WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Tall Building Plan Raises Controversy

Tall Building Plan Raises Controversy

Burlington, Vermont - June 15, 2004

Developers say it's a key building-lot in the Queen City and they're banking on approval to build a ten-story structure there, with nearly 50 condominiums, two commercial spaces, and a three level parking garage.

"The project is totally appropriate for its location," says project architect Paul Rabideau.

The plan is laid out before the Burlington Development Review Board and a crowd with mixed feelings about the project, Tuesday night.

"I'm very, very concerned about any ten-story building and the amount of sunlight we'll lose on the streets," says Burlington resident Carolyn Bates.

Some argue the ten-story structure is too large for the location at the corner of Pine and College Streets. Others say it will block valuable views and change Burlington's skyline.

Right now, an elderly housing complex on St. Paul Street is the tallest building in Burlington at 124 feet. The proposed structure would be 24 feet shorter at 100 feet-- similar to the building at 7 Burlington Square.

"It would just be an enormous block of the view on the lake and from the lake," says Sarah Dopp who represents a nearby church.

"I'm concerned for the city that this will set a precedent," says Burlington resident Pam Scanlon.

But developers say downtown is ideal for such a project.

"No one is weeping because we are proposing to tear down a little bank branch. It's not a very attractive building," says Rabideau.

They say building taller structures helps cut-down on sprawl, and increases residency numbers.

We think this project, because it targets the middle income range, is perfect and the missing piece between the high-end luxury things on the waterfront and the low-income, affordable projects being developed by the Community Land Trust and Housing Vermont, for instance," says Rabideau.

Under city ordinance, buildings can only be 60 feet tall. So, developers must get approval for the extra 40 feet. These are called "height bonuses." They're offered by the city if affordable units and public parking are included in the project, and both will be. Developers have also been asked to narrow the upper floors of the building-- called "step-backs"-- in order to preserve the views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. But developers are hoping to avoid that. The more expensive units are at the top. The review board should decide whether to grant the necessary permits by next week.

The project has the backing of the Community and Economic Development Office. It focuses new development and population growth in the city core instead of the suburbs -- and that's just the sort of project the Clavelle administration wants to see.

Darren Perron - Channel 3 News