Designation Programs
The RRA maintains the City of Rutland’s two State of Vermont Designated Areas, the Designated Downtown and Neighborhood Development Area (NDA).
Designated Downtown
The Vermont Downtown Program is a Main Street America Coordinating Program that helps support community revitalization while preserving the historic character and enhance the future of medium to large-sized historic centers. Since 1999, Downtown Designation has provided communities with financial incentives, training and technical assistance supporting local efforts to restore historic buildings, improve housing, design walkable communities and encourage economic development by incentivizing public and private investments.
Neighborhood Development Area (NDA)
Since the 1970s the state has promoted development policies and programs that maintain and enhance Vermont’s historic development pattern of compact centers surrounded by a rural landscape. The Neighborhood Development Area program builds on this tradition by providing special permit and tax incentives for communities and developers that commit to building mixed-income housing within and adjacent to designated downtowns, village centers, new town centers, and growth centers.
The Neighborhood Development Area designation encourages municipalities and/or developers to plan for new and infill housing in the area within walking distance of its designated downtown, village center, new town center, or within its designated growth center and incentivizes needed housing, further supporting the commercial establishments in the designated centers.
