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Village Plan Alternative (VPA)
Case Studies
Village Plan Alternative (VPA)
Case Studies
Issues Addressed:
Housing Costs
Housing Options
Infrastructure
Multigenerational
Sustainable Housing
Few implementations of VPA
Five communities have adopted the Village Plan Alternative rules as of 2020, but use of the tool has been limited. The Planning Board in Enfield, one of the communities that adopted VPA, put forward a Town Meeting warrant to repeal the VPA in 2022, citing its redundancy with other tools. Nonetheless, mixed-use conservation or cluster developments have proven successful elsewhere.
Serenbe, Chattahoochee Hills, GA
Serenbe is a mixed-use conservation development located on the rural outskirts of Atlanta, GA. The 1,200 acre parcel currently houses 650 people and commercial uses while preserving 70% of the land for open space, forest, and agriculture. Homes are 134 Village Plan Alternative offered for sale or rent, and include single-family homes, cottage housing, townhomes, and live/work units. The development is divided into four “hamlets,” each of which is meant to have walkable access to shops and amenities. An organic farm operates onsite, and Sernbe residents can access weekly farmers markets and the farm’s CSA.
Urban Land Institute, “Lessons from the Field: Serenbe,”
Serenbe Real Estate development map
Mixed-use cluster development surrounded by preserved landscape in Georgia, photo and excerpted site plan. (Image via Serenbe.)
State Law
NH RSA 674:21.VI
Resources
NH DES, NH Association of RPCs, NH OEP, and NHMA, "Innovative Land Use Planning Techniques: A Handbook for Sustainable Development,” Chapter 1.5: Village Plan Alternative
Related Tools
Cluster Housing
Age Friendly Neighborhoods
Missing Middle Housing Types
Housing Opportunity Zones
Workforce Housing Ordinance
Planned Unit Developments (PUDs)
Wastewater System Alternatives