As consumer behavior continues to shift, particularly among Millennial (roughly ages 30–45 today) and Gen Z travelers (early teens to late 20s),  there is growing demand for a mix of familiarity and experience. Well-known brands signal consistency, convenience, and trust, while also helping to anchor traffic that ultimately benefits the broader market (our downtowns). Northside Drive is uniquely positioned to meet that demand, with recent investments from national and super regional brands (Starbucks, Chipotle, Marshalls, Harbor Freight, VIP Tire, Walmart, Burger King, etc.) reinforcing its role as a key gateway into the Bennington economy.

Across Vermont - and particularly here in Southwestern Vermont - nearly everyone agrees on one thing: we have a housing shortage. Employers say it. Economic reports confirm it. State leaders repeat it. Young families feel it. Workers experience it every day. But occasionally a moment arrives when a community has to move beyond agreeing that housing is needed and confront a harder question: Do we actually want to build it?

Bennington is more than a town of 15,000 residents; it is a daily economic hub serving a much larger geography — a tri-state region stretching into New York and Massachusetts (and even parts of New Hampshire and Connecticut). In addition to welcoming more than five million annual visitor trips (tourism), the town of Bennington supports roughly 900,000 inbound commuter trips each year. That means on any given weekday, our population meaningfully swells.

A Ferris wheel won’t fix what ails us. Bennington already knows this lesson. We are home to the Bennington Battle Monument, a 306-foot landmark and the most visited historic site in the state. It’s iconic. It’s meaningful. And yet, on many days, it does not translate into sustained downtown foot traffic, new families moving here, or a growing workforce pipeline. Big things, by themselves, don’t do big work.