Housing Task Force to Review Airport Road Proposals Before Selectboard Decision
The Selectboard has outlined the next steps for evaluating housing proposals for the town-owned Airport Road property, emphasizing the importance of a thorough review by the Housing Task Force before any decision is made. The process is designed to prioritize public input, allow developers to further explain their proposals, and explore whether collaboration among applicants could strengthen outcomes. With three distinct approaches under consideration—each varying in scale, timing, and affordability—the focus remains on moving forward deliberately while recognizing the urgency of Manchester’s housing needs. This phase reflects a commitment to transparency, creativity, and public-private partnership in pursuing housing solutions that serve the community’s long-term interests.
“Rarely do we have an opportunity arise like we have now.”
Reposted from Manchester Journal
MANCHESTER — The Manchester Select Board will await a recommendation from the town’s Housing Task Force before proceeding with a decision on how to develop a 60 acre parcel of town-owned property at the end of Airport Road.
According to a Request For Proposal, or RFP, issued by the town on February 1, a developer “may propose a residential or multi-use development, at affordable, work force, or market rate prices, or a mix of price ranges, on the property or any portion thereof,” for the development of the property.
The town has received three proposals for housing projects on the property. A review of the proposals by the Housing Task Force, a committee established by the town to find solutions and make recommendations on current housing issues within the community, will be the next step in the process, the select board decided during its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 3.
Jonathan West, who chairs the Housing Task Force, and is also a member of the town’s select board, said his goal was to quickly schedule that meeting, and probably a second one, to review the proposals received and make a recommendation to the select board.
“We may need more than one meeting, but the goal would be to expedite a recommendation to the select board as soon as possible,” he said. “Rarely do we have an opportunity arise like we have now.”
The meeting would be designed to foster public comment and input, and also allow for the three developers to describe and explain further what and how they would go about creating housing on the property parcel on an area around the former airfield off of Richville Road. The final decision on which proposal to accept would be in the hands of the select board.
One proposal, from Manchester-based Herrmann Construction, calls for building 40 houses on 20 acres of the property. They would range in size from roughly 800-1,000 square feet, according to their proposal, and cost approximately $258,000 each, based on current construction costs. The town would receive $20,000 for each sale of a house and building lot. The project would start as soon as possible once the necessary permits are in place, with a hoped for completion of the first house by the spring of 2026.
Another response to the RFP was submitted by DEW Properties, Inc., a construction firm which has built and developed properties across northern New England and has a Vermont office in Williston. They are currently involved in constructing a new brew pub arising on property in front of the Hampton Inn on Main Street in Manchester, and also recently completed construction of Founders Hall on the campus of Burr and Burton Academy.
DEW’s proposal requests an 18 month “project specific research period,” during which they would have the exclusive rights to perform feasibility and market studies, permitting requirements and develop plans. This period could be extended if necessary, the RFP response states. But the number of homes they would anticipate building, and at what cost, would remain to be determined.
A third response was received by another Manchester-based entity, the Integrated Manchester Housing Initiative. In it, they propose to develop the 60 acres “into a housing development that will offer a diverse mixture of in-demand housing options focusing on workforce housing,” with a financial plan that “will benefit the town of Manchester in the future.” If their proposal is accepted, a 12-month due diligence and design period would follow, when a site plan and the number of housing units to be constructed would be developed.
Paul Carroccio, a principal and managing partner of TPW Real Estate, is one of the partners in the Integrated Manchester Housing Initiative.
He has another workforce housing project, known as Blackacre, in the final permitting stages and nearly ready for construction to start. It is to be located on an eight-acre parcel of land off Richville Road across from the Green Mountain Estates. Carroccio said the anticipated Blackacre project would consist of about 35 apartments and eight townhouses.
For Airport Road, Carroccio said it might be possible to build up to 150 houses that would be a mix of market rate, affordable and workforce housing.
“There’s plenty of parties out there capable of doing projects,” he said. “The private sector is not going to wait.”
Another approach that the upcoming special meeting of the Housing Task Force to consider the three proposals received might involve is seeing whether or not there might be a possibility for collaboration among the developers, said Jonathan West.
“We have to work in public and private collaboration and we have to be as creative as possible - this could be a rare opportunity for housing development,” he said, noting that it’s been quite a while since comparable housing projects have been undertaken in Manchester. “The priority is to get something going.”
Meanwhile, in other business during the Select Board’s meeting on June 3, the board explored a revision to the ordinance which governs a program known as “payment in lieu of parking.” When a proposed development within the town core, defined as the town center and downtown areas, does not have the necessary amount of land to support the number of required parking spaces, a developer can, if approved, make a payment to offset the lack of parking spaces. The amount required in this payment has fluctuated, but was set at $15,000 per space back in 2013. It was then revised in 2015, and the dollar amount left flexible depending on the location and circumstances of the intended construction. The intent was to prevent unwanted destruction of pre-existing or historically significant buildings.
The select board asked the town’s planning commission to come up with new language for the ordinance. But on Tuesday the select board hesitated to adopt the proposed language submitted by the planning commission, which stated that the amount of the fee required to be paid for the parking space deficit “shall be based upon reasonable cost estimates for the provision of that parking,” and that the fee would be ultimately set by the select board.
The board wrestled with setting a dollar amount and where those revenues would go, before deciding to hold off on approving the new language pending another review by the planning commission.
https://www.manchesterjournal.com/local-news/meeting-planned-for-airport-road-housing/article_9a407f17-8334-4a25-9e09-3c844ea88948.html
As always, I can be reached directly at (802) 768-7900 or at west.j@manchester-vt.gov
