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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 04/02/1986 (2)STATE PUBLIC HEARING ON DORSET STREET 2 APRIL 1986 The State of Vermont held a Public Hearing on the Dorset Street improvements on Wednesday, 2 April 1986, at 7:30 pm, in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street, South Burlington, Vermont. Those Present State of Vermont: Margaret Shea, Project Engineer; Dennis Benjamin, Arthur Goss, Peter Vlahos, John Wood, Frank Evans; Federal Representatives: Paul Mailman, Jim Bush; City of South Burlington: William Szymanski, City Manager; Paul Farrar, Leona Lansing, George Mona, Michael Flaherty, Francis Murray, City Council; Catherine Peacock, Planning and Water Commissions; Jane Lafleur, City Planner; Frederick Tuttle, Superintendent of Schools; Bernadine Collins, Barry Genzlinger, School Directors; Wendy Schroeder, Business Manager; John Dinklage, Jim Condos, Dorset St. Committee; David Kaufman, State Representative; Albert Audette, Street Dept; Others: Catherine Debo, CCTA; Leonard Locke, Bob Slayton, Tom Sullivan, Gary Santy, Jon Lewisand, Webster Martin Engineering; Scott Mallard, Tom Canning, S. B. High School; Ruth Poger, Phil Wells, The Other Paper; Craig Leiner, Regional Planning Traffic Consultant; Kevin Mangan, T. Kane, Terry Boyle, T. J. Boyle & Associates, consultants; Ed Blake, Champlain Water District; Andrew Letourneau, Lawrence Abbiati, Eugene L. Shlatz, Green Mountain Power; Cedric Gringas, Cable TV; Betty Merrill, City Mgr's Office. Property Owners: Marilyn Fahey, Chuck Munson, Bob Smith, John Floyd, Ernest Ross, David Berteau, Theresa Paquette, Susan Fine, William & Anna Wilson, Jodie Wilson, Jack Hedman, Edgar Welch, Richard Landsman, Lonnie Field, Walter Schmidt, Martin Schwartz, Stephen Whittlesey, Randall Munson, Lise Haas, Jane Crosby, Don Weinreich, Bernard & Johanna McKenna, Marsha Smith Meekins, T. Cairns, Charlotte Teese, Peter Alden, Cindy Smith, Robert Larson Mr. Farrar explained the purpose of the hearing and stressed that the State was looking for individual concerns so that these can be considered when design plans are completed. Mrs. Shea indicated that within 30 days the State will notify the city as to the status of any major changes. A meeting of the City Council will then be held to consider these. Mr. Vlahos outlined the phases in the acquisition process: 1. the plans and titles phase in which all properties are visited and information on water lines, sewers, etc., is gotten; 2. title searches; 3. appraisal of the properties, including interviewing of all owners and inspection of the properties; 4. negotiations with owners; 5. relocation assistance, if necessary. He explained that if the state and the property owner could not come to an agreement as to cost of damages, a condemnation hearing would be held by the City Council. Mr. Vlahos stressed that no one would be displaced by construction until adequate payments are made. Owners of lights and signs are also entitled to expenses incurred in moving those fixtures. Ms. Shea outlined the project costs. The total cost is $3,275,000 with the federal government paying 95%, the state 3%, and the city 2%. Building is expected in 1988. She noted that at the Act 250 hearing held last year, there was considerable opposition to the original design and that the new concept is the work of the city and T. J. Boyle & Associates. Peter Owens of T.J. Boyle & Associates then summarized the project. The current "boulevard concept" was prompted by concern on the part of the community, School Board, City Council, etc. for safety and aesthetics. The hope was that Dorset St. would not become another Shelburne Rd. or Williston Road where there is so little control of turning movements that it leads to unsafe conditions. Those areas are also experiencing problems with planned development because additional proposals are being viewed with caution by the Planning Commission due to traffic conditions. Dorset St. is a prime area for economic development and the hope is that with careful planning, the Shelburne and Williston Rd. problems will not be repeated. There was also concern by the School Board and neighborhoods that an uninterrupted 70-foot wide road was not safe for children. The present plan addresses these concerns by the introduction of a median strip which restricts left turning movements to about 12 points on the road. This provides safer turning and better traffic flow. It does, however, create access problems for some property owners, and there is an attempt to work with everyone to find alternate accesses or combined accesses. Curb cuts are being reduced by almost half of the present number. Four houses and 3 businesses will be virtually on a one- way street. Circulation studies are being developed. Another concern was aesthetics and community identity. South Burlington is the fifth largest city in the state but lacks its own identity. There is no city center or "downtown" area and nowhere for the city to come together. Dorset Street is right in the middle of the city with access to both the Shelburne Rd. end and the Williston Rd. end. The median strip will provide a green expanse, and there will be the pedestrian amenities of a bike path, tree belt, and sidewalk. If the boulevard concept is to work, overhead utilities have to be addressed. Ideally, it is hoped they can be placed underground. The utilities have been very cooperative in setting out costs, and the question of funding is still being worked on. The Dorset Street Committee has talked about the "city center" concept and has identified the San Remo Drive area as ideal for this. The hope is for mixed use, close-grained activities in this area, perhaps with higher densities and building heights. The project is nearing the end of the conceptual design phase. The next step is for final design. Mr. Owens then showed on a set of plans the locations of traffic lights, intersections, turning lanes, etc. Ms. Shea then opened the meeting for comments and questions from the public. Mr. Tuttle, Superintendent of Schools, read a letter addressed to Susan Crampton indicating that this project was a high priority of the School District and that safety was a major concern. He felt the plan addressed this concern by separating vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles and by the placement of crossing and signals. The letter concluded by thanking the Agency of Transportation for responding to the concerns of the School District. Bob Smith, President of the corporation that operates Howard Johnsons thanked the people of the city and T. J. Boyle's office for working with them on their concerns. They are in a difficult position and felt that great progress had been made. Specific problems include the extension of the median blocking off their northerly access. The southerly entrance has helped; however, that access shows only 2 lanes. Mr. Owens noted that this has now been increased to 3 lanes. Mr. Smith commented on the "window of escape." He felt if the "right on red" from Williston Rd. could be eliminated, and the left turn from Williston Rd. delayed by sequencing the lights, they could find a way to get traffic out into the Northbound Dorset St. lanes; otherwise, the confusion will just be relocated further south. They are also concerned about stacking into 100 Dorset St. and the Mall and questioned whether enough space has been left for this so it won't block the area of escape from Howard Johnson's. Another major concern is their limited parking. The relocation of the canopy eliminates a lot of parking and also parking will be interfered with by traffic movement. He questioned whether this will be addressed for compensation. Mr. Owens said they have done some parking counts and will discuss these with Mr. Smith. Chuck Munson, landowner of the Howard Johnson's property, asked what the speed limit will be. Mr. Rock anticipated it would be 35 mph, but this is controlled by the City Council. Lonnie Field of Holiday Inns asked if there will be any affect of the project on Williston Rd. Mr. Owens said it was not expected as the project ends on Dorset St. Dick Posey of Lake Buick said he is all for the road and thanked those who had helped with working out problems. He expressed the hope that their floral display and rock garden could be saved. It has been honored and is a beautifying element in the community. He presented the state with a letter of support from Peter Owens for saving the gardens. David Burto of 333 Dorset St. supported the plan and said that more than half the time now they are virtually on a one-way street. Bill Wilson supported saving the rock gardens and felt the road could possibly be shifted 5 feet to the west. Mr. Owens said they are looking into doing this. Mr. Wilson also asked if they have a choice in driveway closings. Mr. Owens noted that the City Council had passed a Resolution on this issue and that they are working very hard to consolidate curb cuts. The Council asked them to be as vigilant as possible on that issue. Where there is an alternative available, they will use that. Mr. Owens anticipated that the only new curb cut on Dorset St. will be for the Deslauriers property which is not now developed. Bob McCarroll of the Anchorage said that his major business comes from I-89. Their new access would be down Corporate way to their back lot. Customers will have to go around the building to find the front door, and that corridor is their main parking lot. Trucks and buses may be precluded from the lot. The building cannot be accessed from the back, and this will confuse the public. They will also lose their sign location. Mr. Owens acknowledged the problem and said they will have to work with signage to get people around the building. Marty Schwartz said he supported the design and asked what can be done to support getting the utilities underground. Mr. Owens said this is a significant concern. GMP and New England Telephone are obligated to relocate utilities and to bear the cost which is estimated in excess of $1,000,000. How that cost would be borne is still being looked at. If the concept is supported heavily in the city, there would be more effort to make it happen. Steve Whittlesey, owner of the property at 358 Dorset St. said that when the building was put in in 1960, they had to have a 35-40ʹ setback from the street. According to the plan, property on the east side of Dorset St. will be impinged on from 21-25ʹ. Parking lots and lawns will be destroyed. If the city felt setbacks were important when they made the ordinance, why is it so important to have a straight line road rather than moving the street a bit to the west? Larry Abiatti of Green Mountain Power asked if it was possible that heavy design would be approved before a decision on utilities is reached. He also said that the median in front of the substation might cause a problem for a trailer if they had to get a temporary transformer in. It could result in a traffic jam in excess of an hour. A flattening of the median or a removable item would help. Randall Munson of South Burlington Realty said they are not happy with curb cuts. There are 2 retail businesses that are cut off. He said they have other uses for their backyard and are also losing parking. He felt business would decrease and tenants would leave. He said they need a front access of some kind. Ms. Shea said Mr. Munson should write to Susan Crampton. Bill Wilson noted there will be non-conforming properties. What is the future concern for people going to the Zoning Board if their properties are now non- conforming. Mr. Farrar replied that setbacks were established to enable such projects as this to take place, and setbacks will be looked at to see if they should be modified after the project. Ernest Ross, property owner, gave the project his full support. He felt San Remo Drive should be 4 lanes. He also asked why the setbacks can't be changed now. Mr. Dinklage, Chairman of the Dorset St. Committee responded that the Committee is recommending a new zone be created for the San Remo Drive area. This will involve major changes, including setbacks, property use, etc. There will be public forums with the Planning Commission and City Council on this issue. The process has not yet begun. He said that there are two options for property owners. A local development corporation can be formed to buy and combine lots. This will require a lot of public process. In addition, when a road has been moved, there are provisions in the state statute for hardships the owner did not create. The Committee is attempting to expedite zoning concerns, and it is anticipated the Committee will be making a recommendation to the City Council within a month. Walter Schmidt asked if the state pays for relocating driveways and parking lots. Mr. Vlahos said if approved in the design, this is part of the project cost. Mr. Farrar added that this is part of the damages to be covered when there is discussion with the state on damages. If the property owner cannot agree with the state, the City Council holds a hearing on the value assigned by the state and attempts to come to a fair assessment. If this cannot be done, the property owner can go to the courts without delaying construction. In response to other questions, Mr. Dinklage explained that the Committee is looking at the San Remo area as if it were a blank piece of paper, from a planning point of view. They will consider possible trade-offs on setbacks, height, etc, in order to get the kinds of uses the city wants for a city center. Higher densities may be allowed in addition to mixed uses. The intent is to create something aesthetically pleasing, an anchor between the municipal and commercial areas that will link residential neighborhoods, create open space, and be visually pleasing. They envision a substantial change in use, a rebuilding of the east side of Dorset Street. He felt property values would rise so considerably that some present businesses would find it unfeasible to continue in their locations. Land swaps would be one possible option in this case. Mr. Whittlesey said he felt a radical change in land use on the east side was possible and thought the plans were on the fantasy side. Dick Posey replied that the main interest was to better South Burlington and Dorset Street. He said the committee was composed of super people who did a great job. Mr. Mona added that the Committee presented goals and objectives to the City Council, and a copy of these were presented to be added to the State's records. Mr. Condos added that he supported the project and felt it was something the city could be proud of. Chuck Munson echoed this feeling and added that if it is to come to pass, the utilities had better be underground. As there was no further testimony to be taken, the meeting adjourned at 9:20 pm. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.