Planning Commission
Regular MeetingWinooski, VT · June 25, 2024
Minutes
6/25/2024 - Minutes
I. Call to Order
Members Present: Jessica Bridge, Jack Commo, Robert Millar, Mike O’Brien, Sarah van
Ryckevorsel, Ruth Stienmetz, Abby Bleything, Connor Daley, Brandon Sage, Tommie Murray
City Staff Present: Jazmine Hurley, Eric Vorwald, Ravi Kataraman
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City Councilors Present: Councilor Judge, Mayor Lott
Guests Present: Councilor Oakleaf
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Call to Order by: Mike O’Brien
Meeting Start Time: 6:05 PM
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Minutes Recorded by: Jazmine Hurley
II. Public Comment
N/A
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III. Discussion: Inclusionary Zoning and Replacement Regulations
l Final review will be done by the Planning Commission and recommended to Council
but want to take this time to go through with the HC since these amendments are so
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housing-focused.
l Robert: What happened to our idea that 5-10 unit threshold would be a reduced
payment in lieu? It got taken off along the way somewhere.
l Jazmine: I think it was removed for the sake of clarity.
l Kristine: The Housing roundtable group said it was difficult to build 3-bedroom units but
not a larger 2-bedroom unit perhaps. Should we be looking at the residential and the
Gateway zoning districts differently rather than different size thresholds?
l Jazmine: I think that the size thresholds does essentially limit by residential and
gateway as residentials are limited to 4 and below, and gateway would be relevant to any
project over 10.
l Mike- We currently allow up to 6 units with a PUD with the priority housing incentives.
l Mike- Are the 65% and 80% AMI targets different or does the 80% include that as well?
l Eric- They could overlap with each other but they wouldn't in practice- HUD publishes a
FMR for households based on spending 30% of their income on housing, 65% and below
of HUD’s FMR income.
l Mike- do we need to set a target for affordable housing as a whole within the city? How
do we know when we have done too much? What will we do to balance all types of
housing?
l Eric- I don’t think that a stagnant target is generally helpful.
l Jazmine- While it's difficult to perfectly measure how much affordable housing is
needed it is known that the waitlists for WHA are very long, with only a small amount of
those who are issued vouchers actually leasing up. This indicates a lack of affordable
(HUD-level) housing within our community.
l Brandon- 80% AMI is actually not even more than the current Winooski median income.
If this is a program to help affordable housing go any higher then that wouldn’t make
sense.
needed it is known that the waitlists for WHA are very long, with only a small amount of
those who are issued vouchers actually leasing up. This indicates a lack of affordable
(HUD-level) housing within our community.
l Brandon- 80% AMI is actually not even more than the current Winooski median income.
If this is a program to help affordable housing go any higher then that wouldn’t make
sense.
l Ruth- Is there any way we could do more % of affordable units for now while we are in
this crisis, then begin to work our way down?
l Kristine- Best practice is 10-20% of units required affordable through IZ.
l Abby- if our priority is home ownership then why can't we make the threshold 10 for
homes built for sale?
l Brendan- 25% seemed a little high for him, PC has been prioritizing homeownership,
something lower might be more palatable for homeownership
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l Eric- I think 25% is good, we will at least get 1 affordable unit out of a development
project.
l Ravi- Burlington IZ % ranges depending on the average AMI of the other market-rate
units, they are also from 15-25%, South Burlington is increased exponentially depending
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on the size of the development
l Mike- How do we feel about moving the rental threshold for IZ to 10?
l Eric- Staff will take a look and bring it back.
l Sarah: is perpetual too long? Should we reference that it could be changed in the future
if we no longer have the need for so much affordable housing?
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l Jack: We have seen affordable housing be flipped into market historically after 15-20
years so we should avoid that if possible.
l Jazmine: 20 years can go quickly.
l Kristine: The Housing Roundtable group recommended perpetual.
l Jazmine: Perhaps we should invite developers to the incentives conversation.
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l Jazmine: I am fine with striking the replacement regulation incentives as it would
probably be rare for someone would want to build 1 three bedroom instead of 2 2
bedroom units
l Kristine: the Housing Roundtable didn’t agree with those incentives being kept, so I
agree with removing them.
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l Abby: Can you get the data on how many 3-bedroom units are in the city and what
zoning districts they are located in? What if they aren’t in the gateway districts and we are
losing 3 beds in residential areas?
l Mike- Let's have 2 meetings apart, then reconvene together in September.
l Tommy: Should we prioritize replacement ordinance for now?
l Kristine: Council did want to prioritize replacement over IZ.
l Mike: Does this look good to everyone?
l Robert: let's move this forward as is, It is better to have it 95% right than to wait up for
too long
Eric: Planning Commission will move forward with Replacement Regulations while still working
on IZ amendments in the meantime. City Staff will determine the best date for the next combined
meeting.
IV. Other Business
None
V. Adjourn
Motion by: Robert
Second: Sarah
Meeting End Time: 8:01 PM
Motion by: Robert
Second: Sarah
Meeting End Time: 8:01 PM
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Agenda
Winooski Housing Commission Meeting
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 6 PM
l Attend in person: Winooski City Hall (27 W Allen St)
l Attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88653025010
l Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656
l Webinar ID: 886 5302 5010
I. Call to Order
II. Public Comment
This item is reserved for comments and questions on topics that are not included
on this agenda. Time for public comment is included by default for each item
below!
III. Discussion: Inclusionary Zoning and Replacement Regulations
Documents:
Sections 5.16 and 5.17 - v.3 - 06.25.2024.pdf
IV. Other Business
V. Adjourn
SECTION 5.16 – INCLUSIONARY HOUSING REQUIREMENTS
The City of Winooski has recognized a need for affordable housing opportunities and options that will benefit
residents at all income levels but focusing on those making at or below 80% of the Area Family Median Income
for the Burlington-South Burlington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
A. Intent. Under authority granted by the State of Vermont as outlined in 24 VSA Chapter 117, the City
has established these regulations in an effort to ensure an on-going supply of affordable housing is
available within the City by establishing mechanisms to support the development of affordable housing.
The intent of these regulations is to:
1. Meet the specific mandates of 24 V.S.A. Chapter 117 § 4302 related to housing opportunities for
all of Vermont’s resident’s; and
2. Increase the number of housing units in the City of Winooski that are affordable to residents
making at or below 80% of the Area Median Family Income for the Burlington-South Burlington
Metropolitan Statistical Area; and
3. Provide integrated opportunities throughout the City that reduce barriers to housing for all
residents; and
4. Promote the health, safety, and welfare of all residents by expanding the affordable housing
options to limit impacts on the existing supply of affordable units.
B. Applicability. These regulations shall apply to any development project in the City of Winooski that
proposes five or more new dwelling units in a single project regardless of dwelling unit configuration.
1. If dwelling units will be offered for rent, the number of affordable units will be based on the
following:
Affordability Rates Number of Required Units
HUD Fair Market Rent1 and Below with
15% of units
65% AMI Income Threshold
80% AMI and below 25% of units
2. If dwelling units will be offered for sale, the number of affordable units will be based on the
following:
Affordability Rates Number of Required Units
120% AMI and below 25% of units
3. Any dwelling units included under this provision will be rounded up to the nearest whole unit.
C. Income Eligibility. The following standards shall apply when determining income eligibility.
1. Verification of household income shall follow the process outlined in Section 5.14.D.1 regarding
affordability, except where these regulations are more restrictive.
2. Verification shall only be done upon new lease or sale of property
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HUD Fair Market Rents can be found at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html
50 Article V – SPECIFIC USE STANDARDS | City of Winooski
D. Exemptions. The following instances will qualify as exemptions to the requirements for affordable
housing as identified in Section 5.16.B.
1. Projects that will be developed and owned by an educational institution for the exclusive use as
a residential facility to serve the needs of the institution.
2. Projects that are developed for senior housing or age restricted housing that serve specific
needs of older populations.
3. Projects that propose all new units to be marketed as affordable units and meet the standards
outlined in Section 5.14.D.
E. Inclusionary Housing Standards. The following standards will apply to any dwelling units required
under this section.
1. Affordable dwelling units may differ from market rate units regarding interior amenities
provided that:
a. The specific differences are not identifiable from the exterior, excluding size
differences; and
b. The differences do not include components of energy efficiency such as windows,
doors, insulation, HVAC systems, or similar components.
2. The mix of units based on the number of bedrooms for affordable dwelling units shall be
consistent with the mix of units based on the number of bedrooms for market rate units to
ensure equity in the type of units being provided.
3. Affordable dwelling units shall be no less than 80% of the average size of market rate units
within a project that meets the standards outlined in Section 5.16.B.
F. Duration of Affordability. Any units established under these provisions shall be perpetually affordable
including deed restrictions for units that are offered for sale
G. Incentives. Projects that include affordable housing as outlined in Section 5.16 are eligible for any
development incentives that are included in Section 5.14 if the minimum standards for the specific
incentive are met.
SECTION 5.17 – REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING DWELLING UNITS
A. Intent. The intent of these regulations is to ensure existing dwelling units that have multiple bedrooms
are maintained, the City will require replacement of dwelling units that are lost to redevelopment
activities.
B. Applicability. This section shall apply to all Zoning Districts in the City where:
1. Redevelopment projects that propose five or more dwelling units; and
2. The redevelopment project will remove, in whole or in part, existing dwelling units, including
multi-unit dwellings.
C. Requirements. The following replacement standards shall be required if projects meet the standards
outlined in Section 5.17.B.
1. All existing units, including both number of units and their respective bedroom counts shall be
replaced in-kind in the new development.
2. Specific incentives will be offered to projects that include priority housing as identified in this
article.
51 Article V – SPECIFIC USE STANDARDS | City of Winooski
3. Replacement units shall be included on the same parcel and shall be available for occupancy at
the same time as all other units in the same building.
D. Incentives. The following incentives shall be offered for replacement dwelling units.
1. Existing bedrooms will be counted on a two for one basis for the establishment of any new
dwelling unit with three or more-bedrooms as outlined in Section 5.14.D.2 (i.e. six existing
bedrooms can be accommodated with one three-bedroom dwelling unit); or
2. For every new unit that includes three or more bedrooms as outlined in Section 5.14.D.2 and
meets the affordability requirements as outlined in Section 5.14.C.1 may replace three existing
units with two or fewer bedrooms.
E. Exemptions. The following instances will qualify as exemptions to the requirements for housing
replacement as identified in Section 5.17.B.
1. Properties that have been ordered for demolition by the City of Winooski, except where it has
been determined that the deterioration was caused by neglect or lack of maintenance.
2. Loss of units due to the conversion of an apartment house, duplex, or accessory dwelling back
to a single-unit owner occupied dwelling.
3. Dwellings that are lost for the development of a public use that will serve residents making less
than 50% of the HUD Area Median Family Income as identified under Section 5.14.C.2, or provide
a service to the community that has been explicitly identified to not currently exist in the City
of Winooski.
52 Article V – SPECIFIC USE STANDARDS | City of Winooski
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