Housing Endorsement Program
Endorsed
Projects | How to Request Endorsement
| Endorsement Criteria
The Collaborative worked with the Vermont Housing and Conservation
Board, Housing Vermont, and other housing organizations to create
a voluntary housing endorsement program, which uses criteria
to evaluate new housing projects based on smart growth principles.
The Housing Endorsement Criteria
The
Collaborative
will endorse
housing and mixed-use
development that
meet the specific
smart growth
principles and
criteria. Since
the program's
inception, the
criteria and
scoring process
have been refined.
Click here for
the current criteria
and process.
The
basis for endorsement
is the following
group of smart
growth characteristics:
- Maintaining
the historic
development
pattern of
compact village
and urban centers
separated by
rural countryside.
- Developing
compact, mixed-use
centers at
a scale appropriate
for the community
and the region.
- Enabling
choice in modes
of transportation.
- Protecting
the state's
important environmental,
natural and
historic features,
including natural
areas, water
quality, scenic
resources,
and historic
sites and districts.
- Serving
to strengthen
agricultural
and forest
industries
and minimizes
conflicts of
development
with these
industries.
- Balancing
growth and
the availability
of economic
and efficient
public utilities
and services.
- Supporting
a diversity
of viable businesses
in downtowns
and villages,
including locally-owned
businesses.
- Providing
for housing
that meets
the needs of
a diversity
of social and
income groups
in each community.
Requesting Endorsement
This
information is also available as a pdf file. A project that
is endorsed by the Collaborative will receive a letter of support
for the project that the developer may submit with any permit application.
At
the request of
the applicant
and, if available,
members of the
Collaborative
may be involved
in active advocacy
for the project,
which may include
testimony at
public hearings.
Any
developer of
housing that
includes ten
units or more
that exemplifies
the principals
above may submit
a request for
endorsement.
A request for
endorsement should
be received at
least six weeks
before action
for support is
needed. We encourage
developers to
contact the Collaborative
at the earliest
possible date,
preferably at
the design development
stage.
Members of the
Housing Endorsement
committee are
available for
preliminary,
informal meetings
to examine and
make suggestions
for projects
in the planning
stages.
Requested Materials : A request for endorsement
should include the following:
- Completed Housing
Endorsement Project Information Sheet
- Site
location map
- Scaled engineering site plan with buildings, contours, and
planned infrastructure;
- Building elevations (if available)
- Project schedule including local and state permit process
and construction start and finish
If
endorsed, applicants
will receive
notification
of the endorsement
within six weeks
of submitting
materials. Please
be advised that
submission of
the above materials
does not constitute
an automatic
endorsement by
the Collaborative.
The endorsement
is in effect
a "blue
ribbon"
for the best
examples of smart
growth housing.
Failure
to obtain an
endorsement does
not mean that
the Collaborative
is opposed to
the project:
projects submitted
but not endorsed
may meet other
important planning
objectives although
they do not meet
these smart growth
criteria.
Failure to get
an endorsement
does not mean
a project will
be opposed by
the Collaborative
although there
is no guarantee
that some applicants
may meet opposition
from individual
members in the
permit process.
The Collaborative
as a group will
not
take positions
against
housing projects
through this
process.
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