ACCT History
The Addison County Community Trust (ACCT) was created in 1989 by a broad base of community leaders as part of a statewide effort to address housing costs that were rising much faster than wages. It achieved non-profit status under the Internal Revenue Code as a section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1990. ACCT's initial transactions were single-family home purchases, which were resold at a reduced price to make them affordable, as well as land conservation--by 2001, it had preserved more than 6,000 acres of land, including working family farms, natural areas such as Snake Mountain, and access areas for rivers. Having transferred its land conservation easements to the Vermont Land Trust, ACCT continues to purchase and build affordable homes, currently stewarding over 700 units of permanently affordable housing. Its Board of Directors is composed of business and community leaders, as well as low- and moderate-income residents served by the Trust.
An important aspect of the Trust's mission is its dedication to green building and smart growth ideals--an effort we've been awarded for by Smart Growth Vermont, in addition to receiving other national recognition. When developing housing, the Trust uses designs that preserve and maximize open spaces by concentrating housing around downtown areas, such as we have done in Middlebury South Village and Green Woods Village. This prevents excessively consumptive patterns of land use, fragmented landscapes, and restrictive means of transportation, all of which can reduce the quality of life for Vermonters. A smart growth pattern instead concentrates development around town centers that are mixed use, pedestrian oriented, served by public facilities and services, and that provide centers for healthy community life. ACCT collaborates with the State of Vermont and Smart Growth Vermont to achieve these objectives in its building practices.
An important aspect of the Trust's mission is its dedication to green building and smart growth ideals--an effort we've been awarded for by Smart Growth Vermont, in addition to receiving other national recognition. When developing housing, the Trust uses designs that preserve and maximize open spaces by concentrating housing around downtown areas, such as we have done in Middlebury South Village and Green Woods Village. This prevents excessively consumptive patterns of land use, fragmented landscapes, and restrictive means of transportation, all of which can reduce the quality of life for Vermonters. A smart growth pattern instead concentrates development around town centers that are mixed use, pedestrian oriented, served by public facilities and services, and that provide centers for healthy community life. ACCT collaborates with the State of Vermont and Smart Growth Vermont to achieve these objectives in its building practices.