The Burlington Town Center redevelopment cleared another hurdle Monday night when the city council voted to approve a zoning amendment that will allow developer Don Sinex to build up to 14 stories high.
In a 7-4 vote, the council decided to increase the maximum building height permitted on the site of Burlington Town Center from 105 feet to 160 feet. The height limit applies to a new zoning “overlay” district that also includes several surrounding properties such as the College Street and Lakeview parking garages.
The height change has been a major source of contention, with opponents arguing that it’s too tall and that the city shouldn’t change its zoning to cater to one developer’s project.
Councilors Sharon Bushor (I-Ward 1) and Max Tracy (P-Ward 2), with support from Selene Colburn (P-East District) and Sara Giannoni (P-Ward 3), made a number of attempts to reduce the maximum height and scale back the size of the district. After seven other councilors quashed their many amendments, those four councilors ultimately voted against the new district. (Councilor Chip Mason, the Ward 5 Democrat whose law firm is involved with the redevelopment, has recused himself from votes related to the project.)
“The height and the massing are incompatible with what I love about Burlington,” said Bushor. Tracy called the zoning change process a “charade,” suggesting proponents weren’t open to compromise.
Councilor Kurt Wright (R-Ward 4), who spoke at length in support of the zoning change and the mall project, said: “In order for Burlington to grow, we really don’t have a lot of land to grow out, so I think we need to have some room to grow up.”
In creating a new overlay district, the councilors made a number of other changes to the zoning in that area, including requiring buildings to be constructed to the LEED Gold standard, meeting certain environmental requirements.
In total, the council considered 25 amendments from various members during a meeting that lasted about four hours.
Council President Jane Knodell (P-Central District) noted that Monday’s public forum marked the 10th public meeting on the downtown overlay district. There will be at least one more: The council must hold a public meeting on the zoning changes, scheduled for September 29, before taking a final vote.
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Burlington Is a city … not a museum … if you want to see Vermont as it was go to the Shelburne Museum .. Burlington needs to look to the future … and it needs a skyline … BUILD IT NOW!
Dear Poor People,
Your desperate attempts to survive in this dysfunctional refuge for burnt-out hippies who went yuppie are amusing, but your pathetic dependence on remedial salves like government assistance and heroin are becoming irritating and those artists among you are no longer generating enough cultural capital in a post-collapse economic environment to justify your stubborn endurance.
Rather than redress the historic flight of wealth from the working and middle classes to the wealthy and super-rich or build a sustainable economy that will curtail youth flight and serve to our extant populations, it’s easier to just price out you scraps of unbearable vitality.
So pack it up now and move to Hinesburg, Richmond or wherever you losers can afford to take shelter while we fly in a super-awesome new population from the bay area, DC, New York and Europe.
If you aren’t already feeling it, just know that this project is the tip of the spear we will drive through you until you’re drained, shrunken and dead on our mantles where we can pause and nostalgically contemplate a more innocent time when actual workers who perform actual labor were foolish enough to believe they had a shadow of a chance in our country club.
With Visceral Disdain,
The Lords of Burlington
VTPolicyAnalyst, Albert Petrarca … Have you been to any of the hearings? Poems, mimes, talk of “bloodsucker capitalists” and “The Man” coming to rape our city and turn it into the next NYC. The developer could change plans TOMORROW to reduce height to comply with current regs and the opposition would STILL oppose the project. Their vision of downtown is one filled with homeless shelters, detox facilities, convaleascent homes, and bake sales … all paid for and supported by some tax windfall that will materialize out of the kindness of peoples’ hearts. This development isn’t some miracle cure for all that ails Burlington, merely one step toward making Burlington more viable. Cities are like any living organism … evolve or die.
It seems to me that a 7-4 vote is a very divided Council. I am shocked that none of the compromises were incorporated to make this more of a unanimous vote. This shows me that this Council is not willing to work together and come up with something that they all can agree on.
Process-wise, throwing out the hard work that many Councilors, staffers, and residents put into PlanBTV over several years, is also an insult to their efforts. It sends a message that if you volunteer your time and expertise by serving on a board or commission, this Council will simply discard all your efforts. This demoralizes people.
And lastly, while something indeed should be done with the mall, and reopening of Pine Street is a plus, it has not been demonstrated that this cannot be accomplished by simply going to the current maximum of 10-stories and 105 feet. This alone is about 3-4 times taller than the current mall. Why isn’t this enough to accomplish the goals? Maybe it’s best to scale things back a little? This project desperately needs the detailed review of an unbiased panel of residents before any zoning changes are made.
Whereas I agree with your sentiment, Kevin, I disagree strongly that a tall mall is going to address the problems you point out. Farmer’s markets and local artisan shops are not supporting Burlington but a tall mall will not create the type of jobs you envision, either. It does, however, make a few rich people slightly richer. Burlington does not need more stories of parking, student housing, empty office space, and retail shops.
Knodell, Wright, Shannon, Paul, Roof, Ayers and Hartnett are now on record as having sold out Burlington to a Wall Street investor. These modern day Tories are a disgrace to our city. Let’s begin now to put together an anti-gentrification slate that dumps everyone of these cretins from city council next March. Build the anti-gentrification movement. Overturn this vote through a referendum ballot
Beautiful Burlington began its descent of creating a walking mall of Church Street, and the commercial development around Pine, Champlain and that area. The only beautification Burlington has undergone since I was born is Battery Street.
Another 14 story building or the Bove Development isn’t going to do much more damage., As a matter of fact the Bove development will improve the looks of that area.
The demise of the beautiful Burlington I once knew reminds me of the tv show with Andy Griffin (Mayberry) when a movie producer stumbled on Mayberry and was in awe of its simple, peaceful town. When he said he would shoot a film there, the whole town, except Andy of course, went wild, they changed their store fronts, dressed themselves up like “city slickers” and were about to cut down the centerpiece of downtown, a big beautiful oak tree. Of course the producer changed all that and dissuaded them. Fiction, sure as hell, but it’s the story of many beautiful communities. There are better ways to keep up to date than destroying the fabric
of “once was.” John L. Bove–the founders of Boves were my Aunt Victroria, and Uncle Louis
The opposition to this project is looking for a philanthropist, not an investor. The idea that Burlington can survive on the backs of farmers markets, low income housing, and good will – all the while paying for social services – is just a fantasy. The opposition’s argument of maintaining character is simply meant to elicit fear of the unknown without providing any measurable standard or viable alternative. The very core of Burlington downtown is an empty, antiquated relic that is rotting from the inside out, with retailers leaving week after week. The adjacent parking garage is a rusty, hulking eyesore. Burlington needs to evolve. One need only look at current data relative to population stagnation, lack of job creation, and shrinking tax base to see the current plan for Burlington, and the state as a whole, is not working. This is not a one and done solution but simply a thoughtful first step toward evolving.
Farewell to beautiful downtown Burlington.
Burlington has few buildings that are even 10 stories tall, having more structures built to reach this height would provide growth without jumping the shark to building 15- or 20-story buildings downtown. We want growth but it can be a little more reasonable, can’t it? Councilor’s explanations for giving in to this developer do not fly, I will be voting against those who voted to permit this incredible breach of our laws.