The Burlington, Vermont City Council had a busy agenda Monday evening with two work sessions and public hearings before turning to regular business.
The council began its session with an executive session involving potential litigation regarding a city personnel issue and also to update negotiations regarding the city’s Railyard Enterprise Project. During a later work session on the project Public Works Director Chapin Spencer spoke.
“It’s a public multi-modal connection between Pine Street and Battery Street. It is a small project of a third of a mile in length,” explained Spencer. “We have made progress in a significant number of areas. The two major challenges are related to property acquisition and to funding.”
Some councilors, including South District Democrat Joan Shannon, expressed concerns about the project, which has been planned for a decade.
“I like what the opportunity may provide to build this new road and unlock some development potential in that area. However, times have changed since we originally came up with this idea,” Shannon recalled. “At this point in time, it’s very important for us to take a step back here and assess if it’s practical for us to move forward.”
A second work session focused on a development project called the South End Innovation District. Community and Economic Development Office Director Brian Pine explained the history of the project noting that the city had entered agreements to create a multi-modal project that never came to fruition and the council later rezoned the property.
“Folks may remember about a decade ago it was super controversial to rezone the South End for housing and it was a real concern that it was going to price out some of what makes the South End kind of cool and funky and the artist’s spaces and the incubator spaces," Pine said. “So this is a much more strategic zone than what was originally envisioned.”
Following a brief public hearing on a revised zoning ordinance for emergency shelters, councilors took up the resolution. North District Independent Mark Barlow moved to return it to the ordinance committee.
“I’m not comfortable passing this as is and I would like some more consideration and review of this done.”
Councilors voted 7 to 5 to return the resolution to committee for further work.
A resolution to create a downtown public safety hub was debated.
Ward 7 Democrat Evan Litwin said the resolution is intended to be a response to increased violent incidents in the downtown.
“Burlingtonians, Vermonters and visitors to our city have increasingly reported feeling unsafe in our downtown streets, garages and parks. Increasingly so, people are self-reporting carrying weapons for self-defense and we need to restore public faith and confidence in our downtown both day and night,” asserted Litwin. “We need a space where the public can seek help, get support or call for assistance quickly. And we need a visible public safety presence to both deter and quickly respond to crime, medical or mental health events and social support needs. Tonight only marks the beginning of an intentional public conversation about what that hub should look like.”
Ward 1 Progressive Carter Neubieser appreciated the intent of the proposal and the more collaborative approach, but had concerns.
“I don’t know whether or not this is something the city can afford,” said Neubieser. “We’re certainly at our borrowing capacity and I am concerned about any sort of continued pressure on Burlington taxpayers.”
Councilors approved the resolution on a 10 to 2 vote.
City Councilors also received the annual report from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission.
A resolution that would begin the process of looking into the possibility of developing a new police station was postponed until the next council meeting on October 7th.
