Dear neighbors

On Tuesday, July 18 (tomorrow) at 5 PM, the Development Review Board will meet to conduct a public hearing on the proposed development of the "Silt Bathhouse" at 453 Pine Street. The meeting will take place at the DPW Conference Room, 645 Pine St or via Zoom (here's the agenda with Zoom link). Documents submitted by the developer are available by scrolling down at this link.

This large project is proposed for a 4-acre brownfield parcel adjacent to the Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund site. Friends of the Barge Canal, a local group of volunteers with a mission of conserving and protecting the wetlands and forest of this long-neglected area of the South End, is encouraging Burlington residents to come to the DRB meeting to ensure that the bathhouse project gets a thorough and impartial review. While we are not opposing the proposed development, we are concerned about the impact on the wild land around it and on Lake Champlain. In this time of climate emergency, we want to be sure that the DRB considers all the implications of this $14 million project – and all other development proposals – on the local and global environment.

Tuesday's Public Hearing will include an open forum time for resident questions and comments. Here are some of the questions we want to ask. You will no doubt have your own.

What will be the impacts – positive and negative – on the ecology of the Barge Canal and Lake Champlain?
In a time of climate emergency, as we have seen first hand in the recent flooding, does it make sense to expend this much energy on a project like this?
How many standing trees will be cut down for this project? What kind of trees?
What are the benefits of this project for Burlington?
What will the construction of this project do to the contaminants in the soil and groundwater?
How much soil will be removed for the construction? Where will it be taken?
When the plans speak of "soil remediation", what does this mean?
Do developers or city officials have concerns about the growing numbers of people without houses who are trying to live on the Barge Canal?
How does this project further the goals of Burlington's 2022 Climate Action Plan?

Hope to see you at the Public Hearing on Tuesday!

Andy (for Friends of the Barge Canal)

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