Burlington Residents Gather at High School to Shape PlanBTV2050 Housing and Infrastructure Goals
Local community members from Vermont’s largest municipality gathered Thursday at Burlington High School to help formulate an extensive wishlist for future development. For months, the city planning department has been leading conversations regarding how Burlington can evolve over the coming decades through an effort known as PlanBTV2050.
The city aims to add new recreation, safer infrastructure for cyclists, and reach a 7,000-unit housing goal. Part of the public input is informing where those units would go.
That’s one of the key questions we’re asking tonight, given the capacity in the city’s infrastructure systems,
Burlington City Planning Director Charles Dillard said.
Weighing Public Land Use Against Existing Infrastructure
Figuring that out will be a hard task. Some residents voiced distinct preferences on how to handle the growth.
Emile Eley, a resident for her entire life, expressed that she opposes construction on public lands and prefers that the city utilize its current infrastructure instead.
I would love to see a second floor built on the Hannaford’s Plaza or a third floor even built there,
Eley said. I think you could put a lot of apartments and a lot of units there.
The feasibility of that is a separate conversation, but other residents directed attention toward immediate social needs.
Resident Prioritizes Shelter and Cites Accessory Dwelling Unit Costs
Resident Joel Hakken said the 100-unit homeless shelter should be the immediate priority for Burlington. At the same time, Hakken pointed out financial hurdles facing housing additions in the local market.
According to his account, an acquaintance attempted to construct an accessible dwelling unit to expand housing options, but the project proved costly, forcing the owner to pass those expenses on to the renter.
They raised his taxes about $2,600 or so, and so he said, you know, if I’m going to do that just to cover my costs, I’ve got to charge $1,500,
Hakken said.
The next public meeting on the 2050 plan won’t happen until the new year.
