Housing Development Project
The Winston Prouty Center is embarking on project to building housing on its 180 acre campus to be a part of the solution to the housing crisis our community is facing. The ultimate outcome of this project to develop up to 300 units of diverse housing. The goal is to create a neighborhood that reflects all the different kinds of people and needs that exist in the community. This includes multiple types of housing, from apartments to condos to duplexes, in a variety of structures. It will be affordable for many, not just those who are the lowest income brackets. An inclusive community is ultimately healthier for all.
Campus Development Update: August 2024
Campus Development Update: June 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
What will you do to address increased traffic volume from residents living on campus on Maple Street through to Fairview Street and Guilford Street Extension?
Traffic-related impacts have surfaced as the primary concern we hear about this project. We understand that this is an important issue for the surrounding neighborhood and we are currently working in four ways to understand and address it:
- We had a traffic study completed based on the initial master plan that included 342 units. These will not come online all at once. The project will be phased, and the study will be revised as we plan each phase.
- We understand that some of the current concern with traffic is related to vehicle speed. Our conceptual design includes roadway changes that will look to slow traffic and increase safety.
- We are working closely with the Town of Brattleboro to see how we might coordinate with existing efforts the Town is taking to calm traffic. We will also discuss our project with the Traffic Safety and Control Committee.
- We continue to look at ways that we can reduce the need for vehicles and vehicle trips through the design of our project, these include: bike and pedestrian connections, access to transit, and providing access to ride sharing and car sharing.
How will you address local traffic speed?
If you’ve reviewed our conceptual design, you may have noted that we are proposing a change to the intersection of Maple Street and Austine Drive. We would like to create a three-way intersection with stop signs near the end of our current driveway, especially if we get some experts to agree that this is a good idea. Our hope is to slow traffic and increase safety at what is already a tough intersection.
We are currently studying other measures in the design of neighborhood roads that will help reduce speed. This is often referred to as “traffic calming”, “road diet”, or “increasing friction”. Here are a few related web resources to explore (with many links to other information at the bottom). The Town of Brattleboro has some improvements currently underway at Fairview St and Maple St and the town has secured funding to assess the Canal Street corridor which will include the south end of Maple Street. We will coordinate with the Town on these and other similar projects.
Will the trails continue to be accessible to the public?
Absolutely! The trail system on campus is available to the public from dawn until dusk and we have no intention of changing that. The campus is the vibrant place it is today because of the variety of uses it has. The current conceptual design shows infill development intentionally in-order to protect the green space we value.
How are you planning to address expanded parking needs?
Increase parking capacity is included in the conceptual design. We are building for a future that encourages other modes of transportation such as walking, bicycles, and public transportation – so that the campus isn’t overly car heavy.
Will you pay property taxes?
Winston Prouty currently pays just under $55,000 per year in property taxes. While this is discounted based on total land value, we have added just about that amount annually to the town tax roll since our purchase of the campus in 2016. The tax structure for the campus into the future will be determined by the Town of Brattleboro and we’ll have to work through the same procedures for approval as any other development would need to.
When do you expect construction to start? What will be built first?
Phase 1 is being planned for construction in 2025 and will likely be in a location that does not require upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure yet.
Are you really listening to feedback from campus tenants, neighbors, and the community?
It takes a village to build a village.
We took a leap of faith in 2016 when we bought this campus, and it has become a vibrant and supportive campus community. We are grateful daily for what’s been built here, and we have not done it alone. We continue to need the engagement of our community to make whatever happens here a success.
Honoring our Prouty values of Inclusion, Learning, Collaboration, and Persistence, we feel we must continue to offer the campus as a community asset and we are committed to moving forward thoughtfully, with our values as our guardrails, and while honoring all constructive input. It’ll be impossible to make everyone happy and we are committed to making it an inclusive journey.
In the News
Our community needs you to invest in its future now!
August 1, 2024, Commentary by Chloe Learey, Executive Director
Mackenzie Scott recently gave $20 million to Champlain Housing Trust, unsolicited. Three years ago, she gave $9 million to the Vermont Foodbank. These are incredible gifts that have the power to effect transformative change, and our community needs this kind of investment now.
In the picturesque landscapes of Vermont, where the beauty of nature often belies underlying social and economic challenges, Vermonters with robust financial resources find themselves in a unique position to drive significant positive change through investment in housing projects. As the state grapples with housing affordability issues and a growing demand for sustainable, inclusive communities, the involvement of higher net worth individuals becomes not only beneficial but crucial for fostering a more equitable and resilient future. Continue reading
Vermontitude Episode 74: Winston Prouty Center update
Produced & published by the Brattleboro Reformer, July 2, 2024
In this week’s Vermontitude video webcast, host Peter “Fish” Case chats with Chloe Learey, executive director of the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development in Brattleboro, about the center’s child care services, education and housing.
Strolling of the Heifers ends, funds disbursed to area organizations
December 30, 2022, By Bob Audette, Brattleboro Reformer
BRATTLEBORO — There will be no more heifers strolling down Main Street, at least not as part of the annual Strolling of the Heifers parade.
On Friday morning, Orly Munzing, who founded the event in 2000, announced the Strolling of the Heifers had disbursed its remaining funds to the Winston Prouty Center, the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance and the Agritech Institute for Small Farms.
The DBA received $25,000, Winston Prouty received $175,000, and the AgriTech Institute received $250,000. Continue reading
Master plan eyes ‘neighborhood’ of housing at Winston Prouty Center
October 17, 2022, By Chris Mays, Brattleboro Reformer
BRATTLEBORO — A plan is being developed to transform part of the Winston Prouty Center for Child Family Development campus into as many as 300 housing units.
“We’re pushing forward with it,” said Chloe Learey, executive director at the Winston Prouty Center. “Master planning is really that process of going through what are all the things we would want and what fits and what’s on the landscape and where are the wetlands and how much is it going to cost?” The focus of the plan, which Learey hopes to complete in April, is on the main part of campus rather than out in the wooded areas. She said the infrastructure is already in place and would need to be upgraded to accommodate the new units. Continue reading
Initiative explores housing on Prouty, Delta campuses
May 10, 2022, By Chris Mays, Brattleboro Reformer
BRATTLEBORO — A project combining the powers of two neighboring campuses envisions adding hundreds of housing units to their properties.
“It’s not just affordable housing or low-income housing,” said Chloe Learey, executive director of the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development. “It has to be meeting a lot of different kinds of housing and our goal for making it be walkable, bikeable and sustainable in lots of other ways, and encourage other development.”
At the Select Board meeting last Tuesday, Learey outlined initial steps being taken to bring new housing between the Prouty center and Delta Vermont campuses in a project dubbed the Prouty Delta Development Initiative. She encouraged people to reach out to her if they have ideas or want to point out resources. Continue reading
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