Housing Task Force lands applicants for ADU grants, extends deadline

April 6, 2026  |  By Sarah Andrews

The Waterbury Housing Task Force has extended its deadline to accept applications until April 30 for its Waterbury Housing Improvement program, which offers grants of up to $30,000 to local residents who construct an accessory dwelling unit on their property.

Last June, the task force was allocated $100,000 to kickstart a new program, modeled after the state’s Vermont Housing Improvement Program. The task force has partnered with the nonprofit housing agency Downstreet Housing & Community Development to oversee the program. It seeks to give grants to homeowners who build accessory dwelling units – called ADUs for short – on their property, either attached to existing homes, or free-standing. 

Task Force Chair Joe Camaratta said the goal is to help local property owners create new long-term rental housing units and increase the supply of affordable rentals in Waterbury.

To encourage affordability, the ADUs must be rented at or below 110% of the county’s fair market rent. In Waterbury, that averages  $1,234 per month. As a condition of the program, grant funds are distributed to homeowners throughout the 18-month construction window as construction milestones are met, reimbursing the property owner as they proceed through their project. 

Applications for interested homeowners first opened in October, with an initial deadline of Jan. 31. By that date, the task force received inquiries from eight people, two of whom have since submitted complete applications. The program currently can provide funding for three projects. 

Camaratta told the Waterbury Select Board in February that the seasonal patterns of construction tend to favor the warmer months, so the task force wanted to extend the application deadline, hoping to attract another project for a grant. 

Camaratta points out that the ADU program is the first opportunity for the town to use real taxpayer dollars to support the construction of new housing. “The next step is to determine how we refine and scale this effort to improve the availability of housing for low-to-moderate and middle-income households in Waterbury,” Camaratta told town leaders. Stefanie Pinard is one Waterbury homeowner who took an interest in the program. When Pinard purchased a duplex back in October, she was excited to bring its already existing ADU up to code. 

Pinard said she first heard about the new grant program from a flyer at the Waterbury Public Library and took an interest right away. For her, upgrading and ultimately renting out her ADU will help her put away a retirement fund. “This was hoping to have an apartment to help with retirement, and paying taxes, and kids’ college, and that kind of stuff,” Pinard said.

Pinard’s property with its accessory apartment is downtown and Pinard said she hopes the improvements will be completed sometime in June. The process, Pinard said, was super easy with guidance from the town and Downstreet. “The town has been really nice to work with. You know, you do have to submit a lot of stuff, but it’s not a hard application process,” Pinard said.

For her project, Pinard said she is working with AHA Design and Construction to design repairs to her ADU, which include a new roof, windows, and some general maintenance. When it is finished, the unit will be essentially a brand-new apartment, rented out at an affordable rate. Pinard said she has been putting feelers out for interested renters and doesn’t think she will have much trouble finding a tenant. 

For interested homeowners, more information and the application can be found on the program’s page on the town website.