Project Regeneration Presented at Earth Week Woodstock

Project Regeneration Opens Dialogue on Housing, Sustainability, and Community

On April 19th, approximately 70 Woodstockers filled the main room of the old library building to hear from the Project Regeneration team about plans to update and repurpose six historic buildings on Tinker Street so they can best serve the current needs of the town. The event was part of Earth Week Woodstock and was introduced by Susan Paynter, a local community organizer.

The capacity crowd listened intently as project leader Lizzie Vann explained that she and team aim to be fully transparent about the costs and planning processes involved in developing affordable housing and commercial buildings on a fully sustainable campus. This way, she said, the project could serve as a template to stimulate other social entrepreneurs to back additional repurposing projects in town. Vann said she expected the project to take about three years.

Architect Graydon Yearick said the project aimed to support local working people by providing housing that is both affordable and environmentally responsible. He and project engineers are exploring features such as solar roof tiles, heat pumps, and sustainable concrete as methods to lower carbon emissions and help reduce costs for construction and for renters, he said. Reusing existing building materials is another way to reduce carbon footprints, he added. He also said the team intended to build a carbon net-zero flagship building on the site, which would serve as a hub for sustainable businesses.

Project Manager Ian Troxell said he envisioned the project as a localmodel for “bucking the trend” of developments that don’t servecommunities and impact the environment negatively. He said developing a campus that is both civic-minded and economicallyresponsible is challenging and costly but that theProject Regeneration team has shown it is more than capable, asdemonstrated by its success at Bearsville Center. Troxell noted that affordable housing, expanded green space, business incubators, and green technologies are part of the initiative and all had beenfeatured in Woodstock’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan. 

In a Q & A session that followed, one audience member asked how construction costs would impact the affordability of housing. Vann explained that while much will be determined by the town’s ongoing zoning processes and emerging architectural designs, the goal is to ensure rent is no more than 30% of a tenant's income. Vann also said rents paid by commercial tenants would be used to subsidize housing rentals. 

When asked about historic preservation of the six buildings on the campus, Vann explained that five would be renovated while only one would be demolished because of its deep structural problems. Renovations to commercial buildings will aid the effort to provide a “dynamic economic engine for the town,” said Vann, but in a way that honors the buildings’ histories. Additionally, an archaeologist has been engaged to investigate any important cultural artifacts contained in the sites. 

Later, Vann and Troxell led tours of the campus and answered additional questions about the buildings, landscape, and repurposing specifics. Vann explained the need to correct a zoning anomaly so all of the properties could be zoned as Hamlet Commercial. Troxell discussed plans to engineer a bio-retention basin that would collect excess water and use it to sustain plantings on the campus.

The afternoon concluded with informal conversations across the campus, as attendees continued discussing ideas, asking questions, and sharing perspectives about the future of the site and of Woodstock itself. The level of engagement throughout the day reflected both the complexity of the issues being addressed and the community’s willingness to participate thoughtfully in the process.

For the Project Regeneration team, the event marked an important step in opening the project to broader public dialogue. The thoughtful questions, insights, and encouragement offered by attendees reinforced the importance of continuing that conversation as the project evolves.

It was a meaningful and energising day for everyone involved, and the team extends sincere thanks to Earth Week Woodstock, the Woodstock Environmental Commission, Susan Paynter, and all those who came out to participate despite the rain. The discussion continues.

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