SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The developers behind a new fossil and carbon-free housing project in South Burlington are offering previews. Reporter Sophia Thomas took a tour and found out whether folks will be able to afford to live there.
On a hillside in South Burlington, a neighborhood is making history as Vermont’s first fully storm-resilient, all-electric community.
“I think that the intent really was to not just provide housing during the midst of the housing crisis but doing so in a responsible manner,” said Evan Lanfeldt with the O’Brien Brothers Agency.
The 155 homes target federal zero energy ready and Energy Star certifications. They also meet Efficiency Vermont’s energy standards, including energy-saving appliances, windows, and insulation. “When you see new homes being built like this, you really get it feels like you’re being brought to current technology,” said the energy utility’s Matthew Smith.
Homes range from single-family to townhouses. All of their appliances run on electricity. There’s an EV charger in every garage — courtesy of Green Mountain Power — and Tesla Powerwall batteries and solar panels on every home to power it all.
The neighborhood will also act as a microgrid, drawing on stored power during outages and sharing power with GMP during peak hours. The team says it will boost resiliency and reduce owner costs over time. “An efficient home is a more affordable home, both in terms of what you’re paying upfront and also in energy costs year after year,” Smith said.
Eight homes are designated for low-income buyers at $320,000. The rest average around $600,000 — a steep price in a state that’s already suffering a housing crisis.
We asked if that’s affordable for the average Vermonter. “I would say that what is affordable to one person obviously might not be affordable to someone else,” Lanfeldt said.
He says the rising costs of materials and labor have led to a price increase. There’s also the question of whether this neighborhood could be replicated in more rural pockets of the state, where there are typically fewer people willing or able to shell out. “I think that there are creative ways we can look at to replicate it in other areas because the reality is, we need more housing in every corner of the state and we can’t just turn our backs on the more rural areas of the state,” Lanfeldt said.
“We’ve got to make sure efficiency and weatherization and all these great technologies are accessible to home to right now,” Smith said.
O’Brien Brothers say they expect to complete the project in the next six to seven years.