Tuesday night, the Middlebury Selectboard approved a Community & Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP) application submitted by Middlebury Investors LLC of Philadelphia. CHIP is a Vermont state financing tool designed to encourage more residential construction. Middlebury became the first town in Vermont to approve a CHIP application for Stonecrop Meadows two weeks ago. Stonecrop Meadows provides affordable housing and is supported by grants from Vermont Housing Finance Agency and nonprofits. Providing affordable housing was the purpose of the CHIP program, to relieve our housing crisis. In contrast, Middlebury Investors LLC is building “market rate rent” apartments on one-year leases.

Projected tenants include Middlebury College students; the CEO of Middlebury Investors, Phil Rosenzweig, has negotiated with Middlebury College regarding future student parking issues. Off-campus student housing was not the purpose of the CHIP program. Middlebury College has expanded student enrollment without a commensurate increase in student dormitories (New Battell, built in 2025, replaces Old Battell, slated for demolition). This expanded student body is pushing into town, displacing local families. Middlebury’s former zoning officer changed regulations in 2022 that enabled a higher density of students to live in town. On Tuesday night the selectboard estimated that CHIP funding for Middlebury Investors will increase the tax burden of an average Middlebury homeowner about $46/annually for the next 20 years … to subsidize the college’s off-campus student housing. This will not help our housing shortage.

John McPartland
Middlebury