BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington officials and affordable housing advocates gathered Friday to break ground on a new development that replaces the old VFW.
The new building, dubbed Post APartments, is on South Winooski Avenue in the heart of Burlington and will rise out of the footprint of the old VFW Post 782. It will be home to 38 permanently affordable units with nine set aside for people experiencing homelessness, and five with a veterans preference.
“Today is a celebration at a time when Burlington and Vermont have a real need for affordable housing — where we need to house the homeless; where we need to make sure that every veteran in the state gets decent housing; where we need to make sure that our veterans community have good places to meet and to do their work,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The building will also have nearly 7,000 square feet dedicated to a community justice center and a new space for the VFW post to gather.
“No matter what change brings, it is hard, but it also can be beautiful and promising and help us to serve in this community for another 100 years,” said Michelle Carver, the former VFW post commander.
The $24 million project will result in a fully electric building that uses no fossil fuels. The project was funded by more than a dozen federal, state, and local entities.
“I am happy to be here today to celebrate a milestone in our collective effort to build more affordable housing here in Burlington and to recognize our continued commitment to end homelessness and ensure housing is a human right,” said Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak.
The Champlain Housing Trust will operate the building, adding to its portfolio of affordable units across the region. A portfolio that CHT’s Michael Monte admits is still not adequate in a region facing an extreme housing crunch. “It’s 38 units, It’s important. I gotta tell you that every time we do something, it has value. It brings something to this to the table. People get housed, homeless people get housed. We just need to do this 10 times more,” Monte said.