Who?

My other question would be-- what should we charge people who make $200k/year and want to live in apartments downtown? Rent burdening that $200k household at the 30% level would $5,000/mo. Those folks could easily pay $2,500.

Interesting. That'll be a tough expectation to carry. If you bought a duplex with 2x 2 bedroom apartments in cash (so purchase price doesn't matter), it would cost ~$500/mo/unit to pay the taxes and insurance, much less set aside any extra to repair the roof in the future, maintain the HVAC, etc. Add a mortgage and you're bust. Going to include utilities for your tenant? Where does that get paid?

Also, the state's formal definition of affordable is for all housing expenses not to exceed 30% of the gross income of a household making 80% of the area median family income (MFI). For 2022, Windham County's MFI is $80,400. The maximum allowable rent (including utilities) for a household earning 80% MFI under that regime would be $1,286 for a one-bedroom, $1,544 for a two-bedroom and $1,783 for a three bedroom. The maximum These are the HUD-provided numbers by which all state and federal programs operate.

For your $1200/mo 2-bedroom, the MFI table would put you at 60% MFI (or less.)

I don't mean to argue with what you believe is affordable or reasonable, but these are the economics and demographic data.

edit: typos were confusing

Curious what you mean by ‘truly affordable’? Everything WWHT rents out is capital-A Affordable. Are you talking same price point, just not by WWH?

The coop is a monstrosity?

I can confirm that it is no longer being worked on.

I have an insider knowledge that this project is not happening. No development work has continued following a not-quite-successful fundraising effort. Following that, the pandemic came in and crapped all over the project budget via blowing out construction costs past what the project could afford.

Rest easy r/vermont, this prominent downtown site will continue to flounder as a single-level strip mall and crumbling brownfield site for the foreseeable future.

It IS formally a metro census area.

Could park there before, but not anymore.

Given the obvious entrenchment of power behind capitalism, do you have any expectation that your preferred world view will ever come to be?

Edit: and compound interest?! Is banking an acceptable creator of wealth?

How do you feel property ownership compares to owning equities (stocks) in regards to “not productive labor”?

Put another sign directly in front of it.

Automatic chains are great for keeping moving. Stopped? You’re fcked.

They probably spent $2M paying taxes/insurance, hiring architects and engineers to design a hotel, paying a hotel franchise fee, paying staff salaries, etc. I doubt they made money.

Outages suck but it's not the utility company's fault. Also, I doubt Brattleboro is any older than the folks in Guilford, Dummerston or Marlboro, where outages are probably more common and longer.

At least an increase in upper end hotel rooms may lower the prices of room-nights in Burlington and make AirBnB less competitive and thus less attractive to homeowners, quickly adding existing housing back into the market as a result?

That water thing sounds awful. The mouse part sounds, unfortunately, relatable. I had mice in my home (that I own, and is relatively 'nice') for YEARS before I was really able to get a handle on it. The issue was only resolved (incidentally) via a total gut renovation of my kitchen/dining/pantry area where there were a handful of inaccessible, mouse-chewed holes through wood. With that all blocked off, I finally stopped seeing evidence of mice in my kitchen (although can still occasionally hear them in the attic). I have a dry-stone foundation and so mice in the basement is going to be a forever situation.

That's all to say, mice are frustrating. It's frustrating for you as the resident and I'm sure its frustrating for your landlord as well. Good luck!

Come for the arguments about firetrucks and gravel, stay for the donuts and rolling your eyes at your dumb ass neighbors who don't know shit about either but somehow also get to vote.

"I was just wondering if maybe the road foreman was here and could tell us more about the flail mower that's in the budget on page 37 and how that's different from the flail mower that they are currently using?"

If it were economically feasible to deliver newly built homes for less than the going price of an existing homes, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Our issue isn't that homes are too expense, it’s that our wages are too low.

They definitely get more snow up at Donner Pass than anywhere in Vermont. I-80 requires either three-peak snow tires AND AWD/4x4 OR chains on the driver wheels.

That wouldn’t make any sense here, but it fits that situation, which is probably the cause of confusion by flatlanders. Our road conditions are typically either 1) shitty or 2) a bit snowy. Out West, the roads are typically either 1) fine or 2) covered in fresh snow.

This is a good summary of my advice as well. Also, 1.1 -- Enjoy your town and participate, but don't suggest change. If you'd like to ADD something new, knock yourself out.

VT Agency of Commerce and Community Development is the state agency that oversees/referees mobile homes communities. I’d check their website for resources. Good luck.

Parent of a 3.5 y/o... can confirm 100% of this. We read our 'snowplow' book 5-6 times yesterday evening in anticipation. He's been telling me that he's going to "plow up a HUGE PILE for you and mama to shovel."

My house (Dummerston) to my office (Brattleboro). The rail bed is already there. I’m sure that would be much slower than driving, but it would be fun and a nice mental break between work and home. Right up and down the West River.

Also, Brattleboro to BOS or BDL.

I can't get myself to justify the expense, but I'll throw out Vermont Glove as well.