HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - City Council - 10/30/2023 - Special MeetingAGENDA
SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL South Burlington City Hall 180 Market Street SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT
Participation Options In Person: 180 Market Street – Conference Room 301 – 3rd Floor Assistive Listening Service Devices Available upon request Online: https://meet.goto.com/SouthBurlingtonVT/specialcitycouncilmeeting10-30-2023 You can also dial in using your phone. (646) 749-3122 Access Code: 593-521-285
Special Meeting 6:30 P.M. Monday October 30, 2023
1.Pledge of Allegiance (6:30 PM)
2. Instructions on exiting building in case of emergency and review of technology options –
Jessie Baker, City Manager (6:31 – 6:32 PM)
3.Agenda Review: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items (6:33 – 6:34 PM)
4.Comments and questions from the public not related to the agenda (6:35 – 6:45 PM)
5. Councilors’ Announcements and Reports on Committee assignments and City Manager’sReport (6:45 – 6:55 PM)
6.Consent Agenda: (6:55 – 7:00 PM)A.*** Consider and Sign Disbursements
7.*** Appoint a City Councilor to fill a vacancy through Town Meeting Day 2024 – JessieBaker, City Manager (7:00 – 7:40 PM)
•Possible Executive Session for the purposes of discussing the appointment of apublic officer.
8.*** Council discussion of City Plan 2024 in advance of the Public Hearing – Paul Conner,Planning & Zoning Director (7:40 – 9:10PM)
•The full draft of the City Plan 2024 can be found here.
9.Other Business (9:10 – 9:20PM)
10. Adjourn (9:20PM)
Respectfully Submitted:
Jessie Baker City Manager *** Attachments Included
180 Market Street, South Burlington, Vermont 05403 | 802-846-4107 | www.southburlingtonvt.gov
To: South Burlington City Council
From: Jessie Baker, City Manager
Date: October 24, 2023
Re: City Councilor Vacancy Appointment
On October 16, 2023 Councilor Tyler Barnes announced that he was stepping down from the City Council due
to the relocation of his family for a professional opportunity. We issued this press release the following day.
Section 304 of our City Charter states, “When a vacancy occurs on the City Council, the remaining members
may fill the vacancy until the next annual meeting when the City shall fill the vacancy.” Based on your
conversation on October 16th, we place an advertisement soliciting statements of interest from those willing
to serve on the Council. Statements of interest were due on October 24th. Councilors Emery and Chalnick
interviewed the candidates on October 25th and 26th. On October 30th, the full Council will take up the
appointment of a City Councilor to fill Councilor Barnes’ term through Town Meeting Day when the voters will
take up the remaining one year on this term. You can deliberate in executive session but must vote on the
appointment in public session.
We were honored to receive ten statements of interest in serving on the City Council. The candidates are:
Lydia Diamond
Laurie Smith
Paul Engels
John Killacky
Larry Kupferman
Michael Scanlan
Elizabeth Fitzgerald
Jim Knapp
Linda Bailey
Chris Trombly
MEMORANDUM
TO: Jessie Baker, City Manager
South Burlington City Council
FROM: Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning
SUBJECT: CityPlan Draft 2022 Vision & Goals/ Draft 2023 Guiding Principles Side-by-Side
DATE: October 30, 2023 City Council meeting
Enclosed please find a side-by-side comparison of the overarching vision statements of the draft City Plan from
October 2022 and October 2023.
The October 2022 draft was titled “Vision and Goals” and was the first text produced for the 2024 CityPlan. The
four statements, and their accompanying bullet points, were used as the starting point for the development of the
Plan and were used in public outreach both to guide the discussions and, to gather feedback on the statements
themselves. The four statement were condensed to meets the needs of various outreach formats: for Other Paper
Ads, only the bolded 2-3 words were used; in the Community Conversations, a one-sentence summary of the bullet
points was used.
In developing the full Plan text, the Planning Commission made the following changes which are reflected in the
October 2023 Draft Plan submitted to Council:
• Establish overarching statement and direction concerning climate change
• Re-label the “Vision and Goals” to “Guiding Principles” and reserve the use of the term “goals” for the 86
policy statements of the Plan
• Re-time “Human-Focused” as “Thoughtful and Sustainable Built Environment” and “Opportunity-Oriented”
as “Collaborative and Community-Oriented”
• Replace the bullet points under each Principle with a single statement under and the Plan’s goals
As approved by the Commission, the draft Guiding Principles and accompanying goals are intended to be scalable
for use in different applications / media through the life of the Plan, such as:
• overarching statement and titles of the guiding principles
• overarching statement, titles of the guiding principles, and single-statements;
• overarching statement, titles of the guiding principles, and applicable goal(s)
CityPlan 2024 Guiding Principles
Side-by-Side October 2022 and October 2023 as Approved by Planning Commission
Draft October 2022 Draft October 2023
Core Values, Vision & Goals Guiding Principles
South Burlington holds the following as our core values, vision, and goals that will drive our
decision making and work over the life of this Plan and beyond:
The world is facing an existential threat from a warming planet and climatic changes with
increasingly catastrophic consequences. This Plan acknowledges this threat and prioritizes
mitigation and adaptation measures to address these consequences. Action on Climate Change
is the most important goal in this Plan.
City Plan 2024 is an expression of our values as a community, our goals for the future, and high-
level actions identified to meet these goals. The overriding guiding principle of this Plan is to
make every policy decision through the lens of climate resilience and reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions, while recognizing other important goals in our diverse community. South
Burlington holds high the following guiding principles in every action we take as a community.
Climate Resilient. Emphasize sustainability for long-term viability of a clean and green City Climate-Resilient. Prioritize mitigating climate change impacts and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Emphasize sustainability by rapidly shifting our energy profile to renewable and
carbon-free sources and increasing energy efficiency. Promote clean air, clean water, historic
conservation, environmental conservation, and recreational space for all residents.
Meet or exceed the goals of the Vermont Global Warming Solutions Act by rapidly reducing
consumption of fossil fuels, significantly increasing renewable energy production, and
promoting energy efficiency
Primary: Goal 31
Supporting: Goals, 9, 10, 20, 22-34, 44-49, 74-86
Conserve and protect our natural resources, wildlife habitat and corridors, forests,
agricultural lands, and ecosystems
Primary: Goal 34
Supporting: Goals 35-41, 83-86
Focus City investment on adaptive and resilient public infrastructure Primary: Goal 72
Supporting: Goals 67, 69-71, 73
Vigorously promote clean air and clean water Primary: Goal 69
Supporting: Goals 67-68, 71-72
Conserve important historical sites and structures Goal 50
Provide recreational space for all residents Primary: Goals 55-56
Supporting: Goals 54, 57-61, 74-79
Inclusive, Fair, and Just. Create opportunity for all our residents and visitors.Inclusive, Fair, and Just. Be equity-oriented, transparent, and fiscally responsible in
governance. Support high quality of life, public safety, housing affordability, and education for
people of varying incomes, lifestyles, and stages of life.
Strive to give each person a dignified experience in our community. Primary: Goals 62-63
Supporting: Goals 4, 8, 52-53, 59, 61, 64-65, 71, 73
Be equity-oriented, transparent, and fiscally responsible in governance, policy development
and implementation, investment, advocacy, and delivery of services.
Primary: Goal 63
Supporting: Goals 62, 64-65
Be affordable, with housing for people of all incomes, lifestyles, and stages of life. Primary: Goal 2
Supporting: Goals 3-8
CityPlan 2024 Principles Comparison 1
Preserve our unique features while investing in enhancing and adapting our neighborhoods
to meet future needs.
Primary: Goals 74, 76-77
Supporting: Goals 50-52, 75, 78
Be a recognized leader in public education offerings and outcomes.Goal 54
Provide quality public safety, infrastructure, health, wellness, and recreation services.Supporting Goals 54, 58-61, 62-67, 68-73
Acknowledge that the City is on the traditional territory of the N’dakina/Abenaki and
Wabanaki peoples and support members of these nations and other indigenous nations
within our community.
Community, History, Culture Introduction
Human-focused. Invest in a high-quality, human-scale built environment.Thoughtful and Sustainable Built Environment. Invest in a welcoming and walkable built
environment, thriving neighborhoods, and a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented City Center. Build
community through housing, parks, facilities, and infrastructure. Support a safe, resilient, and
varied transportation system that promotes our built areas.
Invest in parks, facilities, and infrastructure to build community, a sense of place, well-being,
and belonging.
Primary: Goal 48
Supporting: Goals 42-43, 46, 49-50, 53, 55-61, 66, 71-72, 74-78
Focus on a safe, resilient, and efficient transportation system that prioritizes pedestrian,
bicycle, and transit options ahead of driving.
Primary: Goal 44
Supporting: Goals 42-43, 45-49
Establish a vibrant, diverse, and community-focused city center with pedestrian-oriented
design, mixed uses, public buildings, public art, and civic spaces.
Primary: Goal 12
Supporting: Goals 77-78
Prioritize new development and re-development in built areas served by transit and public
infrastructure.
Primary: Goal 5
Supporting: Goals 77-79
Invest in, and support thoughtful infill into, neighborhoods so they thrive and evolve to meet
future needs.
Primary: Goal 5
Supporting: Goals 74, 76
Opportunity-Oriented. Be a supportive and engaged member of the larger regional and
statewide community.
Collaborative and Engaged. Be a leader and collaborator in the regional and statewide
community. Support the city’s role as an economic engine for Vermont by encouraging
community businesses and local job creation. Make decisions considering future implications
on tomorrow’s South Burlington, Chittenden County, and Vermont.
Provide local and accessible services to our current residents, employees, and visitors, and
plan for people and nature of the next century and beyond
Primary: Goal 63
Supporting: Goals 52, 57, 60-61, 62, 64-65,
Invest in and closely engage with education in our community Goal 54
Promote and support the City’s role as an economic engine for Vermont by promoting
community businesses and local job creation.
Primary: Goal 11
Supporting: Goals 12-16-18, 21
Support a diverse and resilient economy with quality jobs, employment centers, small
businesses and entrepreneurship, educational and research systems, and strong markets for
local agricultural, food, and other products.
Primary: Goal 11
Supporting: Goals 12-21
Make decisions that explicitly consider the implications of today’s decisions on tomorrow’s
South Burlington, Chittenden County, and Vermont
Primary: Goal 15
Supporting: Goal 5
CityPlan 2024 Principles Comparison 2
CityPlan 2024 Goals
Draft Approved by Planning Commission 2023-10-03
Population Goals
Goal 1: Anticipate and prepare for an average annual population growth rate of approximately 1-1.5%, and a housing
growth rate of 1.5-2%.
Housing Goals
Goal 2: Increase number of affordable housing units by 1,000 units by 2035, including 750 units affordable to households
earning up to 80% of AMI.
Goal 3: Increase vacancy rate to 5% as a proxy for a healthy and well-supplied housing market
Goal 4: Decrease prevalence of homelessness and residents with insufficient housing and support residents in transition
Goal 5: Pursue larger-scale redevelopment and infill along transit-served corridors, and smaller-scale strategic
reinvestment, thoughtful infill, redevelopment, and adaptive reuse within neighborhoods citywide
Goal 6: Increase total “missing middle housing” units available by including in small-scale multi-family developments at a
range of price points, in a variety of building types, and interspersed with single-family homes and larger multi-
family buildings across the city
Goal 7: Encourage homeownership options in multi-family buildings alongside robust rental options
Goal 8: Reduce by half the percentage of households who spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs
Goal 9: Weatherize 600 homes annually, 2024-2030
Goal 10: Electrify 360 homes annually, 2024-2030
Economy Goals
Goal 11: Be a resilient and varied economic hub for the region, consistent with the City’s land use goals
Goal 12: Invest in and grow a vibrant, mixed use, pedestrian-oriented City Center
Goal 13: Plan for and support appropriately-scaled local business growth, including retail and services, within walking
distance of existing and planned residential areas
Goal 14: Plan for and support balanced mixed-use (residential & commercial) development in areas that can support both
Goal 15: Be a leader in regional planning for economic growth centers, live-work communities, commuting corridors, and
environmental protection with neighboring municipalities
Goal 16: Increase local business ownership by members of underrepresented groups, including women, nonbinary and
trans people, and BIPOC people.
Goal 17: Increase business growth in green technology, arts and entertainment, hospitality, technology and innovation,
and pedestrian-scale retail and food service
Goal 18: Support thoughtful investment in the Leahy Burlington International Airport to continue its role as a regionally-
significant transportation and economic hub
Goal 19: Increase total childcare programs and total slots to support the workforce
Goal 20: Electrify 8% of commercial/industrial square footage annually, 2024-2030
Goal 21: Promote distributed location of our retail food system and diversify types of businesses for groceries, including
large and small stores, farm-to-consumer opportunities, community meals, and the food shelf
Energy Goals
Goal 22: Weatherize 600 existing homes annually through 2030 to reduce emissions by 5%
Goal 23: Electrify 8% of existing commercial/industrial square footage annually to reduce emissions by 17%
Goal 24: Electrify 360 existing housing units annually through 2030 to reduce emissions by 9%
Goal 25: New homes to be greenhouse gas emissions-free to reduce emissions by 4%
Goal 26: Replace 75% of gas vehicles with all electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2030 to reduce
emissions by 42%
Goal 27: Reduce vehicle miles traveled by 2.5% annually through 2030 to reduce emissions by 19%
Goal 28: Plan for compact high-density (greater than 12.5 dwelling units per acres) new housing development to reduce
emissions by 4%
Goal 29: Increase renewable energy generation to between 30,794 to 55,549 Megawatt hours (MWh) by 2030 and 63,297
to 121,060 MWh by 2050.
Goal 30: Municipal operations meet or exceed our proportional share of citywide greenhouse gas emissions reduction
targets and provide community demonstration projects
CityPlan 2024 Draft Goals October 3, 2023 1
Goal 31: Meet or exceed South Burlington’s renewable energy generation targets identified through Act 174 or its
successors
Goal 32: Increase availability of local energy storage to support the other goals
Goal 33: Ensure the energy transition takes place equitably and is financially accessible to all members of our community
Environment Goals
Goal 34: Protect at least 51% of the city’s land area, prioritizing conservation of contiguous lands
Goal 35: Plan for a landscape that allows for continued viability of mammal species like bobcat, red and grey fox, white-
tailed deer, river otter, beavers, coyote, muskrat, and fisher, and different types of birds including raptors,
ground-nesting birds, songbirds, and others
Goal 36: Connect the City's natural resource areas to one another and to resource areas in adjacent communities
Goal 37: Ensure environmental protection, conservation, and other natural resource-related efforts are undertaken with
public health, environmental justice, and equity in mind
Goal 38: Conserve or protect productive farmland and farming operations
Goal 39: Increase number of public community garden plots by 100% and add distributed locations within walking or
biking distance for all City residents, with a priority for residents of housing unit types (e.g. condominiums and
apartments) who do not have access to their own land for gardening
Goal 40: Improve organization and management of the existing and potential future public open spaces
Goal 41: Reduce light pollution
Transportation Goals
Goal 42: Complete and maintain the network for bike/pedestrian travel by connecting shared use paths, bike/ped
infrastructure, pedestrian trails, sidewalks, and roadways internally and to neighboring municipalities networks
Goal 43: Reduce fragmentation of the community by improving crossings over large streets and interstate highways
Goal 44: Reduce vehicle miles travelled by 2.5% annually through 2030 across all types of users
Goal 45: Replace 75% of gas vehicles with all-electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2030
Goal 46: Prioritize infrastructure investments in existing and new neighborhoods that improve pedestrian, bicycle, transit,
and carpool access and support neighborhood connectivity
Goal 47: Support access to and function of regionally-significant transportation systems consistently with the land use
goals of this Plan
Goal 48: Build community by reconnecting population centers especially over large streets and the interstate with
improved infrastructure and transit routes
Goal 49: Improve school transportation and reduce congestion encouraging school bus ridership and by reaching level of
60% of children walking or biking to school
Community, History, & Culture Goals
Goal 50: Integrate South Burlington’s history into its future through engagement with historic sites, structures, and
landscapes
Goal 51: Protect important vistas and viewsheds, as viewed from public vantage points (public roads, paths, land); and
designated landscapes, sites and structures of historic and cultural significance
Goal 52: Promote equitable and accessible cultural activities, development of the arts community, art creation, and public
art display equitably and accessibly across all areas of the City
Goal 53: Support artistic diversity in South Burlington’s cultural opportunities and integrate arts and culture into public
buildings and spaces
Recreation Goals
Goal 54: Provide for the varied recreational needs and interests of our community members by providing spaces and
facilities for passive recreation, active sports, cultural and educational programs, and civic gatherings, distributed
geographically and appropriate for surrounding context
Goal 55: Provide 7.5 acres of developed recreation land for every 1,000 residents
Goal 56: Provide 20 acres of natural recreation land for every 1,000 residents
Goal 57: Locate a recreational amenity within ¼ mile of every dwelling unit within our residential and mixed-use
neighborhoods
Goal 58: Increase annual recreational programming and event participation to 40% of the total population
Goal 59: Have recreational programming and event participation mirror the city’s demographic mix
CityPlan 2024 Draft Goals October 3, 2023 2
Goal 60: Improve accessibility in recreational spaces and programs
Goal 61: Provide equitable access and investment in parks and programming
Community Services Goals
Goal 62: Promote a culture of collaboration and participation in City governance and planning by emphasizing
transparency, inclusivity, and accessibility.
Goal 63: Achieve a City governance structure and public participation that reflects and represents the diversity of South
Burlington’s population
Goal 64: Enhance neighborhood-level engagement in City planning processes. Provide City Services accessible to and
equitably serving the needs all residents and users of the City.
Goal 65: Orient Public Safety services to providing just and equitable first response
Goal 66: Provide quality indoor and outdoor public facilities and services, identified through collaborative strategic
planning, that meet present-day needs and are anticipated to meet needs at least twenty years into the future
Goal 67: Plan for hazard and emergency preparedness
Water & Utility Goals
Goal 68: Public infrastructure capital investment accounts for and accommodates anticipated infill land use and reuse
Goal 69: All South Burlington watersheds are off the list of stormwater-impaired watersheds by 2033
Goal 70: Reduce nutrient loading into Lake Champlain to provide a more resilient water supply
Goal 71: Assure planning and management of water, wastewater, and stormwater systems is done in a manner that
protects our most vulnerable populations and distributes focus and funding equitably
Goal 72: Plan for facilities that mitigate a changing climate for all residents in all parts of the City
Goal 73: Advance all areas of the City to have adequate cell coverage and broadband/cable/fiber internet access, and
support competition between carriers for provision of those services
Land Use Goals
Principally Residential: Low Scale Goals
Goal 74: Maintain and invest in vibrant, diverse, walkable, primarily-residential neighborhoods with community focal
points, neighborhood-scale limited commercial uses, parks, transit, and other amenities.
Goal 75: Build community in neighborhoods through greater opportunities for gathering and interpersonal connection
Principally Residential: Higher Scale Goals
Goal 76: Create, maintain, and invest in vibrant, diverse, walkable, primarily-residential mid-scale neighborhoods with
community focal points, limited commercial uses, parks, and other amenities
Balanced Mixed Residential and Commercial: High-Scale Area Goals
Goal 77: Create cohesive, diverse, dynamic and people-oriented places with a strong identity and “sense of place”
Goal 78: Establish urban-style vibrant streetscapes, civic spaces, public art and public facilities to create a destination
Goal 79: Support mixed-use development that realize the vision of this Plan
Commercial with Supporting Uses Area Goals
Goal 80: Reduce commuting distance and daytime vehicle travel by integrating supporting services to commercial areas
Goal 81: Make commercial areas more diverse in spaces, styles, and uses to enable more nimble commercial use
Commercial/Industrial Area Goals
Goal 82: Enable future businesses with operations incompatible with housing to locate in South Burlington
Principally Conservation & Open Space Goals
Goal 83: Appropriately conserve ecologically-important lands through acquisitions and/or partnerships, as consistent with
the other Goals in this Plan
Goal 84: Allow for landowners to make use of their land with conservation, agricultural, renewable energy development
and/or very limited residential use
Goal 85: Maintain farmland open and available for agricultural use — principally food production — and seek
opportunities to establish small-scale farms
Goal 86: Maintain generally visually open character of the area
CityPlan 2024 Draft Goals October 3, 2023 3
180 Market Street South Burlington, VT 05403 tel 802.846.4106 fax 802.846.4101 www.sbvt.gov
MEMORANDUM
TO: South Burlington City Council
FROM: Kelsey Peterson, City Planner
SUBJECT: City Plan 2024 - South Burlington School Board Comments
DATE: For October 30, 2023 City Council Meeting
The South Burlington School Board provided comments on the City of South Burlington’s City Plan 2024 on
October 4, 2023. This memo outlines the process of review for the Planning Commission and the upcoming City
Council review, and provides the School Board’s quoted comments with staff annotation and recommendation.
The Planning Commission began reviewing drafts of sections of City Plan 2024 on March 21, 2023, including the
“Community Services” section including description of education in the City. Through March, April, May, and
June, the Commission continued reviewing drafts of individual sections of the City Plan, including section review
of an updated Community Services section on May 23, 2023. At their June 27, 2023 meeting, the Commission
reviewed a full draft of the City Plan. Throughout July 2023, the draft remained static to give the public and
other stakeholders time to review and provide comment. Public comment listening sessions were held on July
25, July 27, July 29, and August 1 at varying times of day. Written public comment was due on August 2, to be
discussed by the Planning Commission at their August 8 meeting. The Commission made additional changes at
their August 8 and August 22 meetings, and moved the draft (with changes) on August 22 to public hearing set
for September 26, 2023.
After the public hearing on September 26, the Planning Commission held a special meeting on October 3 to
discuss the public comments heard on September 26. The Planning Commission voted on October 3, 2023 to
submit the City Plan 2024 to City Council. The South Burlington School Board submitted comments on
Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
City Council received the City Plan at their October 16, 2023 meeting and set the first public hearing for
Thursday, November 16. City Council will have to hold a second public hearing in December or January, and may
need to hold a third public hearing if changes are made after the second public hearing. The City Plan must be
adopted by the end of January 2024, because the current 2016 Comprehensive Plan expires on February 1,
2024.
Given the above timeline, the School Board’s comments were not considered by the Planning Commission and
are not included in the draft City Plan 2024 that the Planning Commission submitted to the City Council. The
following comments were provided by the South Burlington School Board to City of South Burlington Planning
staff on October 4, 2023. The comments provided are quoted in black and the sub-bullets in red are City staff
notes.
Comments from SB School Board
• Value of educational services - strong education system supports a strong community
o Education Section on draft page 64
• Connecting schools’ bike/ped plans to the City's plan
2
o Not called out specifically, but City is planning bike/ped master plan in 2023-24 (see Action 56,
page 48, and page 94)
o The City Council has convened a Bike and Pedestrian Committee (with this charge) to advise the
Council on policy. We understand that the School District recently assigned staff people to
coordinate with that Committee.
• Add employing and funding school traffic monitors to the city’s Climate Action Plan- this supports all
those in community getting around safely
o Too specific (operations) for the City Plan level
o The Council discussed this request on October 2, 2023 and approved allocating funding to the
School District to employ one crossing guard in FY24.
• Implementing school zones at all campuses to increase walkability, as connected to the city’s climate
goals
o Improving walkability to schools included in Goal 49 and Action 77, but specific school zones are
operations-level and not at the City Plan level
• Separate Education from Community Services section to provide more visibility in overall plan
o Staff recommends keeping together because the planning for schools is appropriately
highlighted but does not appear to take the place of the School District’s planning
• Incorporate "safe, inclusive, accessible" Pre-K-12 public education system into values (e.g. lens through
which all Policy will be assessed) in the Introduction
o Guiding Principles are higher-level policy principles that thread through all subject areas, not any
specific subjects
• Consider data on demographic growth (e.g. 0-19 and family ages) as two of the highest growing
segments of the SB population and the current and future needs for school facilities, recreational space,
safe transportation (walking, bikes, cars, busses), etc.
o Population is discussed starting on page 12, including a breakdown of population demographics
and age groups
• Consider identifying land within the City for educational expansion whether needed for enrollment
growth, facilities consolidation, safety and access reasons (e,g, the current issues at Rick Marcotte) or
for potential extraordinary needs (e.g. the issues of PCBs at BHS), whether temporary or permanent
o No land use types on the Future Land Use Map that would be logical locations for schools restrict
location of additional school facilities and identification of specific locations or properties may be
less flexible without much protective effect. Significant additional School District study would be
required before potentially identifying locations of future schools.
• Consider including information on how other community, state and Federal program closures may
impact the District/surrounding communities and their needs (e.g. CenterPoint and other therapeutic
alternative program closures
o This is more appropriate in the School District’s planning documents, but could be mentioned in
the Education section if desired by City Council
From:Meaghan Emery
To:Jessie Baker
Subject:Re: City Plan feedback - by COB on 10/26
Date:Monday, October 23, 2023 1:42:31 PM
Attachments:231005 Councilor Corner.docx
Hi Jessie,
I wish to share the message I sent to Laurie Smith and his fellow Planning Commissioners and
my Councilor Corner, attached, the message I sent to Mike Scanlan (please let me know if you
need me to resend it to you), in addition to the below. Thanks! Meaghan
Personally and as a representative, I find the word "challenges" on p.19 (under "Existing
Housing Stock") unclear and somewhat offensive. What are the challenges? Does the
Commission mean that the housing stock is older? Yes. Does the Commission mean that the
homeowners are not taking care of their homes or updating them? In my experience, this is
absolutely not true. In fact, many homeowners in Chamberlin have weatherproofed their
homes, even before the sound mitigation program went into effect and after. Twenty years is
too long for them, as I've heard people say.
So, the word "challenges" is, to my mind, unhelpful.
From: Jessie Baker <jbaker@southburlingtonvt.gov>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2023 10:57 AM
To: Helen Riehle <hriehle@southburlingtonvt.gov>; Meaghan Emery
<memery@southburlingtonvt.gov>; Tim Barritt <tbarritt@southburlingtonvt.gov>; Andrew Chalnick
<achalnick@southburlingtonvt.gov>
Cc: Steve Locke <slocke@southburlingtonvt.gov>; Paul Conner <pconner@southburlingtonvt.gov>
Subject: City Plan feedback - by COB on 10/26
Hello Council,
Just a friendly reminder that if you would like to share written feedback on the City Plan for your
colleagues to review in advance of Monday evening, please share those with me by the end of the
day on Thursday, October 26th and we will include in the packet for Monday night. These can just be
scanned copies of your print outs if you’d like. We can scan them here if that’s helpful.
Thanks,
Jessie
Jessie Baker
City Manager
City of South Burlington
180 Market Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
jbaker@southburlingtonvt.gov
(802) 846-4107
southburlingtonvt.gov
Councilor Emery’s Council Corner
The beginning of October is always a hopeful time for me because holidays celebrating the fall
harvest are just around the corner. The spectacular fall colors appeal to our senses, easing us into
the colder months. And so, the earth’s natural cycle is intrinsically linked to food, friends, and
family. Human warmth.
We too often take for granted how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful place and enjoy the
stability that thoughtful and responsive governance brings. These blessings are not accidental.
We live in a beautiful place and have enjoyed good governance as consequences of being good
stewards. And so, when I hear from residents that they do not necessarily feel represented in our
city government or that they are considering homeschooling their children because they are
concerned that the education provided in our middle and high schools does not necessarily match
their children’s future prospects, I take notice. We must be a big tent and we must provide equal
opportunity. City government, by necessity, is a big and generous tent.
Therefore, I came to agree with one of the guiding principles in South Burlington’s originally
drafted City Plan: to be “human-focused.” These words have now been removed. Words matter.
Just as budgets are value statements, so too is this plan.
“Human-focused” serves as a reminder to serve all our residents. Indeed, human is the base word
for the words humane and humanity.
It reminds us that “climate resiliency,” the first principle, has to do with protecting people from
harm. Our climate action plan will only work if we ensure that people can safely use alternative
means of transportation to their cars and that we ensure that everyone has access to green space,
clean air and water, and — I add as a Chamberlin neighborhood resident — quiet.
Human-focused is linked to being “inclusive, fair, and just,” the second principle, and calls on us
to learn from our residents of all backgrounds, some of whom do not see themselves clearly
represented in our city government, in our city events, or in our planning documents, so that city
leaders can aspire to benefit everyone when making our planning decisions.
Human-focused is also linked to opportunity, an original guiding principle now replaced with
“Collaborative and engaged.” Certainly, we must engage and collaborate with our residents so
that they can find opportunities for their self-development, self-fulfillment, and achievement of
their potential.
“Human-focused,” however, has been replaced by “Thoughtful and sustainable built
environment.”
Here is how “Human-focused” had been defined: Human-focused. Invest in a high-quality,
human-scale built environment.
• Invest in parks, facilities, and infrastructure to build community, a sense of place, well-being,
and belonging.
• Focus on a safe, resilient, and efficient transportation system that prioritizes pedestrian, bicycle,
and transit options ahead of driving.
• Establish a vibrant, diverse, and community-focused city center with pedestrian-oriented
design, mixed uses, public buildings, public art, and civic spaces.
• Prioritize new development and re-development in built areas served by transit and public
infrastructure.
• Invest in, and support thoughtful infill into, neighborhoods so they thrive and evolve to meet
future needs.
And here is how “Thoughtful and sustainable built environment” is defined: Invest in a
welcoming and walkable built environment, thriving neighborhoods, and a vibrant, pedestrian-
oriented City Center. Build community through housing, parks, facilities, and infrastructure.
Support a safe, resilient, and varied transportation system that promotes our built areas.
Where is the human focus? Sense of place, well-being, belonging? Prioritization of pedestrian,
bicycle, and transit options? Where is the diversity? Community is built by putting the focus on
our humanity.
This brings me to what I spoke about in a past Council meeting: the need for us to listen as
policymakers to those who cannot or do not opt in to our “built environment.” We must ask them
why? And how might that environment be envisioned so that, if and when implemented, they can
choose to opt in? It requires more than four walls, as the Champlain Housing Trust made clear
when they publicly disclosed that the recent $20M donation they received would be used toward
providing wrap-around services -- human services. It requires more training for our city and
school staff so that there is more equity in the delivery of our services and, furthermore, justice.
Justice requires the removal of barriers caused by misunderstanding, lack of resources, varying
ability levels, or cultural differences. So, in addition to planning our built environment to provide
more housing adjacent to green space and parks, we must be open to rethinking or revising our
rules to make them more “inclusive, fair, and just.”
This openness comes from being “human-focused,” a principle now missing from our current
draft Plan. This is the principle that leads to good listening, good policy, and continued good
stewardship of our city’s human and natural assets.
From:Meaghan Emery
To:Laurie Smith; Jessica Louisos; Duncan MacDonald; Paul S. Engels; Michael Mittag; Donna Leban; Fran MacDonald
Cc:Paul Conner; Kelsey Peterson; Jessie Baker; Helen Riehle
Subject:Thanks
Date:Sunday, October 22, 2023 5:25:58 PM
Dear Laurie,
Thank you again for reaching out and talking with me this morning about the recent Councilor
Corner I wrote for The Other Paper. I am grateful for our conversation, which helped me
understand your thinking and some of the thinking process that took place among
Commissioners with input from members of the public. I wholeheartedly agree with you that
dialogue is the basis for good problem-solving. Full access to information is also key.
Looking over the past Council meetings, I saw that the joint Council/Planning Commission
meeting was held September 27, 2022. You can read the agenda here: https://sbvt-
records.info/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=290186&dbid=0&repo=SBurl
And the minutes here: https://sbvt-records.info/WebLink/DocView.aspx?
id=294570&dbid=0&repo=SBurl
There was more focus on people and how the plan should be guided by the human experience
rather than by built infrastructure. I found a Bloomberg article that has a good description of
what "human-centered" urban planning is: https://bloombergcities.medium.com/explainer-
what-is-human-centered-design-4d7883d406ce
This morning, we also talked about an online seminar I attended on Transportation Equity,
also called Inclusive Transportation, held by Maryland's Department of Planning, in which I
remember hearing the term "human-focused." Here is the link to that
seminar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term&v=Ul9PnJT79No&feature=youtu.be
When looking through the Council's meeting agendas and minutes, I saw that Jessica had
updated the Council on July 17, 2023 that the original four goals had been replaced by the
four "guiding principles" which include "Thoughtful and Sustainable Built Environment." I
admit that I did not understand at the time that the four original goals would no longer appear
in the document. So, Jessica did communicate this major change to us, but not in a way that
resulted in understanding for me. How to solve this miscommunication? I would have
benefited from a side-by-side comparison of the original document to the revised document.
We received a copy of a PowerPoint presentation instead, which is visible in the agenda
packet: https://sbvt-records.info/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=309204
So, what struck me this past September, when I received a copy of the Comprehensive Plan as
prepared by the Commission for the Council to review, had not struck me in July. Had I seen
the document as revised in July side-by-side with the previous version, I would have been
prepared to raise the questions I raised in my October 5 column -- especially since that column
reiterates what I had written in my exchange with Rosanne in June (between June 10 and June
18). You're copied on that exchange, as are all but one of the Planning Commission members.
As we look for solutions to the miscommunication that occurred, I think that providing the
actual document that highlights the revisions, with struck language and underlined phrases
added, would be helpful.
Thanks again for our talk this morning, and since you agreed, I am sharing this email with the
full Planning Commission, staff, and Council chair.
All my best,
Meaghan
Comments from Councilor Chalnick