Middlebury College in Middlebury in November 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger This story by John Flowers was first published in the Addison County Independent on May 14, 2026. Middlebury College has spent more than two centuries turning young folks into good thinkers, businesspeople and problem-solvers. And the institution served notice this week that it also sees itself as a local and regional problem-solver. Topping its list — according to the college’s just-released strategic plan and an interview with David Provost, its executive vice president for finance and administration — is creating more housing and jobs in the town and county it calls home. It’s an agenda sparked by college President Ian Baucom and endorsed this past weekend as part of a wide-ranging strategic plan that maps out the institution’s priorities for the next several years. Baucom, according to Provost, has taken “a firm position of ‘this is the town’s college.’” The strategic plan is still hot off the press, but the college — in concert with the town of Middlebury and the Addison County Economic Development Corporation — has already begun putting into practice what the new blueprint preaches. David Provost. Photo via Addison County Independent The first 80 units of the planned 250-unit Stonecrop Meadows subdivision are being put in place on land off Seminary Street Extension that the college made available to homebuilders. Predevelopment continues for nine college-owned lots in Middlebury’s industrial park — lots that could be shovel-ready by next year for businesses looking to plant roots in the shire town. At the same time, college officials are planning a business incubator space and solar array in the industrial park, while assessing which among its extensive land holdings might host the next Stonecrop housing development. The institution already has the will and the resources to become a major player in a jobs/housing agenda, which appears in sync with the town’s and the ACEDC’s aspirations. Along with a $1.8 billion endowment, the college owns 350 acres in Middlebury’s industrial park, along with hundreds of acres of developable land in and around the village. Middlebury College has accumulated its lands during the past 226 years, through strategic investments and real estate donations. Roughly half of its 6,000 acres are in hilly forestland, with the other half in the valley. “There are a lot of needs in the valley,” Provost noted. And the two highest needs identified by college leaders are new jobs (independent of the college and Porter Medical Center) and housing. “The overall vision is, how does Middlebury College leverage its 6,000 acres of land? The current campus is on 300 acres. The question I posed to the board (of trustees) is, ‘Why do we control and own those lands, and is that the best thing for Middlebury and Addison County?’” Trustees agreed some of the college’s land holdings aren’t contributing to its educational mission. “The board reflected and said, ‘We are open to strategically leveraging our lands for greater community purpose,’” Provost said. Taking first steps Middlebury College, the town and the ACEDC have already begun a major push on the jobs front. As previously reported by the Independent, the three entities joined forces last year to make around 250 acres at the northern edge of the town’s industrial park (along the rail spur) more attractive to entrepreneurs. Specifically, the parties leveraged $130,000 for a variety of “predevelopment” services aimed at getting the nine college-owned lots ready for future businesses. Those services include base mapping, including wetlands delineation, conceptual site design work, utility design, a topographic survey, conceptual cost analysis, boundary survey, ledge probes, project cost summary and preparation of permitting applications. Currently underway: a study of the infrastructure (access roads, water, sewer, utilities, etc.) needed to serve the lots, after which the town, gown and ACEDC will devise a funding strategy for that new infrastructure. If all proceeds according to plan, the nine lots could be shovel-ready next year for more entrepreneurs seeking to lay down roots in Middlebury’s industrial park, according to Alex Armani-Munn, executive director of the ACEDC. And the college plans to be among that next generation of Middlebury industrial park occupants. Provost spoke of a new solar array and incubator space for fledgling student businesses. It’s an idea that still needs to be fleshed out, but Provost envisions a project that would embrace the college’s commitment to environmental stewardship while advancing entrepreneurship. “If we put in an innovation park, it should have its own solar capacity to power that. And we would use some of the other 350 acres, that are less desirable from a development standpoint, and put a 5-megawatt solar site up there.” The college in 2024 launched a 5 MW solar farm off South Street Extension that was to satisfy 40% of the institution’s electricity needs. It’s done better than that. “After the first year of operation, it came in closer to 50%. So one of the questions we’ve raised is, ‘How do we leverage lands where we don’t want to build residential, but could leverage for regional solar solutions?’” Provost said. Residential buildings in Middlebury. Photo via Addison County Independent And having local business incubator space would be a big convenience for students, according to Provost. He explained that some Middlebury students now must go to Chittenden County for the space and tools they need to develop their business ideas. Putting the “innovation park” into motion will require town support. The land in question is zoned industrial. “Industrial,” in the current Middlebury zoning vernacular, speaks to manufacturing — along the lines of current industrial park tenants like Maple Landmark, Agri-Mark/Cabot and Vermont Hard Cider, Provost noted. “We’ve just asked, ‘Can (the zoning) be broader?’” he said. 13 key actions Middlebury College trustees this past weekend approved a new strategic plan for the institution built on three pillars: “strengthen our core,” “serve our world,” and “prepare for our future.” And pillar two — “serve our world” — is the section that speaks to the college’s relationship with the town. And it comes with two initiatives and 13 “key actions.”  Among those actions: “Partner with the town and state to create an innovation zone to spark the local and regional economy and advance the entrepreneurial spirit of students, strengthening ties between local innovation initiatives and the college.” “Continue and expand work addressing the urgent need for affordable housing in our town and the surrounding county.” Other key actions include broadening community access to libraries, arts spaces and athletic venues; launching a “Vermont Policy Solutions Studio” in partnership with state and local government to address complex challenges; and expanding access to the college’s Language Schools and the Bread Loaf School of English to public school teachers from around the nation. Provost acknowledged the college would also directly benefit from its housing and economic development investments. “Trailing spouses of faculty and staff want to live and work here,” he said. “To grow the population of Addison County, they need to live somewhere. We currently don’t have the (housing) inventory.” Interest in the new Stonecrop units has proved that if you build it, they will come, according to Provost. “We believe we now need to be thinking where would we build the next 100, 200 or 300 (units),” he said. “We want to be able to build a plan. We are open to conversations and suggestions on how to best use our lands for the good of Middlebury and the good of Vermont.” Provost is a fifth-generation Vermonter who’s spent most of his life in the Green Mountain State. As such, he said he feels motivated to help solve some of the state’s problems. He believes the key is boosting Vermont’s population, and that will require plenty of jobs and homes. The nonprofit Vermont Futures Project has suggested the state needs to boost its population (from the current 646,000) to 802,000 people and its housing inventory (from the current 300,000) to at least 350,000 nonseasonal units by 2035. “We need to go county by county, town by town and tell each town selectboard and city council, ‘This is how many people you need to fill your schools back up, how many people your roads can take. And if everyone does that, the grand lists are going to go up, and we’ll have the taxes we need to pay for our schools,” Provost said. Armani-Munn gave kudos to the college for its economic development agenda and for its business park collaboration. “I can’t overstate how important that type of partnership, unified vision and collaboration is to good, effective economic development,” he said. “It’s imperative. … You have to have stakeholders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors all working together to achieve catalytic and impactful projects.” Armani-Munn said he was fortunate to have joined the ACEDC at a time when his predecessor, Fred Kenney, had launched the predevelopment process for the college’s industrial park lots. He said the ACEDC alone couldn’t have mustered the $130,000 predevelopment plan costs, but it proved manageable with the college’s and town’s buy-in. “This is a project that will have a regional impact,” he said. Read the story on VTDigger here: Middlebury College to grow its role in housing, jobs. ...read more read less