by Miro Weinberger
In Burlington, we have over 900 homes recently built or in construction now, and I recently announced new milestones in three major projects at the VFW, Cambrian Rise, and CityPlace that will ensure 180 new homes are permanently affordable. Last year, we created the South End Innovation District to legalize housing for the first time on 81 acres in the south end. This month, a new housing agreement with UVM will be before the council that would clear the path for 1,500 new student beds on three new campus housing sites. Before I leave office, we will bring forward the Neighborhood Code – which will legalize older forms of neighborhood-scale housing like duplexes, triplexes, and cottages city-wide. And – two weeks ago we opened our third low-barrier homeless shelter since 2020.
Amid a housing crisis so acute that over 200 people sleep outside every night in Burlington, when renters are subjected to a vacancy rate of less than 1% and historically high rents, and when so many of our young families are unable to buy a home in this community, we are long past the time for more debate, it is time for comparable state action to address wasteful and exclusionary state land use and housing policies. It is time for the state to:
- Eliminate double-regulation of Burlington properties: Eliminating the redundant layer of state permitting imposed by Act 250’s land use regulation on Burlington projects would address the biggest regulatory barrier to new homes. This could be done either through the newly-proposed “tier” system and/or through “municipal delegation” that Burlington proposed last session. Regardless of the mechanism, Burlington projects should be fully exempted from duplicative permit review this session and the state must avoid subjecting this overdue policy to a long and unneeded implementation schedule that threatens to delay the impact of this reform for another five years. We need new housing now.
- Create adequate emergency shelter: AHS’s fall 2023 proposed shelter plan for the end of the motel program is inadequate and inhumane. The state urgently must create a plan, coordinated with municipalities, for new transitional, supportive shelter that is appropriate to the needs of families with young children, elderly people, people living with disabilities, and people in recovery and experiencing SOUD.
- Fund additional Coordinated Entry case management services: Burlington has dramatically increased outreach personnel, yet there is a 6-8 week wait from enrollment in CE to assignment to housing case management. There are over 740 households in CE currently; this represents 1 in 100 households in the county, which is unprecedented.
- Control homestead tax rate increase: An 18% education tax increase, per early projections, would worsen the state’s affordable housing challenges.
Warmly,
Miro Weinberger
Categories: Burlington, Commentary, State Government
The problem in most of the state of Vermont(not speaking for Burlington) is not lack of housing, but housing that is owned by non resident owners. For many it is their second, third or fourth home. These homes sit empty most of the year. They pay a lower actual tax rate than residents do. In our Township this number sits at about 55% that figure has risen every year for the last 5 years. We have several family members looking for housing. But nothing is available in the area. This is the reason plain and simple.
Second homeowners pay a HIGHER tax rate than do residents, not a lower one. And those who are fortunate enough to be able to afford second homes (many “native” Vermonters do as well, take a looksee at who owns beautifully renovated “camps” on the water on Lake St. Catherine for but one example) own second homes in ALL of the FIFTY states as well as abroad.
Again, second home ownership is NOT excusive to Vermont, never has been, and it is a right that any American citizen has in our FREE, Capitalist system. As a matter of fact (yet again), it is a Constitutional right.
The Free Market determines Real Estate Property Values – NOT the US Government. However, if you prefer the government to control every facet of your life, try Cuba, Communist China, or North Korea amongst others. I personally have ZERO interest in that.
Homelessness is caused by addictions and mental health issues in over 90% of cases.
You mean like Senator Boinie Sanders ?
Yes, even like Bernie Sanders. While he is paying a lot of property tax, the legitimate question remains as to how he can afford to own these homes on a Senator’s salary, even while he funnels campaign funds to his wife’s business. But I digress.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Second-home owners pay a lot of property tax, and they don’t consume as much of our resources (i.e., sending kids to our public school monopoly) as do the rest of us.
If you want to ask the hard question – consider the real elephant in the room. As reported on Vermont Public just this morning, while Vermont has the highest per-capita homelessness rate in the country, Vermont also provides the most per capita support to the homeless community.
In other words, there appears to be a correlation between the amount of homeless support VT taxpayers provide and the number of homeless folks who come here. The more we pay, the more we will pay.
Precisely the reference I was alluding to. He sure isn’t any pig firmer! (Those not familiar with the ‘ol northern, old English-derived VT accent, would likely pronounce the last word as it is spelled: far’mer.
Dialects. Interesting & intriguing.
Actually the point I was trying to make was to point out that Sen Sanders and Barack Obama are both very affluent people, and in fact they both have multiple properties, and can only be at one at any given time. Both believe in housing the homeless, (an honorable goal) and yet Boinie has two empty houses at any given time, and Lord knows how many houses Obama has, and yet neither of them offer to open them up to the homeless. Us poor folk would call that a failure to “put your money where your mouth is”, but for some reason, I don’t think that I’ll ever see an illegal alien, or homeless junkie staying at one of the multiple homes belonging to either one of them. As to how a U.S. Senator can afford to live the life style that the Senator from Brooklyn N.Y. does I can only quote the Senator himself. (Say this with your best Brooklyn accent) “My wife wrote a book. If you want to be a millionaire, write a book !” Yea, right !
STILL refusing to accept & announce the primary causes of homelessness as long defined by the US federal government itself, being: Drug and Alcohol ADDICTIONS – and/or moderate to severe mental health illnesses – now rampant in society caused by the moral deterioration of this nation & its social structures.
And how CAN he really? When the state of Vermont aids & enables BOTH by providing spaces to imbibe in illegal drugs, decriminalize and/or legalize drug use & abuse, and wantonly allows violent offenders & out-of-state drug dealers/gang members as well as illegal aliens to roam throughout the state preying on the law-abiding.
Not to mention – the aforementioned groups also embody a major portion of the voter base, so let the propaganda and lies abound, Mayor, you power mongering snake-in-the-grass….
Just as Governor Newsom promised to “end homelessness” in California and DESTROYED the state instead…..so too goes Mayor Miro. What a disgrace upon humanity!!!!!!!
“No…personal criticism/mocking of other commenters allowed.”
Editor: Does calling someone a “power mongering snake-in-the-grass violate your newly posted standards?
No. And here’s why: If you check the VT Constitution the very document “liberally” (so to speak, Brian) allows for citizens to openly and vocally criticize these public servants — and in fact – the document clearly & concisely states: …..”such FREEDOM of speech and of the press is NOT to be restrained.
Guy’s moderation specifically calls for civility & restraint in various forms of discrimination is, as he explicitly states, against other posters.
Mayor Miro remains a power-mongering snake-in-the-grass DNC politico — who ALSO may need a much thicker skin considering HE volunteered to run for public office & my Constitution protects me.
For some reason replies to Kathleen have been disabled.
Kathleen, feel free to mock me for being a liberal, but I am a life-long moderate. It would be more accurate to mock me for being a moderate.
Effort is not dissimilar to feeding birds, infinite demand, finite supply
i guess there is no land in vermont you can buy and build your own house///
Unless every other municipality in the country acts on Miro’s advice, these suggestions will continue to make Burlington’s problems WORSE, by attracting more deadbeats to the area to take advantage of the welfare cornucopia. Housing is a supply-demand commodity. The biggest factor promoting and maintaining a chronic shortage of affordable housing in the US overall is an executive branch that insists on letting millions of indigent migrants across our borders. Vermont is supposed to be a tourism state, but our motels have been turned into long-term-stay flophouses, and municipalities are blaming short-term rentals for the shortage of housing and seeking to regulate or prohibit them.
Mr. Mayor, How would you ensure that new housing would not be viewed as an open invitation for homeless people all over the country to come to Burlington, and eventually the whole state, that they are not only welcome, but being actively recruited to come here, and take advantage of liberal enticements ? An example of this happening would be Pres. Biden on stage at the first Democratic debate when the participants were asked if they were in favor of “undocumented workers” (illegal aliens) being given free health care ? Of course his promise to do so has nothing to do with the flood of illegals accross our border that has been inundating this country since Biden became “Importer in Chief” right? Build it (offer it) and they will come .
You all get that this is a campaign announcement, right? weinberger is skilled in politicking as well as pretending… This is a “look at all the good things I did in burlington as mayor, so vote for me for governor” press release.
He in fact is bragging about how as mayor he held developers hostage in Burlington- just like past mayors. No mention of burlington’s new “carbon fee” and how that fee will get more low-income housing built…
I walked by Burlington the other day and what did I find?
Open violence before city hall
Drug needles on the street that shares city hall
10 year permit process in sister city Colchester to get less expensive gas
A major project failed in city center, major businesses leaving due to rampant theft.
A school building, that for some reason is now worthless and needs to be rebuild to the tune of 1/4 billion dollars on the backs of the country tax payers. Yet some how every other school in the country and state, with newer and older buildings, don’t need to rebuild. Huh….
A beach closed every time it rains because of “brown trout” invading from the sewers
I see a city that somehow avoided paying their fair share of taxes for 15+ years by not being reassessed.
A city living off the Vermont country side tax payer, subsidizing a Burlington renter making $10k more per year, a country tax payer who paid for the TIF project, who subsidized the loans, forgave the loans of the housing cabal, a taxpayer who paid more money to build affordable housing than luxury second home ski condo’s on the slopes. a tax payer who then funded them to afford the rent.
I see a monopoly of the entire state health cares system that is rube Golberg in it’s size and effectiveness where you wait 1 year for a physical, and the effort is on profit not patient.
We see a city desperate to overtake our state constitutional rights.
We see a city that is a training ground for those things Marxist.
We see a city where the young are taught lust and not love, where they are taught envy and greed, but the lessons of gratitude are missing. We are taught to hate our neighbor instead of loving our neighbor. We are taught to lie, divide and destroy rather than Love, Joy and Peace.
Burlington is a lovely city, but what has been done of late in our fair city is not a good recipe for our state. But let the propaganda begin. Discerning spirits may disagree.
guess the new rules will not allow our commander in chief to talk about MAGA Republicans unless he uses the numerous email addresses linked to his account.
I smell a conspiracy
Guy, here’s my beef. When the press allows someone to present their views without any questions, we are just promoting their ideas. This is how they gain traction.
There is no questioning, the headline, which is what most people read is what they decide, not the press.
He’s the worst person we could possibly follow to end our housing crisis, he’s our man if we want to own nothing and be happy. Burlington is a nightmare and living of the country taxpayer teat.
We could do so much better.
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Johnathan;
All those functions have already been performed by David Brock and Correct the Record, among other influence peddling organizations. Chat GPT just does it less effectively, as it doesn’t and will never understand humor, insults, and emotional cues.
While Burlington moves forward to provide housing to the homeless (which is growing at an outrageous rate) one has to ask; are these homeless we are providing homes for Vermonter’s, or are many of these transplants ? I think of the catchy proverb “Give a man a fish and he will eat that day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime “. What criteria is Burlington putting on these people to live in these homes ? I heard of one person who worked at one of our area hotels that we are using to house the homeless. Nobody (except one person as far as he could tell) living there had a job. You can’t go very many places in Vermont that aren’t begging for new employees. Everyone is hiring, but the majority of people that Burlington is helping, isn’t working, nor looking for work. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE ! I just retired after working for 54 years. In Highschool, in College, (two jobs at certain times of my life). Now as I approach 70 I am looking for a P/T job. The Bible (which I believe) says “if you don’t work you shouldn’t eat”. Personally I think if people won’t work (unless for medical circumstances) Burlington shouldn’t house them either.
Has anyone looked at rental units and the costs associated? I recently looked at a couple advertised dives in the Barre area. $1200-$1500 without utilities, the units and the neighborhoods were nothing to brag about – quite the contrary. Considering average incomes and costs for heat and utilities, the debt to income ratio just for housing and utilities alone would place many over 50%. Recent reports state average Americans are at 50+% debt to income. What is your food bill lately? Do you drive a car? Many have no savings and live pay check to pay check. One illness or job loss and they are toast.
Define indebted servitude and view the middle class as the working poor from here on out. What are you working for? To be taxed and inflated into poverty so our money can be handed over to foreigners? The real numbers don’t lie. Brace for impact.
C’mon man. Miro needs to have housing for all of the new illegal alien Commiecrat voters coming into the country. He wants them to vote for him for governor.
“The enemy is already here”. – Dan Bongino