Make Me Smart Make Me Smart: Vermont Edition
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Feb 27, 2026 
Carly Berlin, a Vermont-based housing reporter for VTDigger and Vermont Public, covers homelessness, housing policy, and local solutions. She discusses Vermont’s acute housing shortage and what drives rising costs. She explains proposed Act 250 reforms to speed building and a catalog of preapproved home designs to fast-track construction. Light local culture chat rounds out the conversation.
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Why Vermont Has An Acute Housing Shortage
- Vermont faces an acute housing shortage driven by high build costs, an aging construction workforce, and strict land-use rules from the 1970s.
- Those statewide environmental regulations, created to slow development around ski towns, now materially restrict new housing supply.
Act 250 Reform Balances Growth And Conservation
- Reforming Act 250 aims to speed housing by concentrating new development in already-developed areas while tightening protections for high-value natural resources.
- The proposal is a trade-off: faster permitting in downtowns versus increased scrutiny in designated environmental zones.
Housing Shortage Is Hurting Vermont's Workforce
- Housing shortages directly harm Vermont employers by blocking recruitment and retention when prospective hires can't find homes.
- Employers routinely lose out on candidates who decline relocation because of insufficient housing stock.