Truce called between Burlington Town Center developer, opponents

The developer of Burlington's downtown mall and opponents to the project announced an agreement Wednesday to add about 200 parking spaces and exclude large-scale residential housing for college students in the building's first phase, according to a news release from the developer.

Developer Don Sinex's city permit to build a retail, office and residential building on the block bounded by St. Paul, Cherry, Bank and Pine streets won unanimous approval in March from the Development Review Board.

That decision was promptly challenged in Vermont Environmental Court by a group of city residents.

Barbara McGrew, a neighbor of the mall, along with city residents Michael Long, Lynn Martin and Steve Goodkind, filed the legal challenge through lawyer Jon Franco.

Sinex plans to begin demolition of the western section of the mall this summer.

The height of the new building — in some places reaching 14 stories — fueled much of the year-long dispute.

The settlement does not change the structure's footprint or its profile.

But, brokered by former Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle, the agreement stipulates that future development on Burlington Town Center-owned property, subsequent to the current project, would not exceed 10 stories in height and would provide additional parking for about 250 automobiles.

Terms of the agreement include the establishment, by Sinex, of a charitable fund of up to $500,000 "to promote growth through grants to small businesses, local arts and culture, public spaces, community centers, preservation of designated historically significant architecture and transportation alternatives," according to the release.

The fund, to be managed by the Vermont Community Foundation, would not be used for "any political purpose or to oppose any development project," the statement adds.

Wording in the agreement varies slightly. In it, the fund may not "be used to oppose development in the City of Burlington."

The full agreement is embedded at the bottom of this article.

Mayor Miro Weinberger wrote Wednesday that the agreement "appears to be a great step forward for Burlington, removing the last major hurdle in this public-private redevelopment effort that will address so many of the City’s critical challenges by creating new jobs, new housing, and new municipal revenues."

The current, two-story mall — a product of so-called urban renewal — blocked Pine and St. Paul streets when it was built in the 1970s.

Sinex's plan would re-open those streets, and deed them to the city.

The new settlement stipulates that Burlington would also be granted ownership of the land beneath those streets, as a gift from Sinex.

City financing for street, sidewalk and utility upgrades at the site, as well as zoning changes that allowed Sinex to proceed, were approved by voters in November.

The redeveloped Burlington Town Center plans to include 272 residential units, 55 of which would be designated as permanently affordable.

Contact Joel Banner Baird at 802-660-1843 or joelbaird@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@VTgoingUp.