BTV Mall - Past Updates

Encumbrance Permit Issued

Posted: 11/21/17

The encumbrance permit was issued on Friday, November 17. The upcoming schedule and description of work at the project site is as follows:

Week of 11/20/2017: Begin installing temporary street signage for BTC construction encumbrance.  Signage will be bagged/covered through 11/26/2017, as necessary.

11/21/2017: Close the North Bank Street sidewalk and on-street metered parking spaces.  Temporary fencing will be installed along the curb line and all parking meters will be bagged.

11/22/2017: Relocate temporary fencing on Bank Street into the roadway to include on-street parking lane within PC’s construction limits.  Two-way traffic will remain unencumbered between Pine and St. Paul Streets.

Week of 11/27/2017: PC will begin installing construction encumbrance jersey barriers and fencing.  PC construction will start with installation on Bank street, followed by installation on Cherry Street.  PC anticipates a duration of no longer than two weeks to set jersey barriers.

Sunday 11/26/2017 – Monday 11/27/2017: PC will coordinate bagging of any encumbered parking meters with DPW prior to jersey barrier installation.

Per the agreement between the Developer and Macy’s, PC will be deviating from Phase 1 of our submitted encumbrance plan by allowing the Bank/Cherry Street mall entrances near Macy’s to remain open through the holiday season.  The Cherry Street parking garage entrance will also remain open through at least the end of November 2017.  PC will be implementing the full scope of Phase 1 after the first of the year 2018.

Final Development Agreement

Posted: 10/2/17

BTC Final Development Agreement
(Redline) BTC Final Development Agreement

1. Exhibit A: Site plans to new Pine St Garage Entrance (full plan set available at https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CEDO/Project-Documents).
2. Exhibit B: Public Improvements and Additional Public Improvements
3. Exhibit C: (located in the Development Agreement)
4. Exhibit D: Initial Budget
5. Exhibit E: Memorandum of Agreement
6. Exhibit F: Lot Line Adjustment
7. Exhibit G: Stormwater MOU

Burlington and Devonwood Release Draft Development Agreement

Posted: 10/4/17

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement today regarding the City and Devonwood’s release of the draft Burlington City Place Development Agreement:

“For years, the City and Devonwood have pursued together an effort to bring much-needed housing, jobs, and environmental improvements to Burlington’s downtown and reinvent our failing downtown mall as a vibrant new neighborhood. The agreement has been carefully negotiated to protect the City from financial risk, forward community initiatives, and support the progress of this transformative downtown project. It is time to get this long-awaited project built – I respectfully urge the Council to approve the Development Agreement at its October 16 meeting.”

This draft Development Agreement represents one of the final steps of the joint effort prior to the start of construction. The agreement builds on the substantial work completed in the Pre-Development Agreement approved overwhelmingly by the Burlington City Council in May 2016, and resolves a path forward on a number of previously open issues, including:

• Through a series of detailed conditions, requiring the developer to participate in the District Energy System if the City is able to deliver the system in a timely manner and at a competitive cost. A District Energy System is a critical strategy in the City’s effort to become a Net Zero City over the next 10-15 years.
• Detailing the process for design, bidding, construction, and payment for the public improvements. These details comprise fourteen pages of the document and have been negotiated to ensure that the City secures high-quality public improvements at a fair price and is protected from construction risk and delay.
• Securing additional funds from the project to support local businesses and expanded communication efforts, on top of prior commitments to support job fairs and other activities to ensure local residents are aware of new opportunities created by the project.
• Determining the manner in which Devonwood will compensate the City for its development permit fees through a combination of cash and land contribution.

* Please see draft Development Agreement

Meeting for Area Businesses (9/7/17) Presentation and Notes

Posted 9/14/2017

On September 7^th a meeting for local businesses provided updates on the Burlington City Place construction plans, project timing, and communication strategies to make sure your customers know the downtown is open for business and accessible throughout the project. The meeting was hosted by City officials and the Burlington City Place project team, PC Construction, Church Street Marketplace, and Burlington Business Association (BBA).

BCP Business Meeting Notes 9/7/17

BCP Business Meeting Presentation 9/7/17

 There is a broad range of information, questions, and answers in these materials including but not limited to the following:

• Construction Overview (PC Construction, Burlington City Place project team)

• What’s the Message? #ShopLocalShopBurlington Campaign (Church Street Marketplace)

• Parking Tips and Handout (Burlington Business Association)

• Communication Channels (City)

• Traffic/Pedestrian Plan – Alternative Option (PC Construction, City) – see below

The 2-way traffic plan for Bank St. that was presented in the previous meeting on July 20th was approved, but an alternative plan to maintain parking on Bank St. was presented as a new option. This alternative would maintain parking on one side of Bank St. for the one block between St. Paul and Pine and make it one-way rather than two-way, with traffic flowing from west to east. Please provide feedback, questions or comments regarding traffic and parking to Norm Baldwin, City Engineer, DPW:  nbaldwin@burlingtonvt.gov

If you have any other questions, please contact Ian Jakus, Projects & Policy Specialist at CEDO, at ijakus@burlingtonvt.gov or 802-865-7532.   

Presentation and Notes from BTC Redevelopment Meeting for Area Businesses

Posted: 8/3/17

On July 20, 2017, the City hosted a meeting for businesses in the area of the redevelopment.  The purpose of the meeting was to have the developer's project consultants, PC Construction, share the proposed Encumbrance Plan, which details the plans for managing the public right of way and parking in and around the project site (particularly along Bank and Cherry Streets) during demolition and construction for the duration of the redevelopment.  You may find the full presentation and notes from the meeting below.  If you have any questions, you may reach out to Noelle MacKay, Director of CEDO, at 802-865-7174 or nmackay@burlingtonvt.gov.

BTC Redevelopment Presentation

BTC Redevelopment Business Meeting Notes     

DRB Approval of BTV Redevelopment Plans

Updated: April 21, 2017

In March 2017, the Development Review Board unanimously approved the plans for the redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center. To view these plans, please click here. 

Public Meetings Related to BTC Redevelopment

Updated: February 28, 2017

The BTC redevelopment plans have been the subject of public meetings of various City Boards and Commissions over the past several months.  The most up-to-date information and official public notice for these meetings, including the proposed plans, can be found on the Planning & Zoning website at https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/PZ/Boards-and-Commissions (look for "75 Cherry Street ZP17-0622CA/MA"), and at http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/Public for City Council and its Committees. 

Here is a list of scheduled meetings that are slated to address the BTC redevelopment:

• Development Review Board:  At their meeting on February 21st, the DRB closed the public hearing for this project, and has scheduled a Deliberative Session on Monday, March 6 beginning at 5 pm in the Planning & Zoning Office in City Hall. Members of the public are welcome to attend but should know that no additional public testimony will be taken at this meeting.

Next Steps for BTC Redevelopment Following November 8th Local Election Results

Posted 11/21/2016

On November 8, 2016, two ballot items related to the Burlington Town Center redevelopment passed with a simple majority.  The first item was the adoption of the proposed Downtown Mixed Use Core (DMUC) Overlay zoning amendment (ZA 16-14).  You can find more information about the amendment here.  The second was approval of the use of up to $21.8M in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to fund public improvements to Bank and Cherry streets and the acquisition, construction, and streetscape improvements on Pine and St. Paul Streets.  More info on how TIF will work in relation to the BTC redevelopment here.

What’s next?  The City must finalize a Development Agreement with the owner of BTC over the next couple of months, and the owner must also submit redevelopment plans for the necessary permits. The permitting process will include public reviews of the proposed project and its design by the Design Advisory Board, Development Review Board, and Conservation Board. The public is invited to attend these meetings and provide input to the boards during the public forum.

A timeline for these meetings will be posted on this page as it becomes available. You may find agendas for regular and special meetings of Planning & Zoning’s Boards and Commissions at https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/PZ/Boards-and-Commissions, and agendas for City Council and its Committees at http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/Public. 

Burlington Town Center Redevelopment Unveils Updated Project Sketch Plans

Posted 10/20/2016

Devonwood Investors, owner and developer of the Burlington Town Center unveiled updated project sketch plans for the project that respond to several suggestions from the public and the City's Boards and Commissions over the summer. These updated plans also meet all of the requirements of the proposed Downtown Mixed Use Core Overlay zoning. Revisions to the plans include reducing the mass of the upper story portions; adding housing to the facades on Cherry and Bank to buffer the parking garage from street view; eliminating the underground, interior east-west corridor bringing all retail and services to street level; and modifications to the facade articulation and materials to meet the prescriptive urban design standards of the proposed zoning. Updated plans can be reviewed here. 

City Evaluation of Market Feasibility Assessment and Developer Capability Online

Posted 10/19/2016

The City of Burlington engaged ECONorthwest to advise the City of Burlington regarding the redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center. EcoNorthwest assessed Devonwood's development capacity to successfully execute the redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center Site and vetted the feasibility of the redevelopment plan. These documents are located in the project document library, here, under "Most Recent Documents"

Market Feasibility Assessment Now Online

Posted September 26, 2016

A report prepared for Burlington City Council, by Doug Kennedy Advisors on behalf of Devonwood Investors, LLC, is now available online, here. The report summarizes a market analysis designed to assess the market-based feasibility of the redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center as proposed. 

Public Hearing on Proposed DMUC Overlay on Sept. 29

Posted September 13, 2016

At its meeting on September 12, the City Council voted on a number of amendments to the proposed Downtown Mixed Use Core Overlay Zoning Amendment. The Council also voted to warn the revised amendment for the public hearing. The Public Hearing on the proposed amendment will take place on Thursday, September 29, 2016, at 7:00 pm in Contois Auditorium, City Hall, 149 Church Street. The revised version of the proposed amendment, as it was warned for a public hearing, is available online here. 

Presentation on Public Space Improvements Now Online

Posted September 12, 2016

Burlington Town Center Public Space Improvements: Restoring the Grid, Activating City Life, a presentation which provides information on the proposed street connectivity and nearby public improvements associated with the redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center is now available. Reconnecting St. Paul and Pine Streets to restore north-south connectivity, and the activation of Cherry Street to connect Church Street to the Lake are two key goals of planBTV Downtown & Waterfront and were important elements in the public discussion of this project. Without the City’s investment in these public improvements using TIF, the public improvements likely would not be included in the project, and the project itself would likely occur in a significantly different or less desirable way than proposed. The presentation is available online, here. 

Model Available at Fletcher Free Library

Posted August 11, 2016

A three-dimensional model of a portion of the downtown, in which the proposed BTC Project and the proposed Downtown Mixed Use Core Overlay zoning amendment would apply, is available for public viewing at Fletcher Free Library during regular library hours. The model features existing buildings in the downtown, as well as the proposed Burlington Town Center project; the model was built to assist the community in its evaluation of the project. As part of the Predevelopment Agreement with City Council, funds to prepare the model were provided by the mall owner. The informational display located with the model is available online, here. Additional pedestrian-level, photo-realistic views of the proposed BTC project within the downtown context are available, here. 

Proposed Downtown Mixed Use Core Overlay Amendment sent to City Council

Posted July 19, 2016

Following its July 6 Public Hearing, the Planning Commission sent the proposed Downtown Mixed Use Core (DMUC) Overlay Zoning Amendment to City Council. The Planning Commission will complete a letter with the members' comments regarding the proposed amendment, and send it to the City Council for consideration at a later date. The City Council received the proposed amendment at their July 11 meeting and referred it to the Ordinance Committee to review. City Council has asked the Ordinance Committee to refer the amendment back to the full Council for a work session at its August 15 meeting. The Council will schedule two additional work sessions to discuss the amendment on August 18 and 24. 

Board & Commission Meetings Schedule Update

Posted May 27, 2016

The BTC Mall Team has made a series of before-and-after images from various locations around the City available for review. Additionally, a 3-D "fly-over" model and animated sun studies have been provided. To view these documents, please click here, and and find the links to download under "Current BTC Mall Proposed Plans." 

City Council-Approved Predevelopment Agreement Available

Posted May 4, 2016

On May 2nd, the City Council approved a Predevelopment Agreement between the City of Burlington and the mall property owner, Don Sinex’s BTC Mall Associates LLC, for the redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center mall. The Approved Predevelopment is available here: City Council-Approved Predevelopment Agreement, 5-2-16, and additional documents related to this project, please click here.