Vermont’s Homes for All Toolkit Wins National Award for Innovation in Housing

AARP Vermont is thrilled to celebrate a major milestone in the effort to expand housing options in the Green Mountain State. The Vermont Homes for All Toolkit—a groundbreaking initiative designed to reintroduce “Missing Middle” housing types across Vermont—was recently honored with a 2025 CNU Charter Award in The Region: Metropolis, City and Town category.

Presented by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), this prestigious national award recognizes exemplary work that helps shape more equitable, sustainable, and livable communities. The Toolkit, which offers practical guidance to small-scale developers, homeowners, and municipalities, exemplifies the kind of visionary, yet highly implementable, planning Vermont needs.

Why This Matters for Older Vermonters

At AARP, we know that having a range of affordable, accessible housing options is key to allowing people to remain in their homes as they age and remain connected to their communities. Yet for too long, Vermont’s housing landscape has been dominated by single-family zoning—leaving older adults, young families, and modest-income Vermonters with few alternatives.

The Homes for All Toolkit offers a path forward by making it easier to build duplexes, fourplexes, ADUs (accessory dwelling units), and other small-scale housing types that fill the “missing middle”—homes that are more attainable and better integrated into walkable, age-friendly neighborhoods.

What the Toolkit Delivers

The Toolkit—developed by a team of local and national experts, including AARP Vermont partners—includes:

• A Builder’s Workbook with detailed how-tos for project planning, zoning navigation, and financing strategies.
• A Home Design Guide with architectural typologies that blend into Vermont’s historic villages and towns, many of which include universal design features ideal for aging in place.
• Case studies of real Vermont communities demonstrating how infill housing can be sensitive, context-appropriate, and impactful.

This approach helps address Vermont’s housing crisis while preserving the character and scale of our communities—something AARP Vermont has long advocated for through local zoning reform and age-friendly planning.

AARP’s Role in the Movement

AARP Vermont has been a proud supporter of the Missing Middle housing movement. Through our Livable Communities work, we have pushed for solutions that make Vermont more inclusive, walkable, and adaptable for people of all ages. We've hosted forums on age-friendly housing options, shared tools like our HomeFit Guide, and promoted changes to local zoning codes that allow for the kind of gentle density this Toolkit supports.

Nationally, AARP research shows that most older adults want to remain in their homes and communities as they age, but too often, the housing supply simply doesn’t offer enough choices. That’s why we support Missing Middle housing: it’s a critical piece of the puzzle for making communities more age- and family-friendly.

What’s Next for Vermont

Winning a CNU Charter Award is not just a recognition of great planning—it’s a validation of the Toolkit’s power to transform how Vermont builds housing. Momentum is already building, with:

• Pre-approved plan sets rolling out to streamline the process for homeowners and developers.
• Live cohort trainings launching statewide to help local builders—including first-timers—put the Toolkit into action.
• Ongoing work by municipalities to modernize zoning and open the door to more diverse housing types.

Get Involved

Whether you’re an older adult looking to downsize, a homeowner considering an ADU, or a local leader wanting to create more livable communities, the Homes for All Toolkit is an invaluable resource. And with support from AARP, you’ll find tools, guidance, and allies every step of the way.

• Explore AARP’s resources on Missing Middle Housing
• Download the Toolkit via the Vermont Department of Housing & Community Development
• Advocate locally for zoning that supports smaller-scale, age-friendly development

At AARP Vermont, we believe in a future where Vermonters of all ages and incomes can live where they choose, in homes that meet their needs. The Vermont Homes for All Toolkit—now a national award winner—is helping make that future a reality.

Special Thanks to Everyone Who Worked on This Project:
State of Vermont
Chris Cochran
Jacob Hemmerick
Amy Tomasso (former staff, project lead)
Richard Amore (former staff)

AARP Vermont
Kelly Stoddard Poor

Utile
Matthew Littell
Zoë Mueller
Alex Davis
Xiaoran Zhang (former staff)
Jessy Yang

Neighborhood Workshop
Neil Heller

CommonLand Solutions
Liz Curry