The old Dalem's Chalet Motel property in West Brattleboro is getting a second life, and a lot more homes.
Windham & Windsor Housing Trust and Evernorth celebrated the start of construction Oct. 15 at 72 Swan Pond Lane, where a new building will hold 31 affordable apartments. It's the first piece of a multi-phase plan to turn the former motel property into a new neighborhood, according to the housing trust's announcement.
The Chalet was a Bavarian-style lodging built in the 1960s by German immigrants Oskar and Ursula Dalem, Magic 102 reported. Ursula Dalem sold the property to the housing trust in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was converted into permanent supportive housing. Since then, it has provided 27 homes, with supportive services coordinated by Groundworks Collaborative.
"When the Chalet was acquired during the pandemic, rehabilitation work was completed on an accelerated timeline to make emergency housing available as quickly as possible," said Elizabeth Bridgewater, the housing trust's executive director. "Even then, we envisioned a plan to redevelop the parcel to create higher-quality homes that better met the needs of residents and the broader community."
What's being built
The new building will include an office for on-site support, a community room, storage and laundry. Roughly half of the homes in this first phase will be permanent supportive housing, with Groundworks continuing to provide services. The building will have rooftop solar and electric heating and cooling.
Vermont Integrated Architecture designed the building, and HP Cummings Construction Company is building it. Construction is expected to take about a year on the site, which connects to South Street, according to Magic 102.
Funding and financing for the 31 apartments total about $16.7 million. Sources include federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity administered by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency and provided by Evernorth's Fund VII; HOME-ARP and state general funds from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board; a Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston Affordable Housing Program award sponsored by Citizens Bank, which is also providing construction financing; permanent debt from the Evernorth Loan Fund; and support from Efficiency Vermont and Green Mountain Power.
A separate infrastructure phase is what makes the whole neighborhood possible. Paid for with Congressionally Directed Spending secured by Sen. Bernie Sanders, it includes new water, sewer and electric service to all the sites, construction of Swan Pond Lane as the new neighborhood road, and stormwater infrastructure for the full development, the trust said.
Later phases will bring more affordable rental homes, eight new shared-equity homes for sale and the preservation of the Chalet banquet hall.
"This project is about more than creating new affordable homes. It's about building a neighborhood where people with different housing needs can live, connect, and be part of a thriving community," said Evernorth President Nancy Owens.
At the groundbreaking, state Rep. Emilie Kornheiser was recognized for a Vermont House tribute honoring the Dalems, Magic 102 reported. She told the crowd that the strength of mixed-income neighborhoods is one of Vermont's defining qualities. Bridgewater said a series of community meetings during design brought together residents and neighbors to shape the plan.
Why it matters for Contractors
The Chalet project is really several jobs in one. There's the infrastructure work, with water, sewer, electric, stormwater and a new road. There's a 31-unit apartment building with rooftop solar and all-electric systems. And down the line there are shared-equity homes, more rentals and the preservation of the historic banquet hall.
For site contractors, the infrastructure phase is the kind of work that sets up years of building. For trades, HP Cummings is the builder on the apartments, so subcontractors and suppliers interested in this phase should start there.
The financing stack is also typical of what contractors see on affordable housing in Vermont today: tax credit equity, state housing funds, a bank construction loan and energy incentives, all tied together. Those deals come with their own paperwork, schedules and requirements, and contractors who know how to work within them are in demand.
Finally, this is a redevelopment of a site where people already live. Construction around occupied supportive housing calls for careful phasing, safety planning and communication with residents, skills that matter more and more as Vermont turns old motels and buildings into homes.