The Warren Planning Commission hopes to partner with Habitat for Humanity on a feasibility study to develop housing on the town’s former town garage site on School Road. To that end the commissioners drafted proposed conditions for the select board to discuss with Habitat at an April 28 meeting.
Commissioners drafted those conditions at a March 9 meeting. Preliminary work by the planning commission and early discussions with Habitat for Humanity have the planning commission working on a plan to develop 12-16 housing units on that site.
Commissioners discussed how to craft proposed conditions and communicate them with the select board before diving into the details.
“Is this group open to and feel that Habitat for Humanity could be a really good part of what goes on over there. And are you open to that being just a part of maybe some other entities that come in and help?” asked planning and zoning director Ruth Robbins.
“I want to make sure we all have that kind of vision so that when we're giving conditions for Habitat specifically, that it also falls into what else we want to see. They have a very special model, which is great. It allows somebody to actually buy their first house,” she added.
Commissioners agreed to move forward with the idea of partnering with Habitat on a feasibility study and a plan that has Habitat helping to find other developers for the parcel.
“I think we should come up with a list that’s what the Planning Commission’s vision is for the use of the town garage as housing,” Commissioner Jenny Faillace said.
A central theme in the discussion was ensuring that any housing created on the site serves full-time residents rather than seasonal occupants. Commissioner Michelle Bennett emphasized the importance of year-round use.
“I would like it to be year-round,” Bennett said, responding to discussion about potential rental units.
Faillace added that the commission could require long-term leases to reinforce that goal.
“So it’d be nice if we had something that’s so specific that it’s ‘you’re renting it to someone who is working here,’” she said, suggesting “a minimum one-year lease.”
Commissioners also discussed prioritizing workforce housing and families connected to the Mad River Valley. Faillace said the town should clearly state that intention.
“I just feel like it is our priority to say it’s for workforce housing or young families,” she said.
Bennett agreed and pushed for even more specificity.
“Can we more specifically say that — for local workforce, like people that work in the valley?” she said.
Several members said they would like to see Habitat incorporate those priorities into its application and selection process. Faillace suggested asking applicants to demonstrate local employment or ties to the community.
“It would be nice to say … we want your applications to ask where this person has employment,” she said.
Bennett said applicants should have a clear connection to the area.
“In their selection process … the applicants have to have a connection to The Valley,” she said. “It should weed out the people that just want a house and don’t care where it is.”
Robbins noted that many local families are already struggling to remain in the area.
“There are a lot of families in this Valley that their kids have not been able to afford living here,” she said.
Commissioners also debated how to balance those priorities with broader housing needs, including age diversity. Commissioner Jim Sanford cautioned that focusing too heavily on workforce housing could limit opportunities for other groups.
“That means it’s all going to be young people,” Sanford said. “There won’t be any senior citizens.”
Faillace suggested a flexible approach.
“It doesn’t need to be exclusionary,” she said, proposing an “emphasis” rather than strict limits.
Beyond eligibility, commissioners discussed how to structure the development itself. Several members expressed concern about relying solely on Habitat, which typically builds a limited number of units.
“This project doesn’t work if it’s all Habitat,” Sanford said. “But if Habitat does a couple of units there, and somebody else does a couple of units there … then I think the Habitat thing really does work.”
Bennett agreed that any agreement should require Habitat to partner with another developer to maximize the site’s potential.
“I think it has to be a condition,” she said. “Because otherwise we end up with one Habitat duplex, and that’s it.”
Commissioners repeatedly returned to the idea of creating a planned unit development, or PUD, that would allow the town to guide the overall layout and density while allocating a portion of the site to Habitat.
“That way we phase into a PUD … and allocate X amount of parcels to Habitat, and then the rest are infilled by whoever else wants to develop something,” said Commissioner Adam Zawistowski.
Faillace suggested structuring an agreement that would give Habitat an option to purchase a percentage of the total units, rather than the entire parcel upfront.
“We need to come up with the minimum agreement that we think will get Habitat to say that’s enough for us,” she said.
Robbins noted that Habitat could play a key role in early planning work, including feasibility studies and site analysis, even if other developers ultimately build additional units.
Commissioners also discussed the importance of maintaining design quality and long-term durability, as well as fostering a sense of community among residents, potentially through a homeowners association.
Throughout the discussion, members emphasized that the process is still in its early stages and that further conversations with Habitat and other stakeholders will be necessary.
Faillace said the commission’s immediate goal is to define clear priorities that can guide those future discussions.
Those priorities are:
- Full time housing for local folks, those with a local connection, kids in the schools
- Local workers
- Developing the parcel to its highest appropriate density to create a neighborhood
- Warren obtains a planned unit development permit that guides the entire project
- Habitat is offered opportunity to develop two duplexes on a percentage of the land
