[B]URLINGTON — More than 150 people urged the city of Burlington to delay a proposed waterfront housing development until more community input can be heard.
The gathering Wednesday at City Hall was organized by Save Open Space, a group concerned about the sale and development of a 27-acre parcel of land owned by Burlington College.
City officials are also being urged to conserve other open spaces in the city and to work with land trusts and other organizations to preserve such parcels.
The group came together only about two months ago, said Simpson, who offered the opening remarks at the standing room only meeting, which opened with an Abenaki prayers being offered by Dee Bright Star, and drumming on stage with Native American community members lending their rallying cry to save the land.
“I’d like to thank the creator for giving us this beautiful day, and getting us all together and hopefully we can all be friends and work this out,” began Bright Star.
The financially troubled Burlington College has a contract to sell the bulk of the campus and the main building to developer Eric Farrell for $7.65 million.
Farrell’s plans call for construction of three, three-story buildings and four, five-story buildings as well as 21 single-family homes, according to a drawing. Plans include 60 units of affordable housing, 75 units of senior housing and 300 units of market-rate housing.
Many of those who spoke at the meeting on Wednesday acknowledged that it is likely some development will occur on the site, but called on the city to preserve public access to the property, which now includes community gardens.
There was also a strong cry to preserve as much of the open space as possible for the benefit of wildlife, and a local wildlife expert, Alicia Daniel, asked people in the audience to shout out the names of mammals they think might be residents of Burlington.
Fox, deer, moose, coyotes and Mandarin ducks are among the species who find habitat at the campus, she said.
Simpson said many people use the property for walks.
“It was the shortest route from the old North End to the lakeshore,” he said. “We perceive that these values would be extinguished if there were 500 to 700 housing units put in that spot.”
The Declaration of Open Space asks the city “to honor the values and goals expressed in the Open Space Protection Plan, the Municipal Development Plan, and the Climate Action Plan,” by doing the following three things:
• Putting on hold the sale of the Burlington College land pending broad community discussion on this important parcel of open land;
• Allowing this discussion to take place in the city council, the Neighborhood Planning Assemblies, the Conservation Commission, the Parks & Recreation Commission and other venues;
• Taking an active role in conserving important open land in the city, such as the Burlington College parcel, using the Conservation Fund, working with appropriate land trusts and other organizations to keep this land within the public domain.”
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington sold the property to the college in 2010 to pay some $30 million in lawsuit settlements that resulted from sexual abuse lawsuits, resident Greg Guma said.
The college’s purchase of the former Diocese property with “its imposing Victorian building,” led to the college’s present financial inability to meet its obligations, he said.
Guma said it is his wish to see partnerships formed, and healing take place that is in the public interest. He said he is “not for no development,” but believes “that the future can be different and better, and I think that’s why many of us are here.”
The indigenous people’s perspective was shared by Grey Wolf, Keeper of the Drum, a city resident who said she was of Abenaki descent.
“I think whether you do or don’t know a lot about native people, we’re known as keepers of the land — it’s something that is entrusted to us — it’s our job, it’s our duty, and you’ve probably heard the phrase what you do today affects the next seven generations, and that’s what we believe,” she said.
A conservation fund is in place and has about $1 million to allow the city to make purchases on properties identified as important natural resources within Burlington, said panelist Harris Roen, a member of the city’s planning commission. That fund, Roen said, could be used to leverage state and federal funds to purchase properties.
“The vision presented here is right on the mark,” mayoral candidate Steve Goodkind said. “It’s time for this city to spend as much time thinking about what we don’t develop as what we want to develop. When I’m mayor, I promise we will do everything we can to preserve this property.”
Goodkind, a former city public works director, is challenging incumbent Mayor Miro Weinberger in the March election.
Weinberger said in a statement that the city will continue to be involved in the development process.
“The City has had discussions with prospective property owner Eric Farrell, the Vermont Land Trust, Champlain Housing Trust, and the Burlington Parks and Conservation Commissions about how to most effectively move forward and engage the public before Mr. Farrell begins the formal permitting process,” Weinberger said in a statement. “These discussions are ongoing, and it is my goal to be in a position to pursue this collaborative, multi-party attempt to forge a consensus about the future of the property if and when Mr. Farrell completes his purchase of the land.”
