Meadowlane expansion grant filed

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

A non-profit developer is looking to purchase and expand affordable senior housing in Milton, and the Selectboard is applying for a $500,000 grant to support that endeavor.

The non-profit group known as Housing Foundation Inc. is looking to purchase the Meadowlane Apartments at 36 Villemaire Lane and add another 16 affordable units to 20 already on-site. The existing structure would also be renovated and rehabilitated under that arrangement.

The Selectboard held a public hearing on the grant request Oct. 1, which was sparsely attended.

The only comments were from Housing Foundations representative Richard Williams, who estimated the acquisition and upgrades would cost over $6 million.

In addition to the town’s $500,000 request from the Vermont Community Development Program grant, the project has already secured $1 million in grants and will finance the remainder of the project through tax credits, he said.

The project would not carry additional cost for the town, and would actually bring impact and services fees instead, added Williams.

Built in 1979, Meadowlane is the town’s only affordable senior housing, but is now in need of both exterior work, building code, and life-safety improvements.

Housing Foundation was founded by the Vermont State Housing Authority and manages 900 units of housing statewide. Williams is also executive director of the Vermont Housing Authority.

The grant request was approved by the board in short order.