The St. Johnsbury selectboard approved 26 grants under the town's Rental Housing Improvement Grant program on July 13, committing $136,750 to help landlords repair and upgrade rental units across town.
The grants will support about $912,948 in total project costs, the program administrator told the board. The work is expected to create six new apartments and return four vacant units to the rental market.
The round drew 41 applications requesting a combined $209,940 against roughly $1.13 million in proposed projects, the administrator said. After scoring and committee review, staff recommended 26 for funding.
The grants reimburse owners only after a project is finished, fully paid and inspected for compliance. This year's projects lean toward safety work, including window replacements for fire egress, fire doors, and sprinkler systems in several buildings whose upper floors cannot be rented without them. Because St. Johnsbury's housing stock is old, most of the money goes toward improving existing units, though some projects add new apartments to older buildings.
Asked about compliance with the town's rental registration requirement, the administrator said participation was improving and that only one landlord had refused to take part, a case now in corrective action. Many owners, she said, had not realized their units were out of compliance and now ask the town to inspect vacant apartments before re-renting them.
The board approved the grants unanimously. The $60,024.66 transfer from the town's restricted housing reserve that funds the reimbursements was approved earlier in the same meeting.
Photo: Nao Takabayashi via Unsplash. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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