Proctorsville Green Housing Open House and Project Tour 

On May 13^th at 1:00 pm, Rockingham Area Community Land Trust, Town of Cavendish and Housing Vermont are holding an open house for the Proctorsville Green Housing project. Located in Proctorsville, Vermont, the Proctorsville Green Housing project incorporates rental, homeownership and village commercial development into a single project. The $3.7 million construction project was successfully completed in February, 2008. Sixteen permanently affordable rental apartments and four new homeownership townhouses were created. Following the event, NeighborWorks^® HomeOwnership Center of Southeastern Vermont will host an open house at 4:00 pm for anyone interested in purchasing a townhouse condominium and others.

The Pollard Block houses eight apartments and two commercial spaces. Each apartment has been completely renovated, adding both functional living spaces and energy efficiency improvements. New appliances, windows and doors were among the improvements. Commercial units in the Pollard Block were preserved and enhanced. The Pollard Block houses the US Post Office for Proctorsville, and the “Six Loose Ladies” retail store, operated by Fiber Arts of Vermont.

"This development is a remarkable example of the value of locally designed responses to community housing problems.” states Andy Broderick.

The existing Freeman House received exterior painting, upgraded handicap accessible ramp, new kitchen counters, cabinets and improved ventilation. Two new units of rental housing and four new condominium units were built on land donated by the Town of Cavendish. Each two-bedroom apartment provides a wonderful view of the Proctorsville Green.

Ray Brewster, Project Manager says “Not only the newly constructed apartments are affordable but the downstairs unit is fully accessible to persons with physical disabilities. Energy efficient recessed light fixtures, Energy Star rated appliances and modern propane fired boilers assure future energy savings.”

Three of the four two-bedroom townhouses are now available for purchase. The first floor offers a spacious living room, dining room and conveniently designed kitchen, with two bedrooms upstairs. In addition, a patio and exterior storage are included. The homes meet or exceed federal Energy Star Rating guidelines. These townhouses provide homeowners access to local amenities which include shopping, public transportation and recreational activities.

Andy Broderick, Housing Vermont Executive Director says “Private and public resources for affordable housing are scarce, so we congratulate RACLT for this comprehensive and thoughtful initiative which improves the existing rental stock and expands home ownership opportunities.”

RACLT’s NeighborWorks^® HomeOwnership Center of Southeastern Vermont is now marketing to potential buyers for the townhouses. The homes will be kept “perpetually affordable” under the Trust’s Homeland program sponsored by Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. The condominiums cost $150,000 to eligible households, which includes substantial down-payment assistance grants.

Bruce Whitney, HomeOwnership Center Director says “These attractive, high quality homes are for sale now! We are extremely pleased that through our partnership with VHFA, buyers could be eligible for the incredibly low fixed interest rate of 4.75%. Plus, there are additional grants available to qualified buyers bringing the price down to $126,000 for qualified buyers. Interest in these homes has increased during the last month and one is under contract at this time.”

The HomeOwnership Center invites any one interested in these condominiums or other homeownership opportunities to call RACLT for a showing and to learn more about the center’s services. RACLT’s HomeOwnership Center and counseling staff are nationally certified by NeighborWorks^® America.

Project History
Jeff Staudinger, Executive Director explains “The project grew from the Town of Cavendish’s concern that rental units in the community were being converted to vacation use, primarily to serve skiers. Proctorsville is located less than five miles from the Okemo Mountain Resort.”

RACLT negotiated the purchase of the Pollard Block on the Proctorsville Green, and purchased the property in May of 2006 with financing provided by the Housing Assistance Council of Washington DC and RNA Community Builders of Rutland, Vermont.

The Town of Cavendish made available one-half acre of vacant land immediately adjacent to the existing Freeman House, which provides six units of housing for elders, and which was moved to the green by RACLT in 1998.  Northern Architects of Burlington Vermont and Dufresne Associates of Windsor, Vermont designed and engineered the project. Project financing has been provided by USDA Rural Development, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, the Vermont Community Development Program, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, NeighborWorks® America and with equity leveraged from the use of federal housing and historic preservation tax credits. The Quinn Company, based in Rutland, Vermont, was the project general contractor.

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About Rockingham Area Community Land Trust
RACLT’s mission is to maximize affordable housing opportunities for the people of southeastern Vermont. RACLT owns 350 apartments and several mobile home lots which are affordable to low and moderate income families. This year, RACLT is developing affordable housing in Windsor, Cavendish, Springfield and Rockingham. RACLT’s NeighborWorks^® HomeOwnership Center of Southeastern Vermont assists over 60 Windsor and Windham county families to become first time homebuyers each year.

About Housing Vermont
Housing Vermont is a private, nonprofit development company founded in 1988 to produce permanently affordable rental housing for Vermonters through partnerships with communities and the private sector.  Since its inception, Housing Vermont has raised more than $163 million in private equity to finance 121 affordable rental housing developments throughout the State.  The nearly 4,000 apartments created or renovated in these efforts serve low and moderate income Vermonters including seniors and those with special needs.  Many developments also include commercial space.

For information contact:
Rockingham Area Community Land Trust
Jeff Staudinger
Executive Director
Office-802-885-3220 ext. 220