Mary Cole Mello
This story is part one in a year-long series on housing that will appear monthly in The Bridge.
From Ben Koenig’s bookstore (hours by appointment or by chance) to the Opera House/Town Hall, the village of Plainfield evokes the “do your own thing” vibe of the 1970s as well as the simple beauty of old New England. Townspeople include the baby boomers who were drawn to Goddard College and decided to stay as well as those who were born in Vermont. The village also welcomes newcomers such as Arion Thiboumery. “I grew up in California, and my parents were definitely hippies.” he says. “I came to Plainfield because two of my friends from college grew up here … It’s an eclectic town with a certain energy, … a vitality.”
But Thiboumery is worried about the future of his adopted home. Last July’s flood devastated the town, destroying about 30 homes. Much of the lower village, which lay in the river corridor, would never again be suitable for housing.
“We’re lucky that people want to live in Plainfield,” says Thiboumery, “But we cannot have a village if people have no place to live.”
He responded by organizing a group of more than a dozen volunteers. The group became the Village Expansion Committee and their mission is to restore the housing that was lost in the flood and to add affordable housing. They visualized a diverse neighborhood that would include single family houses, duplexes, tiny houses, and apartments.
Plainfield resident (and Town Clerk) Bram Towbin and his wife, Erica Costa, offered to sell the town a 23-acre parcel of land on higher ground between Main Street and East Street. It’s a peaceful spot. In the distance, cows can be seen resting in a pasture with the hills behind them, but it’s only a short walk to the lower village.
If purchased, the land could be divided into about 30 lots, which could be put up for sale, although the town would be responsible for installing utilities, roads, footpaths, and green space. The total maximum cost comes to $2.5 million, the website notes on its “Project Financing” page; proponents of the project expect the sale of the lots would pay for the purchase price and infrastructure, according to the project’s website.
If an interim loan was needed, it could be obtained at 2% interest, and that interest could be recouped as soon as ten lots were sold. The project could revitalize the town and restore lost tax payments. Most remarkably, it would be cost-neutral for the town.
The Village Expansion Committee would review interested buyers and prioritize Plainfield residents whose homes were destroyed by the flood. To date, 25 people have expressed an interest in the neighborhood.
To move the project forward, the committee helped to facilitate a $35,000 award from the Vermont Community Foundation and the selectboard approved the use of it for a feasibility study. Engineering Venture was hired and will provide a cost estimate for the necessary infrastructure. The committee is also working on guidelines to prevent lots being purchased for speculation.
Many experts came together to advise the committee, including three architects, a local real estate firm, the Central Vermont Planning Commission, the state Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Vermont Council on Rural Development, among others.
One expert, Montpelier architect Sandy Vitzthum, is interested in the tiny house model. This design would add to the diversity of the neighborhood and make it possible for more individuals and families to own a house, she said. Vitzthum is an avid booster of home ownership.
“It’s a basic feature of democracy,” Vitzthum said. “It provinces stability and is much less stressful than renting. Renters cannot build equity and, as time goes by, you become poorer and poorer. You have no way to earn wealth … So much financial support goes to people who build more rental property, so the rich get richer.”
Will the tiny house movement restore some equity to American families? It’s not a new idea. The concept gained traction as long ago as the 1970s.
“People didn’t want to play the suburban game,” said Vitzthum. “They wanted to live simply and not go into debt.”
Tiny houses have been valued for their small carbon footprint, and they may be one way of addressing the housing crisis. When built on a foundation, they will appreciate more than the tiny homes on wheels (THOW) sought by homeowners with a wanderlust. An 8-foot by 20-foot house (one of the smallest) offers enough space for two people, noted Vitzthum.
Vitzthum has designed a cottage of approximately 400 square feet. A family can also add on to their tiny house in the future or even build another tiny house right beside it and offer a home to other family members.
On Jan. 9 and, again, on Jan. 12, members of the community were invited to the Plainfield Town Hall to learn more about the project and to provide feedback. Those who attended offered their thanks as well as their caveats. Should the town wait to see what Mike Davidson, the new owner of Goddard, plans to do with that campus? Is the committee moving too fast? What if enough lots aren’t sold? In this case, Thiboumery noted, the bank would have the right to foreclose on the land. Is this a project that could be better handled by a nonprofit? Committee member Lauren Geiger responded to that question by saying she did not think this was a job for a nonprofit, although organizations such as Downstreet and Habitat for Humanity might play a role.
New ventures are apt to draw both criticism and celebration, but Thiboumery is optimistic and hopes to see the first homes go up in 2026.
“In the old days people bought lots and then decided what kind of house they wanted and could afford … It’s not really a new idea.”
Plainfield voters will be asked to approve the village expansion project at the March town meeting. Before that vote, however, interested Plainfield residents can gather at the town hall on Saturday, Feb. 8, to create plans for the new neighborhood at a design workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but the work will stop at midday for a community potluck.
