Developer Eric Farrell has won approval to convert a former orphanage currently owned by Burlington College into an apartment complex.
The Burlington Development Review Board voted unanimously Monday evening to approve Farrell’s application, granting him permission to redevelop the 19th century building into 63 studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Burlington College bought the property in 2010 with plans to renovate the aging structure, but its financial problems got in the way. The college sold most of its lakefront campus to Farrell to reduce its debt, and officials also agreed last January to sell Farrell the former orphanage for $2 million.
The college will continue to occupy a newer addition to the building. Farrell has agreed to give students who want to rent his market-rate apartments first priority.
Farrell is also drawing up plans to construct nearly 800 units of housing on the land surrounding the orphanage, though he has not yet submitted an application to the city. While that project has already generated significant debate among residents, only a few neighbors showed up at the August 18 public hearing on the orphanage proposal, and no one attended Monday’s meeting.
The DRB also approved the Committee on Temporary Shelter’s application to run a warming shelter on South Winooski Avenue in a building owned by the Champlain Housing Trust. COTS operated its day station out of the same building until a flood in 2012. Its executive director, Rita Markley, said Monday that the day station will return temporarily to South Winooski Avenue while the organization expands its headquarters on North Avenue.
Open from November to March, the shelter will provide beds for the homeless, including people who have been using drugs or drinking, though substances won’t be permitted on site. The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity ran what was widely considered a successful warming shelter last winter.
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Summers in Burlington are a notoriously difficult time to get people involved. The NPAs often take a break in their regular monthly schedules during summer. Some public commissions surely take a month or two off as well. The Council also meets less regularly.
To report that “only a few neighbors showed up” is disingenuous and implies that people don’t want a say in this heavily impactful project. The truth is just the opposite, especially for those in surrounding neighborhoods.
I am increasingly surprised how quickly development in Burlington is progressing. Soon after the settlement agreement was announced in February of this year between the City of Burlington and Champlain College’s Eagles Landing Student Housing project downtown, I contacted by e-mail the mayor’s office and one of my city counselors, Kurt Wright. I voiced my concern about the city’s sub-standard waste water treatment facility which cannot even handle current volume. I heard nothing back. I think this is a major issue particularly given all the whining about and promises to clean up Lake Champlain.
The homeless will only be helped with housing in the cold months? It’s okay to make them stay homeless the rest of the year?
TRAFFIC…North Avenue? and how affordable will they be- this is what this city needs.
I hope they make this ACCESSIBLE and AFFORABLE, there is so much poor, and or disabled in Vermont who are in need it’s not even funny….and to too it off, what .programs” are there, is way too much hand out based, …Vermont needs to get there butts in gear stop being so passive aggressive and uber-liberal extreme, and start making programs more accessible, and make them as step up, or hand UP based, to help people get on there feet and guide them…..you got so many mentally I’ll in that city it’s pathetic who are untreated and unstable, because “it’s there choice” NO, they can’t make the choice if they are unstable! Get these people in mandatory housing, counciling,band job training and placement programs !! Stop handing the man a fish so he eats for a day, TEACH THEM TO FISH, so they can eat for a lifetime!