planBTV: South End is a roadmap for this much loved and continuously evolving part of our community. From lumber processing and manufacturing, to transportation, art, and food, the South End-- and the Enterprise Zoning District at the geographic and economic center of the neighborhood-- has been in a constant state of change and evolution. Representing just 4% of the City's total land area, the Enterprise District is home to about half of all of the City's office and industrial space, and nearly 500 businesses employing over 6,000 people, This plan is about preparing for what comes next, so that the South End neighborhoods continue to thrive, enterprises flourish, a diversity of meaningful jobs have a home, and a creative spirit is visible throughout the area. This plan includes a number of strategies that are all about how we will preserve and enhance the South End by reinforcing an arts hub, expanding the innovation district, preserving R&D and industry, and better connecting the neighborhood's resources.
Full plan, adopted March 2019: planBTV: South End Master Plan
Or review one of these Phase 1 studies that informed the development of this plan:
The planBTV: South End process engaged our community to talk about aspirations and develop principles to guide our plan. A robust, arts-inspired community engagement process culminated in the release of a draft of the plan in June of 2015. The project was launched during the South End Art Hop in the fall of 2014, featured a South End Crawl which highlighted the rich mix of creative places within the neighborhood, included an Active Living Workshop with Dan Burden, and engaged the community in a 3.5 day workshop which showcased artist-led outreach projects. Through an Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the project funded 20 artist-led projects which included interactive exhibits, demonstrations, creative writing and photography, murals, sculpting and more, and emphasized the engagement of voices not typically engaged in public meetings. Artists used these projects to collect input, help the community consider future scenarios, tell stories, and generally get people excited about and involved in the planning process.
There's a lot we South Enders and South End enthusiasts agree on, but we certainly don't agree on everything! When the draft plan was released, we learned that there was a lot of agreement around the Guiding Principles of the plan, but a lot of diverse opinions about the specific policies that would help us achieve our goals. As a result, the Planning Commission and City staff worked to review the draft plan and make a number of significant changes to 1) focus on preserving and enhancing the South End's experiences, and 2) to remove recommendations about permitting housing in the Enterprise Zoning District. In time, the South End plan was adopted as part of the city-wide update to the Comprehensive Plan.
PlanBTV South End was funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, AARP, the Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, Dealer.com, and Burton.
For more information about planning in Burlington, contact Comprehensive Planner, Meagan Tuttle at mtuttle@burlingtonvt.gov
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