Dear Neighbors,

The City Council's next meeting is on Monday, February 26, starting at 5:30pm. You may attend the meeting in-person at City Hall or via Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/99756965793.

Before public forum, the City Council will engage in two work sessions. The first work session, starting at 5:30pm, will involve an important discussion on current living conditions at Decker Towers. We will be hearing from representatives from the Burlington Housing Authority and the new Residents Council organized by tenants.

A second work session will involve a public update on a coordinated pre-development agreement for the new South End Innovation District (SEID). This agreement would be entered into between the City, Champlain College, and Ride Your Bike LLC (which is involved with the Hula space). As explained by the Mayor's Administration, this agreement assumes the parties will work together over the next nine months to "develop a site-wide housing plan (with a minimum of 20% affordable housing)" and study infrastructure challenges and opportunities on the site and immediate vicinity. This study will include, but not be limited to, a review of wastewater and stormwater capacity.

After these work sessions, at a time certain of 7:15pm, the Council will open public forum. Those wishing to participate in public forum may signup in-person at City Hall or, if participating remotely, use this form: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/citycouncil/publicforum.

Following public forum, there will be a third work session on another pre-development agreement for the Gateway Block, which includes Memorial Auditorium. This agreement would allow an interested developer a period of nine months to conduct due diligence on the feasibility of entering into partnership to construct housing and other amenities on this block.

We will then turn to a deliberative agenda that includes the following items:

--> PUBLIC HEARING ON NEIGHBORHOOD CODE – the City Council will hold a second public hearing on the Neighborhood Code, a citywide rezoning proposal that would allow for the development of additional housing. More information on the Neighborhood Code can be found here: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CityPlanning/NeighborhoodCode. There will not be a final vote on the Neighborhood Code at this meeting. Instead, I anticipate there will be a third public hearing at our Council meeting on March 25.

--> INCLUSIONARY ZONING UPDATES – the City Council will be considering a resolution that would ask our Planning Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of our current inclusionary zoning ordinance and the extent to which it is not sufficiently meeting our affordable housing needs.

--> CLIMATE POLICY AND REVIEW – starting in January, Burlington stood up a carbon pollution impact fee for new construction and large existing commercial and industrial buildings under 50,000 square feet. The City Council will consider a resolution to expand our climate policy review to existing commercial and industrial buildings less than 50,000 square feet and how we can best decrease greenhouse gas emissions from these buildings.

Our full agenda is posted here: https://burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/6959/overview

As always, I welcome your feedback on questions on these and other matters impacting our city.

Best regards,

Ben Traverse
City Councilor, Ward 5
(802) 357-2055
btraverse@burlingtonvt.gov.

May 19, 2024, 9 AM to 12 PM

May 20, 2024, 6 to 7:30 PM

May 25, 2024, 9 AM to 12 PM