Developers told Vt. tiny house project won’t pass Act 250 review

Published: Sep. 26, 2022 at 5:20 PM EDT|Updated: Sep. 27, 2022 at 8:41 AM EDT

WEST WINDSOR, Vt. (WCAX) - It appears a proposed tiny house development in West Windsor is not moving forward for the time being.

The five-unit project has 500-square-foot structures that could house up to four people in each.

It would be located on a 2.4-acre lot on Route 44, which is directly next to the town’s post office.

Despite getting unanimous approval from the town’s development review board, the project developers were told it would not pass Act 250 requirements.

The news comes as a disappointment to landowner Mark Morse, who says more housing is greatly needed in the area.

“I understand that we want the right kind of development but we tailored this for what we thought would be the exact thing that is needed for this town. The town is for it; the regulations by the state are going to prevent us,” Morse said.

Morse said that according to an official with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources who did a site visit, the land falls in the category of a river corridor which means according to Act 250 regulations, it’s not able to be developed.