EPA Recognizes Brattleboro Food Co-op and Housing Development with 2012 Smart Growth Achievement Award
December 4, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced four winners of the 2012 Smart Growth Achievement Awards. In a national competition among 47 applicants from 25 states, the Brattleboro Food Co-op, the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust and Housing Vermont won the Main Street Revitalization category for their development of a new, energy efficient building for the co-op with 24 apartments on the upper stories. The winning entries were chosen based on their effectiveness in creating sustainable communities, fostering equitable development among public, private, and non-profit stakeholders and serving as national models for environmentally and economically sustainable development. The EPA will recognize the winning organizations at a ceremony in Washington D.C. on December 5.
Located on the corner of Canal and Main Streets, the new building replaces the former co-op storefront in a strip mall on the same lot, which was demolished. The development moved the co-op out of the flood plain and created a small public park along the Whetstone Brook where a pedestrian bridge leads to the town transportation center. The new building façade is even with other downtown buildings that line the sidewalk, restoring the historic development pattern.
Governor Peter Shumlin announced, “Vermont is honored to receive this award from the EPA. The partnership between the Brattleboro Food Co-op and the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, supported by tax credits raised by Housing Vermont and investments of state and federal funds by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, is a keystone project promoting smart growth, affordable housing, access to services and equitable community development. This $12 million development has created jobs and will spur the local economy while providing 24 new affordable homes.”
The project was nominated by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, an EPA Smart Growth Achievement Award winner in the category of Policy and Regulations in 2007. Gus Seelig, VHCB Executive Director, said, “This project epitomizes the implementation of the Board’s policies. It not only represents excellent smart growth, it brings together housing, food systems and conservation all in a manner that promotes a stronger rural economy and the best kind of rural economic development. The partnership honored today continues a 25-year effort in Brattleboro to strengthen its downtown while promoting social equity.”
Connie Snow, Executive Director of the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, said, “Given the extremely low vacancy rate for rental apartments in Brattleboro, these new units will provide a significant boost to the number of affordable homes in the heart of the downtown—perfect for young people as well as older and disabled citizens—providing ready access to jobs, services, shopping and public transportation.”
Alex Gyori, Manager of the Brattleboro Food Co-op, said, “The Co-op employs 160 people, has 5,000 shareholders and does more than $16 million in business per year partnering with area farmers to offer fresh, local, healthy food. We have hired 15 new employees since the new facility opened in June and a significant increase in sales is projected in the coming year. It has been very exciting to witness the transformation of our retail space and to partner with the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust to add the housing element to our expansion project.”
Senator Leahy secured $200,000 in HUD Economic Development Initiative funding for the housing development. Nineteen of the 24 apartments in the mixed-income development will be affordable to households earning 60% of median income or less and the Brattleboro Housing Authority will provide Section 8 housing vouchers to increase the affordability of five of those apartments.
The building, designed by Gossens Bachman architects, incorporates many energy saving features. Heat generated by the refrigerators will be recycled to heat the store and the apartments and provide hot water. The construction materials include locally harvested and milled flooring donated by the Vermont Land Trust and slate siding manufactured in Vermont. The apartments have continuous fresh air ventilation with heat recovery. The Co-op has a lease agreement for a solar photovoltaic system that will allow them to purchase the system after five years. Storm water runoff will be filtered by a green roof, permeable surfaces in the parking lot and a 20-foot buffer strip in the new public park created along the Whetstone Brook.
Town manager Barb Sondag said, “The new building has been open since mid-June and is bustling with activity. For the town of Brattleboro, this development increases economic activity in the downtown, bringing shoppers to town and creating a ripple effect benefiting other businesses.”
Contact:
Connie Snow, (802) 246-2103, csnow (at) w-wht (dot) org
