The Central & Main apartment complex is officially open in Windsor, bringing with it twenty-five new homes to the formerly vacant lot on Main Street in Windsor’s downtown.
Elizabeth Bridgewater, executive director of Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, spoke to the Standard this week about the housing development and what affordable housing means to the town of Windsor. “The Windsor Improvement Corp (WIC) generously donated the land and gathered community support to allow development of the underutilized site. The building is all electric, featuring heat pumps, whole-scale ventilation, and a robust thermal shell with air sealing exceeding passive house standards. The building is serviced by an elevator, ensuring accessibility and adaptability for all residents in the development. Six apartments are designated for the formerly unhoused and include supportive services. Six apartments are for renters earning up to 100% median income, the rest are for those residing in the 30-80% median income range.”
She continued, “The first tenant moved in on June 17. Currently, we are housing five families and expect to be at 50% occupancy by the end of July, and at full capacity by the beginning of September.” The complex is comprised of a mix of studio apartments, one-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom apartments, and four-bedroom apartments.
The Central & Main apartment complexes offer aid to accommodate an array of mixed-income tenants. “There are two ways the apartments are subsidized — site-specific and tenant-based. Our apartments are subsidized through a site-specific model, comprised of eight project-based vouchers that are tied to the unit, not the tenant. These vouchers are reserved for low-income tenants who pay 30% income in rent and stay with the unit. Whoever is income eligible, with income levels of 50% of the area’s median income (AMI) or below, qualifies for subsidized housing. Six people set to move in are exiting homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness, with a 30% AMI.”
Bridgwater went on to pose an interesting question: “In a housing crisis that requires a need of 30,000 units, does twenty-five new homes make a difference?” And she answered with a resounding, “Yes.”
“Do we need more housing? Absolutely. Does this solve the problem? Not entirely, but it creates a path forward. One thing we really need as a community in Vermont is to grapple with the question of density. If we want to preserve nature, we must build more housing density in villages. These towns need to start exploring a different development pattern. It has become critical we think about more thoughtful designs, and how to incorporate affordable housing into these regions.”
Windsor town manager, Tom Marsh, told the Standard, “The housing crisis is probably the same here as it is throughout the state, but Windsor is unique in that we have so much employment opportunity through our hospital, our regional school, and more broadly across the Upper Valley, with little to no housing to accommodate. That seems to be something that really puts a damper on the ability to recruit people to the area. I have seen firsthand how appreciated this apartment is already. We took a parcel of property that had no function and turned it into a central hub of our town.”
Charlene Hebert, a tenant of the Central & Main apartment complex said, “I was the first person to move into this building about two weeks ago. So far, it’s been great. The one-bedroom apartment was larger than I expected based on the pictures. There is plenty of storage both in the kitchen and the closet. There is a nice walk-in shower. Laundry facilities on the first floor are plentiful for the number of apartments. Everything is brand-new, up-to-date, and modern. I have never lived in a place like this before.”
For more on this, please see our July 10 edition of the Vermont Standard.
