Developers propose revamped CityPlace completed by 2026

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The City of Burlington’s legal team says the delayed CityPlace project is now expected to be done in six years.

During a public update at Monday’s Burlington City Council meeting, attorney Jeffrey Glassberg said there are signs of progress at the gaping hole in the middle of downtown. He says CityPlace developers presented new plans for the project earlier this month, which include reconnecting Pine and Saint Paul Streets, which is the focus of the city’s lawsuit filed against developers in September.

The proposed project is slated to be built in four phases, with construction beginning next September. The first phase includes the construction of the main CityPlace building and reconstructed streets. Phase One is planned to be done by May 2023 and the full project is expected to be finished by November 2026.

The new plan calls for the elimination of the hotel in favor of more housing. Developers are proposing to build 426 housing units, 20% of which will be affordable. Retail space has also been slightly reduced.

Attorneys for the city say both sides are working to avoid the courtroom. “Both parties have mutually stated their desire to enter into a mediation session in an attempt to achieve a resolution of this dispute without having to go to court, so both parties have announced that and we are working on that,” said Marc Heath of Downs Rachlin Martin, the law firm the city hired to represent them in the lawsuit.

Heath also announced that the developers have withdrawn their counter-complaint against the city and instead filed a complaint against P.C. Construction, the general contractor, alleging they breached their contract by providing a maximum price guarantee that was too high.

The city has also filed a subpoena against Brookfield, the development team that officially backed out of the project this summer after two years of delays and failure to complete the project as originally planned.

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