In another success story for the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT), Stevens & Associates renovated Valgar Street Apartments, a run-down apartment building in a South end neighborhood of Brattleboro, VT.
The project involved the renovation of an old building located on a dead end street and site renovations to the half acre property, improving a total of 12 three bedroom units for low and moderate income households. The project’s attractive building renovations and creative site design exemplify WWHT’s dedication to investing in architectural and site rehabilitation to provide safe, attractive housing for low income Vermonters and reinvigorating neighborhoods.
The goal of the civil engineering portion was to improve the quality of outside spaces as much as possible on a limited budget. This was achieved by designing small but comfortable spaces that gave residents privacy, shade, and patios.
The client wished to thoroughly renovate the existing structure, mitigate drainage impacts on buildings, provide a durable design, and create quality spaces for residents to live and play. The final design met these goals by correcting drainage problems and providing improved front and rear entrances to the units. The existing parking lot was reconfigured, transforming 1,270 square feet of paved parking into private, fenced in outdoor patio spaces for each tenant in the rear of the building without sacrificing off street parking.
The appearance was enhanced from the street by revising the streetscape to eliminate the existing fencing and formalize the parallel parking along Valgar Street. Landscaping, new sidewalks and a buffer of street trees that separates vehicular traffic from pedestrian space helped to transform the streetscape. Meaningful open space was provided in the rear of the building by improving the existing recreation area and reseeding grassy areas that had been used as parking in the past.