community revitalization

Reinvestment in regional centers, villages, and neighborhoods can promote compact settlement and add to the vibrancy of communities. Revitalization can happen through investment in infrastructure and public real improvements, retaining local business and public services, and redeveloping brownfields and other underutilized properties. 

Vermont Community Revitalization Designation program

The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development manages the state designation program, which provides incentives and offers towns assistances for encouraging new development and redevelopment in compact settlement areas. Incentives are offered for the public and private sector and include tax credits for historic building rehabilitations and code improvements, expedited permitting for certain housing projects, funding for transportation improvements, and priority consideration for other state grants. The following is a summary of the designation programs towns are eligible to apply for: 

  • Downtowns: This program provides resources to assist with downtown revitalization, including priority funding for state grant programs, downtown transportation, capital improvement funds, income tax credit for rehabilitation of certified historic buildings, and expedited review for certain Act 250 permit applications. There are three designated downtowns in the Windham Region: Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, and Wilmington.

  • Village Centers: Villages that receive this designation become eligible for a number of benefits, including tax credits for building rehabilitation and improvements as well as priority consideration for state programs. Currently, the region has 27 state designated village centers: Algiers Village, East Dover, Grafton, Guilford Center, Jacksonville, Jamaica, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane, North Westminster, Putney, Readsboro, Saxtons River, South Londonderry, South Newfane, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, West Brattleboro, West Dover, West Townshend, Westminster, Westminster Station, Westminster West, Weston, Williamsville, and Whitingham. 

  • Neighborhood Development Areas: Areas eligible for this designation include those within walking distance of a designated downtown, village center, new town center, or within a designated growth center. This program offers special permit and tax incentives to encourage mixed-income housing. Currently, Brattleboro and Putney are the only communities in the region with neighborhood development areas.   

  • Growth Centers: The Growth Center program designates areas that are planned for new development in keeping with historic development patterns. There are no approved growth centers in the region. 

  • New Town Centers: Some Vermont communities developed without a strong central core and this program supports the creation of an area that functions as a new downtown. There are no approved new town centers in the region.