Situated at the mouth of a river with many waterfalls, Winooski, Vermont, had been a productive wool mill town at the turn of the 20th century. Today, the small Burlington suburb is holding onto some of its historic roots as it grows its housing market into the 21st century, thanks in part to Ken Braverman. The Braverman Company focuses on embracing the principles of traditional neighborhood design and sustainable community planning. Braverman's mission: to develop timeless neighborhoods that foster a sense of community while protecting important environmental and historic resources.

"I absolutely thrive on creating neighborhoods,
says Braverman. "from starting with an idea, developing a plan, managing the design, and the construction and marketing process, to eventually see a place come alive as someone's home and community.

After establishing his firm in 2002, Braverman immediately found himself in the middle of Vermont's largest and most ambitious redevelopment and mixed-use projects. An award-winning $200 million downtown revitalization project designed with New Urbanism principles, Winooski Falls includes 312 beds of university housing, 213 units mixed-income apartments, 200 riverfront condos and the redevelopment of the historic Champlain Mill. Scheduled to be completed in 2010, the master plan will bring to the downtown approximately 475 new residential units, 50,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, 115,000 square feet of office space, and the preservation of over 100 acres of adjoining riverfront property for open space and recreation.

Given the size and scope of the project, Braverman strategically partnered with two Boston-based real estate development and investment groups, HallKeen and the New Boston Fund. Together the partnership worked closely with the city of Winooski, the state of Vermont, and other federal and regional stakeholders.

"While sometimes complicated and complex, public-private partnerships often create infill development and homebuilding opportunities that would not otherwise be viable,
explains Braverman. "Given the scarcity of land and infrastructure, permitting complexities, and increasing demand and demographics to support high-density infill projects, public-private redevelopment projects are a vital market niche often times overlooked by homebuilders.