Volunteers needed for new housing task force

Oct. 8, 2022  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

The Waterbury Select Board is looking for volunteers to serve on a newly created Waterbury Area Housing Task Force. 

The board on June 20 voted to create a new advisory group recommended in the Town Plan and supported by the Planning Commission. It would work with other municipal boards and commissions as well as town staff to advance housing goals for the community outlined in the town plan. 

The first goal is to “ensure the availability of safe, decent and affordable housing for all current and future Waterbury residents.” It also advocates directing new housing development to locations that “maintain the integrity of neighborhoods while increasing density, respecting the natural environment, and minimizing the need for infrastructure improvements.”

The group will have up to 10 members, including up to six members of the public. Four positions will be filled with one member each from the Select Board and the Edward Farrar Utility District Commission, and a member or appointee from the Planning Commission and Revitalizing Waterbury. Select Board member Alyssa Johnson has already been appointed as that board’s member to the group. 

The structure outlined for the group suggests including members from the public who have expertise in affordable housing and private development, energy efficiency, and social services related to addressing homelessness. 

The board is taking letters of interest now with an initial deadline of Friday, Oct. 14. Letters should address why an individual is interested in serving on the task force, what perspectives from personal or professional experience they might offer and any other pertinent information. 

Applicants should email their letter to Select Board Vice Chair Dani Kehlmann at dani.kehlmann@waterburyvt.com.