BRATTLEBORO-Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), the Windham Region's economic development commission, recently announced its Regional Project Prioritization list for 2025. This list ranks the region's top 10 priority projects as determined by a joint committee of members from both BDCC and Windham Regional Commission, as well as community representatives from across Windham County.
Regional Project Prioritization (RPP) lists are developed annually by regional development corporations (RDCs) to identify projects of priority and importance in the region using input from regional planning commissions, municipalities, partners, and communities. Input is gathered through wide engagement via newsletters, public meetings, and convenings.
The 12 RDCs in Vermont adhere to the Regional Priority Project Process to solicit projects for priority identification. These projects may support business retention and expansion, create programs that encourage job creation and workforce development, expand access to high-speed broadband, and implement new or innovative economic development practices.
Al Claussen, BDCC's real estate director and staff lead for the RPP process this year, reflected on the strength and diversity of the submissions.
The significant projects span "business development, infrastructure, and real estate," he said in a news release. "The strength of the applicants was truly remarkable, making it a challenging task to narrow the list down to the top 10 projects. It's inspiring to envision the positive impact these initiatives will create and how they will collectively enhance and amplify growth across the region."
The top projects on the Windham Region RPP list are submitted to the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), which, along with other state departments, uses these lists to help inform future funding allocations for many of their programs as well as Northern Border Regional Commission's annual funding.
The 2025 Windham Regional Priority Project List:
• Grace Cottage Family Health's new Primary Care Clinic building in Townshend.
• DVFiber's expansion of high speed internet access in rural Windham County.
• Stormwater planning, design, and implementation at Rockingham Industrial Park.
• Storage and distribution infrastructure for a thriving regional food system.
• WheelPad L3C, a Wilmington-based company that builds accessible home additions.
• Expansion of the Cotton Mill business incubator campus in Brattleboro to include workforce housing.
• Route 9 water and wastewater infrastructure expansion project.
• Purchase and renovation of the historic train station in Bellows Falls into an intermodal transportation center.
• Renovation and restoration of the Miss Bellows Falls Diner.
• Expansion of the compost facility at Windham Solid Waste Management District's site in Brattleboro.
BDCC collects projects annually for consideration as CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy) Vital Projects and also draws from this pool of projects for the RPP list. While there is often overlap, the RPP list requires projects to be well along in their planning and capital development. CEDS Vital Projects may be in earlier stages. For more information on the collection process, visit sovermontzone.com/ceds-projects.
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation serves as the state of Vermont's certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including the neighboring towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall, and Weston). BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. For more information, visit brattleborodevelopment.com.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.