Last month, the Vermont Downtown Development Board approved Waitsfield’s reapplication for Village Center Designation for Waitsfield Village, extending eligibility of state incentives and benefits for local revitalization efforts within the designated village center area.
Certain benefits and incentives will now be available to residents and business owners within the designated area, including access to tax credits for certain improvements, code and ADA compliance, plumbing and electrical upgrades and façade work, as well as technology tax credits for installations of or improvements to data and network systems.
The designation also provides priority status to the town in seeking various state grants and incentives for planning and preservation, including bicycle and pedestrian grants and water and wastewater subsidies and loans.
Waitsfield received its initial Village Center Designation in 2007 and has since received benefits that assisted in projects such as planning and implementation of the Bridge Street pocket park, historic preservation grants for the library, multiple municipal planning and community development grant awards (including for the town office), grant priority for the village sidewalk projects, and certain community events such as the Mad Marathon, the Bridge Street Arts Fair and the Vermont Festival of the Arts.
Additional information about the designation and program benefits including a map of the designated village center is available at the town office. Information on program benefits will also be sent to eligible residents and business owners.
