E AND HOUSING...
NO, WAIT -- PUT
THE REMOTE
DOWN... THIS IS
REALLY
IMPORTANT.
WE'VE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT
ALL THE BIG
PLANS IN THE
WORKS FOR
BURLINGTON'S
DOWNTOWN AND
WATERFRONT ALL
WEEK...
THESE ARE
EXCITING
PROJECTS. BUT
FOR THEM TO
HAPPEN -- THE
HOUSING
SITUATION AND
THE
INFRASTRUCTURE
HAVE TO
IMPROVE. AND
WE FOUND OUT --
THAT'S ALL PART
OF THE MASTER
PLAN..
AT NEARLY 150
YEARS OLD -- YOU
MIGHT EXPECT A
CITY LIKE
BURLINGTON TO
HAVE A FEW
PROBLEMS... BUT
THIS?
3:03:40 - :43 we
have water lines
that date back to
the 1800's
WHEN
THUNDERSTORMS
HIT THERE ARE
HOT SPOTS THAT
FLOOD.
WHICH IS WHY
DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC WORKS
DIRECTOR,
CHAPIN SPENCER
SAYS HIS TEAMS
ARE ATTACKING
THE PROBLEMS
NOW. FIXING THE
PIPES.
SPENCER'S BEEN
IN CHARGE OF
BURLINGTON'S
INFRASTRUCTURE
FOR LESS THAN A
YEAR. HE ADMITS
THERE ARE SOME
ISSUES.
3:14:26 it's a mix.
one, it's an aging
infrastructure. two
there have been
times when we
have not been
investing to the
level we need to
invest in. and those
two things together
mean that we have
a tall order moving
ahead. 3:14:39
BURLINGTON HAS
96 MILES OF
ROAD. EVEN
MORE -- 127
MILES OF
SIDEWALKS... BUT
HE SAYS SOME OF
IT -- ESPECIALLY
SOME
SIDEWALKS ARE
MORE THAN ONE
HUNDRED YEARS
OLD.
3:07:08 and right
now we have a long
list of sidewalk
repair that we're not
getting to as quickly
as I'd like to.
3:07:15
SPENCER'S
WORKING
QUICKLY --
BECAUSE MAYOR
MIRO
WEINBERGER
HAS BIG PLANS.
TO TURN
BURLINGTON INTO
A MORE MODERN
CITY THAT COULD
LOOK SOMETHING
LIKE THIS...
THE PLANS
INCLUDE ADDING
BUILDINGS --
WITH
STOREFRONTS
ON THE STREET
LEVEL -- MUCH
MORE HOUSING
ON THE UPPER
FLOORS.
37:45 we need
substantially more
housing in the
downtown
affordable?
we need all types of
housing in the
downtown 37:54
INCLUDING, HE
SAYS, MARKET
RATE HOUSING --
OR PROPERTIES
RENTED AND
BOUGHT AT WHAT
THE CURRENT
MARKET
DEMANDS -- WITH
NO SUBSIDIES
FROM THE
GOVERNMENT.
3:31:24 we are
WAY behind in this
respect, we often
think of ourselves
as a progressive
city, we are very
regressive in out
ability to build
market rate housing
over the last ten
years and a
walkable
environment.
3:31:34
WHY?
COMMUNITY AND
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR, PETER
OWENS, WHO
WORKS WITH
POTENTIAL
DEVELOPERS
DAILY -- SAYS IT
HAS A LOT TO DO
WITH STRENUOUS
ZONING CODES --
AND DIFFICULT
PERMITTING
PROCESSES. THE
MAYOR AGREES.
AND SAYS
STREAMLINING
THE PROCESS IN
A PRIORITY AT
CITY HALL THIS
YEAR.
IN THE MEANTIME
-- THERE ARE
MORE THAN 130
NEW HOUSING
UNITS. CONDOS.
APARTMENTS AND
CO-OPS UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
DOWNTOWN ...
GOOD NEWS,
WHEN YOU
CONSIDER THE
VACANCY RATE
STANDS AT ONE
PERCENT. WHICH
MEANS FINDING A
PLACE TO LIVE
DOWNTOWN IS
NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE.
NEW UNITS ARE
BEING SNAPPED
UP BEFORE
THEY'RE EVEN
FINISHED. CASE
IN POINT. THE
STRATOS
PROJECT ON ST.
PAUL STREET
WILL HAVE MORE
THAN THIRTY
CONDOS. IT
DOESN'T OPEN
FOR MONTHS --
BUT THERE ARE
ONLY THREE
UNITS LEFT FOR
SALE.
PETER: 3:30:54 it's
a no brainer to build
housing if you can
:56
AND APPARENTLY
-- THERE ARE
PLACES TO BUILD.
ACCORDING TO A
TWO YEAR STUDY
-- THAT RESULTED
IN THIS PLAN BTV
BOOK. IT LAYS
OUT A POSSIBLE
FUTURE FOR
BURLINGTON,
THAT THE CITY
COUNCIL
UNANIMOUSLY
APPROVED.
3:29:45 we have
incredibly
underused
downtown land :48
PLAN BTV SHOWS
THIRTY SPOTS
WHERE
DEVELOPERS
COULD PUT
BUILDINGS WITH
STOREFRONTS AT
THE STREET
LEVEL -- AND
HOUSING ON
TOP.. CEDO
DIRECTOR PETER
OWENS SAYS
THAT COULD
AMOUNT TO ONE
THOUSAND NEW
UNITS.
3:29:55 it will create
a much more
dynamic, a much
more vibrant, a
much more
walkable
environment
3:30:00 because
you can't have
walkability, you
can't have
sustainable
development
without having
people in a
contained area
3:30:06
BUT IF YOU WANT
PEOPLE THERE --
IT HAS TO BE
EASY TO GET
AROUND... WHICH
IS WHY PUBLIC
WORKS
DIRECTOR
CHAPIN SPENCER
IS INVOLVED IN A
TEN YEAR PLAN
TO GET THE
CITY'S
INFRASTRUCTURE
INTO TIP TOP
SHAPE.
3:13:50 we are
bullish about
reinvesting in our
systems. we
understand they're
aging, we
understand they
need attention
3:13:56
ALL THIS CHANGE
WILL TAKE TIME.
BUT IT'S ANOTHER
STEP IN THE
MAYOR'S PLAN TO
TURN
BURLINGTON INTO
THE PLACE TO
LIVE, WORK AND
PLAY.
3:41:34 when we
polled people about
what made a
difference, what did
they want in their
downtown? they
wanted a vibrant
downtown they
wanted something
that was alive
3:41:41
IF ALL OF THE
NEW HOUSING
THAT CAN BE
BUILT -- IS
BUILT -- EXPERTS
SAY IT WOULD
BRING DOWN THE
COST OF RENTING
AN APARTMENT IN
THE CITY ...
DO YOU THINK IT
WILL ALL BE
BUILT?
WELL --
THROUGH MY
INVESTIGATION
INTO THE BIG DIG
-- AND THE
HOUSING
SITUATION --
I'VE LEARNED
THAT MAYOR
WEINBERGER
AND COMMUNITY
LEADERS HAVE
BEEN WORKING
ON, AND WILL
RELEASE A
BRAND NEW
REPORT ABOUT
DOWNTOWN
HOUSING
TOMORROW.
YOU HEARD IT
HERE FIRST --
THAT REPORT
WILL LAY OUT, IN
NO UNCERTAIN
TERMS, WHAT
THE CITY NEEDS
TO DO, TO
CREATE A
SUCCESSFUL
HOUSING
MARKET... SO MY
THREE PART
SERIES ON THE
BIG DIG MAY BE
OVER -- BUT WPTZ
WILL CONTINUE
TO BE THE PLACE
TO TURN TO GET
MORE
INFORMATION ON
WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN
VERMONT'S
LARGEST CITY...
AND ALL THREE
OF STEPH'S BIG
DIG STORIES ARE
ON LINE AT WPTZ
DOT COM -- AND
WE'VE BEEN
TWEETING THEM