WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. — The rate at which the Upper Valley added housing slowed after 2021, but it remained higher than in the 2010s, according to an update to the “Counting New Homes” report, commissioned by Vital Communities and conducted by the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission.
In addition, most of the added new homes were either stand-alone single-family projects or larger multi-family developments — leaving a “missing middle” of smaller-size, clustered, mid-price homes more affordable for many renters and first-time owners and older people wishing to downsize.
The “Counting New Homes” report draws together data on the types, locations and costs of new homes created each year since 2010. First published in 2019, the report has been updated several times since then, most recently with data from 2022 and 2023. The next update, in 2026, will add data from 2024 and 2025. The updated report can be viewed at vitalcommunities.org/housing/counting-new-homes/.
The update indicates that, in 2022 and 2023, homes were added at a decent rate but more slowly than in 2021 — 469 new homes in 2023 and 264 in 2022, compared to 710 new homes in 2021. This is higher than the 2010s, a period in which few new units were built, contributing to our current housing crisis. In addition, 1,520 new homes are “in the pipeline” (are permitted or are currently under construction), a high number that is nearly keeping pace with previous years. This suggests that projects initiated by the state and federal housing investments over the past few years are still awaiting completion, possibly due to the shortage of construction labor, as well as lingering pandemic-era supply chain issues.
The next “Counting New Homes” report in 2026 should indicate whether projects now in the pipeline are completed and if efforts to diversify our housing stock have been fruitful.
Providing affordable homes remains a challenge, said the Vital Communities housing team. Recent housing needs assessments in both Vermont and New Hampshire find that a growing number of households are “cost-burdened” (spending more than 30% of their income on housing) or “severely cost-burdened” (spending more than 50% of their income on housing). Rents, new mortgages, and the cost of construction remain stubbornly high, necessitating that new units almost always need some kind of subsidy to remain affordable — such as the Upper Valley Loan Fund, created by members of Vital Communities’ Corporate Council, which has so far helped build 42 housing units in Twin Pines Housing’s Riverwalk project in White River Junction, Vermont, with another 25 in the pipeline in Windham and Windsor Housing Trust’s Central & Main project in Windsor, Vermont.
In addition, the Upper Valley needs greater housing diversity, both in type and location. Efforts must continue to add small-scale, affordable projects to all communities in our region to address the “missing middle” housing, such as manufactured housing parks, smaller starter homes in cottage cluster developments, conversions from single-family to multifamily housing, and in-fill development that adds accessory dwelling units or splits up double lots. Many of these home types fit well in all our communities, including our more rural ones.
Lebanon, Hartford, and Claremont have added the most homes since 2010. While there are good reasons these municipalities can add housing at that faster rate, such as access to water/sewer capacity, transportation, and employment, all municipalities need and will benefit from additional housing, said the Housing team.
The “Counting New Homes” report surveys certificates of occupancy and permit data from selected towns to count all types of new housing units: single-family, multi-family, apartments, accessory dwelling units, mobile homes, tiny homes, group homes, etc. Where building permits are not done or a log unavailable, a report was produced from the municipal assessing department. That list was cross referenced with parcel/lister cards to confirm housing unit by the “year built.” Unit details were recorded. The final numbers were validated by staff in each community.
The update includes data from 32 towns, including the Upper Valley’s most populous towns and cities as well as some of the more rural ones.
The Vital Communities Housing team consists of John Haffner, Ellen Hender, Miranda Dupre, and Sarah Danly, who manage projects including BIPOC Home & Business Ownership, the White River Valley Consortium, and Upper Valley Home Creators, and host regular informational events on housing. Learn more at vitalcommunities.org/housing.
