Burlington City Council approves long-term lease for Beta Technologies

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Beta Technologies wants to expand manufacturing in the Champlain Valley. And the company known for its futuristic electric aircraft has been approved Monday night for a 75-year lease at the Burlington International Airport.

Burlington’s City Council voted unanimously to approve during Monday nights city council meeting.

Beta has been a tenant of the Burlington International Airport since 2019 and has expanded to become a company of more than 300 people with engineering and manufacturing facilities.

“That I think gets the balance right between being very supportive of this very exciting growth, start-up that has the opportunity to have enormous economic positive impacts and enormous environmental positive impacts and it is a lease that also protects the interests of the city and the airport,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger, D-Burlington.

In a memo to the council, the airport lays out some of Beta’s plans including an approximately 355,000-square-foot building for the design, production and assembly of electric aircraft, a 320-vehicle parking lot and a 15,000-square-foot child care center for employees.

The memo also says Beta hopes to hire another 300 employees and 50 interns and to bring a production facility online by 2023.

According to city documents, Beta projects $200 million worth of salaries and capital investments through 2024.

COUNCIL TO CONSIDER UNION CONTRACTS

Burlington councilors on Monday will also decide whether to approve two major union contracts in the city.

The first is a collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME, which represents a large number of city employees.

The four-year contract focuses on policies around family and medical leave.

The Burlington Police Association contract will also be discussed. This has already been agreed to by the police union.

The mayor says this is critical in rebuilding the police department. Weinberger hopes this will address police accountability issues, as well.

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