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BURLINGTON — With shovels in the ground and hard hats on, officials chucked soil, throwing up clouds of dust at a construction site off North Avenue on Thursday afternoon.
The event celebrated the groundbreaking of 100 Cambrian Way. Come next year, there will be 40 new, permanently affordable apartments in the mixed housing development at Cambrian Rise, in Burlington’s North End, built in partnership with Champlain Housing Trust and nonprofit developer Evernorth.
The building will run mainly on solar and geothermal power and will not rely on energy generated from fossil fuels, according to Eric Schmitt, COO of Evernorth.
“But we’re not only delivering on climate solutions,” he said. “100 Cambrian will be a long-term asset to the city. It means that these homes will give families the stability to raise their children here and know that this housing will still be affordable for their children and their grandchildren.”
The new building will be the third to offer affordable housing at the site. Ten apartments have been set aside for families with vouchers from the Burlington Housing Authority, which could help lift recipients out of homelessness.
The trust and Evernorth completed the 72-unit Laurentide building there in 2019, and Cathedral Square’s Juniper House with 70 apartments for adults 55 and older opened in 2021.
A fourth building planned — Shale Beach Condominiums — will add 30 permanently affordable condos through the Champlain Housing Trust’s shared equity program, offering homeownership at a fraction of current prices, Michael Monte, CEO of the housing trust, announced at the event.
“These 40 apartments will help people feel safe and secure in a home,” Monte said.
State Treasurer Mike Pieciak said housing is Vermont’s number one economic issue. He has heard from employers who fail to attract or retain talent because it is too expensive for people to rent or buy a home in Vermont, he said. It’s also a social issue, he added.
“The lack of housing is one of the leading drivers for homelessness,” Pieciak said, underscoring the importance of building more homes, particularly affordable ones, statewide.
Apartment sizes at 100 Cambrian will vary and, on average, cost $1,325 for a one-bedroom, $1,530 for a two-bedroom and $1,840 for a three-bedroom apartment, according to a Champlain Housing Trust press release.
The $23.8 million project has been funded by 14 sources. A third of it came from federal and state tax credits through the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, $8.8 million came from state and federal funds committed by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, $3 million came from the City of Burlington, and $1 million came from a donor that wanted to help the homelessness situation in the city, according to the release.
It is designed by Duncan Wisniewski Architecture. Wright and Morrissey are the general contractors. Eric Farrell is the master developer of the neighborhood, the release stated.
The new development is part of Burlington’s effort to build 7,200 new homes in 25 years, particularly affordable housing.
The event drew more than 50 partners, politicians and stakeholders to the site on a hot afternoon.
“Ensuring our community has ample safe and affordable housing is a top priority for my administration,” Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said in the release.
Speakers also noted the opening of Fox Run — a similar climate-friendly 30-unit complex in Berlin on Wednesday. Built in partnership between Downstreet Housing and Development and Evernorth, it is the first new affordable development built in Berlin in a decade, MyNBC5 reported.
As the federal government pursues massive tax cuts, Vermont may receive more federal tax credits to support housing development, said Maura Collins, executive director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, which administers the federal tax credits.
Collins quoted a song from Hamilton which goes, “What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”
“Not all of us are going to be able to be here at the ribbon cutting, and not all of us are going to be able to see the dozens and dozens and dozens of families who live in this building to come,” she said. “But this is a legacy of the good work that is done by all of these organizations.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Eric Schmitt’s role at Evernorth.
