Challenge

MSK provided site development and permitting services for an affordable housing project intended to increase the availability of high-quality rental properties in the downtown Bennington area, helping to resolve a gap between workforce demand and housing availability. The project, initiated in 2013 and completed in 2019, was a collaboration between affordable-housing development nonprofits Housing Vermont and Shires Housing. 

Solution

We redesigned existing stormwater infrastructure to meet stormwater permitting requirements and successfully obtained a VT stormwater discharge permit for 0.55 acres of new impervious surface on 2.20 acres, the product of five new duplexes and two multifamily dwellings. Our stormwater design included a mix of bioretention techniques to reduce site runoff and treat stormwater in areas disconnected from municipal infrastructure, and subsurface retention chambers that treat runoff before releasing it to the municipal stormwater system, helping to reduce and remediate discharge into a nearby tributary of the Walloomsac River. 

The Monument View Apartment project was a joint effort between MSK, Shires Housing, and Housing Vermont (now Evernorth), and involved extensive coordination with municipal and state regulators, project developers, architects, consultants, and contractors. 

Results

Monument View opened in 2019, and includes 24 high quality affordable apartments, multi-family buildings, and duplexes in downtown Bennington. 

At a Glance

• Client: Housing Vermont (now Evernorth)
• Location: 307 North St, Bennington VT
• Dates: 2013-2019
• Services Provided:
  • Survey
  • Site Design
  • Coordination with Local & State Regulators
  • Permit Inspections & Certification
  • Stream Alteration Permitting
  • Wetland Coordination
• Permitting:
  • Act 250 Permit
  • ANR Stream Alteration Permit