Chester Housing Feasibility Study

The Town of Chester is studying housing development potential at the 139-acre Town-owned property south of GMUHS.

The Town has hired Vermont-based planning and design team  SE Group  to conduct this project, which includes a site feasibility analysis, a market study, and community outreach. This project is being funded through a Municipal Planning Grant awarded by the Vermont department of Housing and Community Development.

The Town of Chester owns the 139-acre former gravel mine to the south of Green Mountain Union High School. This property is accessed from Route 103 through an easement on the Chester Andover Family Center and Drew's Organics properties. The property is also the location of the Town's water tower, which will remain.

As with many Vermont towns, Chester is currently experiencing a shortage of housing affordable for the local workforce and community members.

The Mount Ascutney Region needs to develop between 1,207 and 1,781 new housing units by 2030 and between 3,750 and 7,391 by 2050.

In 2023, the median income of Chester households was $67,031. For housing to be affordable, all housing costs (including maintenance and utilities) must equal 30% of a household's income or less, meaning that the median Chester household should pay no more than $1,675 each month for housing. This is equivalent to purchasing a home of approximately $237,000.

Average home values (according to Zillow ZHVI) have increased from $242,460 in 2020 to $347,891 in 2024, a 44% increase in four years.

The Town has recognized the need for more housing to serve the community and is analyzing several Town-owned properties to understand if they are suitable for housing development.

Couldn't make it to the March 18th Open House? Take the community survey, which provides the same information and asks the same questions! Survey should take 10-15 minutes, and complete responses will be entered to win a local gift card.

A public open house event was held on Tuesday, March 18th from 4:00 - 7:00 pm at the Chester Town Hall and was attended by over 100 community members! Attendees learned about the project and answered interactive questions about the type of development they'd like to see on this property and in Chester. The results of this open house will be available in the final feasibility study.  Read the Chester Telegraph article about the Open House !