A proposed ordinance being reviewed by Burlington City Councilors could ban people from sitting on the sidewalks of five key downtown streets that feed onto the Church Street Marketplace.
The ban would also extend to sandwich board signs or other types of advertising, though it would allow any existing licensed “encumbrances” to continue until their license expires.
The Burlington City Council Monday night agreed to send the proposed ordinance to its Ordinance Committee for review. The three-member committee is chaired by Councilor Joan Shannon (D-Ward 5), and includes Councilors Sharon Bushor (I-Ward 1) and Bram Kranichfeld (D-Ward 2).
The ordinance would create a “right of way” extending six feet from the edge of buildings, and would mirror existing bans on the Church Street Marketplace. The Marketplace “right-of-way” extends nine feet from the edge of buildings.
The affected streets would be Pearl, Cherry, Bank, College and Main Streets between South Winooski Avenue and St. Paul Street.
The proposed ordinance was crafted “in response to a variety of complaints and concerns about persons seated, laying down, and in a host of other stationary positions on the sidewalks in the downtown,” wrote Police Chief Michael Schirling in a memo to councilors.
Hmm, I wonder what “other stationary positions” look like.
The proposal, according to Schirling, would be a “pilot project” to keep the sidewalks free for all pedestrians, including the elderly and disabled.
The intent of the ordinance, as drafted, reads, in part: “This section is enacted to protect the public safety and to provide for unencumbered passage for pedestrians and disabled citizens … and to promote the economic vitality of the downtown area.”
It would also likely curb the kind of panhandling downtown pedestrians pass by on several downtown routes. Seven Days staffer Andy Bromage tackled the subject in this week’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, asking: “Why do panhandlers hang out in that spot on Main Street?”
The answer? According to those Bromage talked to it’s either a good spot to ask for spare change or its simply the sunnier side of the street.
The ordinance is just another in a series of efforts aimed at “cleaning up” downtown Burlington. Earlier this year, the council adopted a smoking ban for the city’s parks and beaches. Church Street was spared from the ban this time, but a previous effort to ban smoking on the Marketplace failed, too. Who knows? Maybe the third time is the charm.
On Monday, too, the council voted 10-4 to oppose the issuance of an Act 250 permit to Phoenix House to operate a 20-bed transitional house on Elmwood Avenue, just a half block from the top of Church Street. The opposition to the proposal was fueled, in part, by downtown business concerns that it would add more “undesirable people” onto the Marketplace and detract shoppers from coming to the pedestrian mall.
Wonder if we’ll see a renewed interest in Westward Ho!, a privately-funded effort in the 1980s that gave certain folks a one-way bus ticket out of town. And, not just Shelburne or Charlotte out of town, but waaayyy out of town.
Photo credit: Andy Bromage.
This article appears in May 12-18, 2010.
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“Perhaps if we helped to house people they wouldn’t have to sit on the street.” I’d be surprised if all of the beggars around Church Street are in fact homeless. Perhaps some are but I think that a lot of them are kids living with mom and dad … but my assumption is only as valid as yours. The government does help to house people. There are lots of housing programs. There are lots of social programs to help people get back on their feet. I’d like to see more support for these programs … and I’d also rather not be harassed by groups of people asking for spare change every time I walk past the Dunkin’ Donuts.
Let me get this straight……Burlington sets up painted cows on Church St that no one will look at more than once imho to lure money downtown for the merchants but once again tries to hide the down and out ? What type of knee jerk reaction will be considered when the Furthur fans hit town
“Left to run the city in place of an “out-of-touch” mayor”So he’s resigned? Hard to tell the difference
Very disappointed Burlington. Perhaps if we helped to house people they wouldn’t have to sit on the street. While no one loves dealing with people asking for money, hiding the problem that people are in need won’t make it go away.
Not in favor of banning sitting or loitering in public. Not in favor of selective ordinance legislations to deal with “problem” behavior. Not in favor.
Left to run the city in place of an “out-of-touch” mayor, majority Dems sure are displaying the kind of leadership they want in Burlington.Boy, was I wrong in thinking there were far more important items than this.
I’m all for getting rid of panhandling, especially if it forces Mr. “Spare Some Change, Bro?” on Bank Street to clean up his life. (Seriously, I swear this guy only knows seven words: Spare, You, Can, Some, Change, Bro, and Yo). But taking away a person’s right to have a seat, albeit a dirty seat, is a little too extreme for my tastes.I think we should adopt the idea that Atlanta tried for their panhandlers: Charity donation meters, placed around town at the panhandling hot spots, designed to encourage those who wish to help the homeless to do so in such a way that will actually help them. I submitted this idea to the mayor’s office last fall and never heard a response.
Good idea. Not.Let’s scrub Burlington free of any character, unsightliness, risk, nuisance, or entrepreneurial germs.Good grief. Is there really a serious issue passing along sidewalks? I understand of the need for public officials to respond to complaints but this strikes me as a solution in search of a problem.
Maybe we should have a sit-in to protest…
I feel that this ban would be a bad decision. How else would I continue to find inspiration to work hard towards my goals if I didn’t have “undesirables” in my life? Maybe all the musician “undesirables” should release an album? They already have the best name for a band EVER!