Burlington International Airport director of aviation Gene Richards says a resolution South Burlington city councilors passed Monday will not stop a controversial home buyout program.
“The airport will continue to administer the program until we bring it to an end,” Richards told Seven Days Tuesday.
The resolution does little more than create anxiety for neighbors who want to sell, he added.
“We’ve had people crying and we’ve had people really stressed out about this,” Richards said. “It’s unfortunate.”
About 100 homes have been demolished already and another 39 are eligible for buyouts under the program. It’s designed to allow residents to escape high levels of airport noise, which is expected to increase when F-35 jets arrive sometime in 2019 or 2020. Richards said the airport is committed to the Federal Aviation Administration program and will follow the rules. He said he plans no action in response to the resolution, at least at this point.
Ultimately, it’s up to the FAA. The resolution asks the agency to undertake a new noise study and meet with the council by February 7 to discuss the purchase of the homes, the land acquisition program and other matters. The South Burlington City Council passed the resolution in a contentious 3-2 vote after hours of heated testimony and discussion.
The airport is owned and managed by the city of Burlington but is located in South Burlington, creating a fractious relationship. Leaders of the two cities have fought about taxes, noise and zoning — as well as the years of home demolitions.
Flattening the homes decimates the tax rolls and the availability of affordable housing, some South Burlington councilors argue.
Richards said the airport’s goal is to move away from home purchases and shift to home insulation. But in the short term, he said he plans to look past the resolution and continue to help neighbors who qualify for the latest round of buyouts and want to sell.
“We just feel so bad that they are being put through this,” Richards said.
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“We just feel so bad that they are being put through this, ” Richards said. “
But not so badly that he would oppose the F35s that will enable THOUSANDS more Vermont homes to become eligible for FAA buyouts and home demolitions?
I agree with Pat Nowak that private property rights are sacrosanct and I might have voted with her on this aspect of the ongoing F-35 disaster (at least she is now trying to remedy the predictable & negative impacts of her original decision to undermine property values by supporting the F-35 to begin with). But let’s look at where this is going, will it be $5 billion of federal taxpayer dollars down the drain next, in order to buy out/force out of their homes the other newly impacted areas – i.e., all of Winooski, parts of Williston, small parts of Burlington and the rest of South Burlington’s northeast quadrant? Unless Burlington is going to buy every single home, the homeowners & impacted municipalities should consider a class-action 5th Amendment “Takings” law suit against the City of Burlington and the Air Force for their taking of private property without just compensation. The day the Air Force announced the F-35 basing, every home in the newly expanded noise zone suffered a decline in value (and the towns suffered a corresponding decline in tax revenue based on lower appraisals).
Trump has occasionally been on-target in his tweets, including what a complete disaster the F-35 program is. Strange how silent Bernie Sanders remains on this issue as all these working class constituents get the shaft.
Commercial zoning between the airport and a residential neighborhood not only creates separation but also provides a much higher tax revenue density. In some cases, like the Larkin hotel which provides $64,000 per acre to the city. The “decimated tax revenue” comments are short sighted. I understand the emotions involved as it is my neighborhood too and it is a good place for a family to start, however the neighborhood is just not the same as it was 30 years ago even without the removed homes.
Every night, Gene Richards prays for those in the airport neighborhood before he goes to sleep on his bed of money.
Obviously Richards cares little about the fact that the airport is located in South Burlington. His attempt to play the Donald Trump role in this issue is not productive for the airport or the City of Burlington. At other similar airports around the country, Boise, ID and Great Falls, MT for two, the FAA, the Air Force and the airports have cooperated with local governments and citizen groups to develop noise maps which include the impact of the F-35 even though the plane has yet to be based at either place.