Smart Growth Vermont has started planning the 2009 Smart Growth Awards and the Arthur Gibb Award for Individual Leadership, and we expect it to be one of our biggest events yet!

This year's event will be held September 16, 2009 at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes. We have many sponsorship levels available for businesses and individuals, and we hope that all of our supporters will join us for an evening of cocktails, dinner and the opportunity to meet the award honorees.

While the Smart Growth Awards have become a bi-annual event to allow time for new, smart growth projects to develop, we continue to honor individuals annually with the Arthur Gibb Award. Last December, Paul Bruhn, Founder and Executive Director of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, was the recipient.

Tickets for the event are $50.00, which includes appetizers and a full dinner. The Basin Harbor Club is located near Vergennes, on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Smart Growth Vermont Launches Indicators of Downtown Health Program

How "healthy" are Vermont's downtowns? Are the programs designed to strengthen downtowns actually working? What else can be done to ensure that downtowns remain the civic, economic, and cultural heart of Vermont's communities?

These questions are the driving force behind a major new initiative from Smart Growth Vermont. With support from the Windham Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation, and the Walter Cerf Community Fund, Smart Growth Vermont is working with a range of partners to develop a set of "indicators of downtown health." These indicators will provide an objective standard by which to assess the current status of any downtown in Vermont and to track their health over time.

Community Update: Danville

Smart Growth Vermont’s work with the Town of Danville to develop village-specific zoning districts is nearing completion. The Danville Planning Commission is reviewing draft standards for the four proposed new districts, with the goal of incorporating the new standards into the Town’s bylaws this summer. Once implemented, the village districts will make it easier to build new homes and start new businesses in and around Danville Village. At the same time, the district standards will ensure that new construction fits with the traditional pattern and historic character of the village.

The new zoning districts are built around a core district surrounding the Green, where a vibrant mix of uses will be encouraged. Next to the village core is a district whose purpose is to promote historically compatible infill in the village’s three designated historic residential areas. Another district extends east and west a short distance from the village along Route 2, with the goal of encouraging compact, walkable commercial development. Finally, a new residential district surrounds the other districts, providing flexible opportunities for building new neighborhoods that follow the traditional village pattern of smaller lots on an interconnected network of quiet streets.

For more information about the project, please visit the Danville project page on Smart Growth Vermont’s website.

Take A Look Inside the Toolbox!

The study focuses on the Town of Bennington, the cultural and commercial hub of southwestern Vermont, where commercial design standards adopted about five years ago are helping to improve both the aesthetics and the walkability of the town's Planned Commercial district. These standards are part of a multifaceted strategy designed to transform this commercial corridor over time into a much more compact, attractive, and pedestrian-friendly place.

Additional resources are being added to the Community Planning Toolbox about once a month, so keep checking back!

Volunteer Profile: Liza Martin

Liza Martin is currently working as our Electronic Communications Coordinator, writing and compiling several sections of our monthly e-newsletter. She developed her interest in smart growth development during her junior year while enrolled in a sustainable development course. The class focused on how to balance societal, economic and environmental factors contributing to issues such as transportation, energy policy, and green innovations.

Liza, currently a senior at the University of Vermont, will graduate this May. She is a Community Development and Applied Economic major with a concentration in Public Communication. Throughout her college career, she has participated in non-profit and community development work through diverse internships and service-learning courses.

In her spare time, Liza enjoys horseback riding, yoga, and West African dance. Upon graduation, she hopes to continue her career in communications in the non-profit field.

Get geared up for the Way to Go 2009 Commuter Challenge coming up on May 4-8. The annual program encourages the use of less expensive, healthier, and more earth-friendly methods of alternative transportation. Work together with fellow Vermonters by participating in one of the three commuter challenge categories; business, community challenge, and the K-12 School Challenge, for a chance to win a variety of prizes.

Smart Growth Vermont will be one of the many dedicated statewide sponsors participating in this year’s Commuter Challenge. Please join us for this exciting opportunity to make a difference in our communities! To register and to learn more visit, Way To Go VT!

Also, check out Upcoming Events on our website! You'll find information about conferences, lectures and presentations on a wide variety of topics.

Smart Growth in Action: The Daly Shoe Building

Photo taken before restoration of the Daly Shoe building

Present day image of the building

The restoration of the Daly Shoe Building in Brattleboro, completed in the spring of 2008, is the Windham Housing Trust’s most ambitious affordable housing project. It includes twenty-nine affordable apartments and the Trust’s current administrative offices. Thanks to funding from Chittenden Bank for a $300,000 Affordable Housing Grant and a $250,862 Affordable Housing Program Advance Subsidy Grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, the project was successful. Partners such as Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, VHCB Lead Program, Vermont Housing Finance Agency, and Vermont Community Development Program also helped fund the completion of the project.

Built in 1936, the building has hosted diverse manufacturing businesses including work shoes, tennis rackets, sporting goods, and organs. WHT purchased the unused building from Basketville, a basket manufacturer, in 2007. The organization preserved the defining historic features of the building such as its post-and beam construction, large windows, high ceilings and original wood warehouse floors. WHT also integrated several energy-saving technologies to reduce energy and water consumption. The restoration of the building created a variety of affordable housing opportunities for community members and also encouraged walkable neighborhoods by creating a mixed-use building in close proximity to the downtown area.

Community Spotlight: Bradford

The Restored Bradford Academy-Woods School Building. Courtesy of Bradford town website

Nestled between the Connecticut and Waits Rivers across from New Hampshire is the unique town of Bradford, Vermont. Defined by its distinctive topography, the historical town is a picturesque and vibrant Vermont community. For centuries the extensive forests and rivers have created opportunities for mill workers and artisanal wood workers. Due to its unique landscape, the community has two main areas of economic and cultural vitality - the historic Bradford Village and the area surrounding the intersection of Vermont Route 25 and U.S. Route 5.

Residents are creating a vision for the future in an effort to maintain the town’s existing settlement patterns and preserve a strong sense of place. Several progressive initiatives exemplify Bradford as a model of smart growth. In 2006, Bradford was awarded Downtown Designation status, making it eligible for a variety of state funds and financial incentives. The community was awarded $75,000 to support pedestrian accessibility on downtown Barton Street; improved street lighting and sidewalks made the area more visually attractive and a more pedestrian-friendly street.

The Bradford Academy-Woods School Building, home to the Bradford Municipal Offices and the town’s historical society, was originally built in 1893. In 1998, voters agreed to spend tax dollars on renovations and the town also received a Vermont Community Development grant to preserve the building. After renovation, the building has mixed uses including a public community space, auditorium, gymnasium, conference room, and several office spaces.

In the upcoming month, the community will discuss potentially extending the designated commercial area of the lower plain region. Community members will be able to collaborate with town officials in upholding their established development standards. Other topics to be discussed are how to maintain and enhance Bradford's current downtown as a pedestrian-friendly center, current and future rural and urban land use, and how to best optimize the availability of affordable housing options.

Take Part in the Summit on the Future of Vermont

Join the Vermont Council on Rural Development and hundreds of Vermonters for the 2009 Summit on the Future of Vermont, Monday, May 11, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, at the Dudley Davis Center on UVM's campus.

The Summit will unveil the findings of the Council on the Future of Vermont’s statewide conversation on the values, goals, and priorities of Vermonters as they look to address the challenges and opportunities ahead.

If you are unable to attend the conference, consider going to the Pre-Summit Session, which will be held at the State House on April 9, or the Special Evening Session, which will take place the evening of May 11. Both of these events are free and open to the public. For more information and to register for the Summit, visit the Vermont Council on Rural Development.

VEIC Makes Finals in Brewing A Better World Contest

Thank you to all the loyal Smart Growth Vermont supporters who voted for our application in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' Changing Climate Change Competition. While we posted 441 votes for third place (beating out Chicago and breathing down the necks of both Brooklyn and Mexico) we were not selected as a finalist for the grant. But the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation was!

Go to the Justmeans.com site to post your vote for their entry in the "Empowering Individual Action" category before midnight tonight, April 2. They are proposing a "big hairy audacious goal" of offsetting the carbon footprint of their business and their employees by 10,000 fold in 20 years. "The personal decisions we make - the foods we eat, where we go on vacation, the cars we drive - have great impacts." They hope their model will inspire other businesses to adopt similar projects.

Taking Cities in Stride

Searching for pedestrian-friendly cities across the U.S.? Walk Score is an innovative website that evaluates neighborhoods' walkability through their proximity to nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, and community centers. Walk Score has ranked more than 2,000 U.S. neighborhoods to help individuals find walkable places to live.

The top ten most pedestrian-oriented cities are San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Portland. It also lists the ten least walkable cities based on the evaluation. Northeastern and West Coast cities are most prevalent among the most walkable cities and are among the oldest cities in the country. The website was created in 2007 to promote citizens to live in walkable neighborhoods and encourage healthy lifestyle habits, strong, active communities, and citizen solutions to climate change. To Read More.

The Highway Safety Research Center has just released funding opportunities for 10 communities to pilot test the use of their new guidebook on ways to improve walkability and pedestrian safety. To read more and apply, click here.

Obamas Plant Vegetable Garden at White House

Michelle Obama, assisted by local fifth-graders, broke ground for the first vegetable garden on the lawn of the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s during World War II. The organic vegetables they raise will be used for the first family’s meals, formal dinners, and to educate children about the benefits of nutritious, locally grown food.

Mrs. Obama, the students, and the entire First Family (including the President) will help plant, maintain, harvest and cook the vegetables, berries, and herbs - "whether they like it or not," Mrs. Obama said with a laugh. The importance of the garden was made clear by advocates who felt that growing more food locally, and organically, can lead healthier diets and reduce the dependence on large-scale industrial farms. Learn more about the fruits, veggies, and herbs that will be included in the edible garden.

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E-News April 2009

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