Headed for a ground break, 30-unit Village project advances at Winston Prouty campus

Officials said the schedule could still shift as construction details are finalized.

The Village at Winston Prouty is moving into its next phase, with work beginning soon on the roads, utilities and other site systems needed to support the first 30 housing units planned for the campus.

The early construction will focus on water and sewer upgrades, along with electrical infrastructure, for the development at 300 Maple St. The project is intended to place new housing alongside the existing early childhood education and family support services already operating at the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development.

The first work is expected to affect travel around the campus. Maple Street is scheduled to close between the highway overpass and the entrance to the site from Monday morning, Aug. 24, through Tuesday, Aug. 25. During that period, people reaching the campus will need to use the Guilford Street side by way of Exit 2 past Memorial Park.

Officials said the schedule could still shift as construction details are finalized, and more updates will be issued if plans change.

Chloe Learey, the center’s executive director, said the project marks an important step toward bringing more housing to Brattleboro while also improving the long-term outlook for the campus. The organization says the work is part of a broader effort to create a more stable and sustainable financial base for the property.

The infrastructure phase has been supported through Vermont’s fiscal year 2026 Capital Bill for Infrastructure Improvements in Support of New or Rehabilitated Housing, which is overseen by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Separate fundraising is continuing for the vertical construction in Phase One, with a goal of raising $5 million through an integrated capital campaign.

That funding would come on top of a $4 million commitment from Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak’s office. In March, Pieciak said the state’s 10 percent in Vermont program, now called Invest in Vermont, is designed to put public money held by the office into community lending at low cost for homebuilding projects. He said the approach is meant to make housing cheaper to build and help working- and middle-class residents remain in towns such as Brattleboro, where vacancies are extremely low.

The project website says a town-funded housing study in 2021 found a need for 500 additional units to meet local demand. It also points to a 2025 Vermont study calling for 7,000 new homes each year statewide, describing the Village as one response to that shortage.

The master plan for the campus envisions as many as 300 energy efficient housing units. Project materials describe the development as a workforce housing effort supported by a mix of public money, private investment and community financing. Learey said in the project description that the structure of the funding allows supporters to put money to work locally while helping create the housing Brattleboro needs.