HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 06E_AO-19-01_146 Market St_Allard Square_PubCom
February 13, 2019
Bill Miller, Chair
South Burlington Development Review Board
South Burlington, Vermont
Subject: Certificate of Occupancy for Allard Square Apartments
Dear Mr. Miller,
It has come to my attention that the certificate of occupancy for this residential apartment
building managed by Cathedral Square Corporation was denied because the public entrances
to the building have access controls.
As the largest source of funds for the development of affordable rental housing in the state,
VHFA monitors 8,500 apartments annually. It is very common for residential apartment buildings
to keep access controls at public entrances for the safety of the residents.
We urge you to allow Allard Square Apartments as well as future residential buildings built in
South Burlington’s City Center Form Based Code district to choose to maintain access controls
at their public entrances if they deem it in the best interest of their residents. Form Based Code
best practices for public standards focus on the form/material composition of entrances, their
spacing, and ultimately how they interact with the surrounding public realm. We contend that the
requirement that an entrance’s form and design elements interact with the public realm is not
compromised by an entrance having access control. We also do not think it was the intent of
the code to require space within a building to be absorbed into the definition of public realm
(whether it is for commercial or residential use). In fact, those requirements would undermine
the flexibility in use that the code is intended to inspire.
I would also like to share the concern that the public entrance definition includes a reference to
“business hours”, which is challenging to interpret.
Sincerely,
Seth Leonard
Managing Director of Community Development
CC: Paul Connor, Marla Keene, Dalila Hall (City of South Burlington)
Cynthia Reid, Cathedral Square Corporation
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Marla Keene
From:Dalila Hall
Sent:Thursday, February 14, 2019 3:36 PM
To:John Simson
Cc:Marla Keene
Subject:RE: Cathedral Square appeal to DRB
Hello John:
This is to acknowledge receipt of your email and to let you know that your request will be forwarded to the DRB.
Dalila Hall
Zoning Administrative Officer
City of South Burlington
P: (802) 846‐4115
From: John Simson <simsonjohn0840@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2019 3:19 PM
To: Dalila Hall <dhall@sburl.com>
Subject: Cathedral Square appeal to DRB
Dear Dahlia,
Today, February 14th 2019, the South Burlington Affordable Housing Committee asked me by unanimous resolution to
communicate with the DRB regarding the upcoming appeal procedure contesting the denial of a Certificate of
Occupancy to the Cathedral Square senior housing building on Market St. We recognize the position the Zoning
Administrator has been placed in by the regulations. We also recognize the incompatibility of the regulations with the
safe operation of the senior housing building. Finally we recognize the need for a resolution. We understand the
Planning Commission intends to appoint a subcommittee to examine the Form Based Code regulations in light of this
issue.
We hope the DRB will consider extending the appeal period to enable the Planning Commission to consider remedies
that can reconcile this issue.
The success of this and other affordable housing projects in our City is essential to our future development.
Thank you for your consideration.
John Simson
Chair, Affordable Housing Committee
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