the Strategic Housing Plan (0:41:00)
   1. Water/Sewer: goal is to learn more about the Richmond policy that limits all financing to new users
      1. Mark maybe; Andrew, Virginia, and Mairead will be at W/S, Town Center or Zoom, Dec 1 6p
   2. Zoning:
      1. Revise zoning and subdivision regs: 2026 item, after the Town Plan is done – first of the four
      2. Expand current density bonus program: 2026-27, after March vote: Planning Commission (PC)
      3. Build height maximum: 2026-27: PC
      4. Zoning and subdivision application forms: 2026 PC and Keith
   3. Funding Affordable Housing projects
      1. Town support, including letters of support, policies… See examples in Committee folder for letters; need criteria for when this support would be given: 2026
      2. Housing Trust Fund: lawyers, mechanisms; Hinesburg as example; scope out first; start in 2026
      3. Master Plan for Gateway: depends on W/S; regional planning support – scoping study; community support/engagement (already getting regional planning support for another project)
      4. Partner with housing organizations: look at Borden Street funding mechanism in 2026
      5. CHIP (webinar is tomorrow night; Connie or Mairead might be able to attend virtually)
   4. Community Support and Outreach: will be carried out in the context of above projects
6. Updates on Housing section of Town Plan, including data section (1:17:00)
   1. Town Plan meeting next Tuesday night, Nov 4; Mairead will attend and present key items
   2. Housing section is in good order
   3. Appendix includes Housing Strategic Plan and Mairead’s data
7. Recruitment efforts (1:23:00)
   1. Mark posted to FPF; no responses
   2. Next meeting: transition of chair
   3. Connie to post in November
8. Other business, correspondence, and adjournment (1:30:00)
   1. Next meeting: November 25, 2025 – cancel; move Dec 23 to Dec 9
   2. Proposed agenda to include: follow up on Dec 1 W&S meeting; feedback on Housing Section of Town Plan from public meetings and Planning Commission; recruitment
   3. Agreed to adjourn at: 8:40p

Recorded by Connie van Eeghen