Wards 1 & 8 NPA — Burlington, VT
Date: 2022-04-13
Time: 19:00

Wards 1/8 NPA Meeting

 April 13th 2022

 Join us in the Pickering Room on the 3rd floor of the library or by
 Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84036123619
 Or Telephone: Dial:
 US: +1 929 205 6099 Webinar ID: 840 3612 3619




6:15 - 6:30 p.m. Zoom line open to call in (see below if you have problems)


6:30 (Formal start to meeting) Announcements & Introductions (Future NPA topics?)


6:35 Speak-out - General Public


6:45 City Councilors' updates: Priorities for the coming year


7:00 School Board Commissioners: Update on Per Pupil Spending at State level - Kathy
Olwell


7:10 David Schein: Vermont Make Music Day


7:20 UVM Student Government Association: Cyrus Oswald - Key concerns students have
about City


7:35 Housing Panel: Planning Commission members Bruce Baker, Emily Lee, Alex Friend
Housing and development in East District from perspective of 3 members of the Planning
Commission. After discussion, the Assembly will be invited to respond.


8:15 Wards 1 & 8 Budget Proposals.
8:25 Localvore coupons gifts - giveaways to two attendees.


8:30 Adjourn

You can also watch (but not participate) on YouTube Livestream: NPA Wards 1&8 Playlist,
click on upcoming/next meeting: https://youtube.com/playlist?
list=PLljLFn4BZd2Pa3H8l30gy_gZ3NL6orXcN
Minutes: Wards 1 & 8 NPA Meeting - April 13, 2022
In-person location - Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library


Attenders:
Keith Pillsbury
Tom Derenthal
Emily Lee
Angie Chapple-Sokol
Carol Livingston
Jonathan Chapple- Sokol
Cindy Cook
Richard Hillyard
Alex Friend
Kathy Orwell
CJ Knudson
Serrill Flash
Zoraya Hightower
Serrill
Anne Brena
Bill Church
Jean Hopkins
Cyrus Oswald
Jack Hanson
David Cawley
C.J. Knudsen
Sean
Sam Heinrichs
tom derenthal
Alexander Friend (he/him)
Sharon Bushor
kathy olwell
Gail Rafferty


A complete recording of the meeting is available at 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLljLFn4BZd2Pa3H8l30gy_gZ3NL6orXcN


6:30 - Announcements & Introductions & Requests for future topics.
- Future Topics:
 o Richard Hillyard – While the City has taken steps to advance bicycle riding, we have no
 ordinances that regulate cycling. Need Council engagement.
- Speakout / Announcements:
 o CJ Knudson – Vermont Lake Monsters. Last year was the first as part of the Futures League.
 The Monsters won the championship with 11 players from Vermont. The 2022 season starts
 May 27. Last game is August 6th, with 36 home games Games will start at 6:05. Fireworks are
 planned for Jun 11, July 23 and Aug 6th. Movie nights: Aug 19th – Sept 16th [start at 6-7 PM].
 o Gail Rafferty – Brought up a proposed ordinance change that allows camping in City parks.
 The intent is to help those who are houseless. The ordinance would remove a prohibition on
 camping. Neighbors near Smalley Park feel the change will worsen the situation in some
 parks. Even if some parks continue to prohibit camping, effective removal from parks would
 be subject to a 30 day window. So please be aware this change is being considered. The 2
 councilors putting this change forward are Joe McGee and Gene Bergman. City Council’s
 Community Development and Revitalization Committee has taken this under consideration.
 Sarah Carpenter [chair] and Zoraya Hightower are members.
 o Cindy Cook – East Avenue petition requesting traffic calming. The response [from a
 consultant] didn’t meet expectations. Work on East will be integrated with corresponding work
 for Colchester Ave. Looking at alternatives that don’t preclude a North traveling bike lane.
 Also looking for an update on the pedestrian crossing at University Road. Also trying to get
 sidewalk hazards fixed [gaps + ice]. This isn’t on the 2022 schedule as of today.
 o Working with Afgan folks who are in their 20’s who would like to connect with UVM students.

6:45 City Councilors’ updates: Priorities for the coming year
Jack Hanson
- Reorganization day has come. Is the chair of the Transportation, Energy and Utilities
 committee. License and Local Control and Ordinance Committee
- Priorities: Most Council work is in response to what comes up. Personal priorities are climate
 crisis and housing. For example, Jack authorized a resolution to encourage transit funding
 which will maintain bus frequency and keep GMT fare free.
- Questions
 o Cindy Cook – What is Council doing to foster new housing and working with UVM,
 who enrolled ~500 new students this academic year. Jack: Short term rentals does
 have impact. Jack has worked to reduce conversion of long-term to short term units.
 Council and the Admin has make strides with the POD site. Has worked to get rid of
 parking requirements. UVM does want to make changes to the Trinity campus.
 Council has discussed a couple times in executive session. Jack wants the UVM /
 Trinity campus development to move forward. Expects the development to outstrip
 increases in enrollment, so will free some Burlington housing. Please send data that
 you have. Cindy: The Goesbriand parking lot is zoned for housing. This should be
 considered as a project location.
 o Keith – Pillsbury: Living on University Terrace, we live next to a campus of ~2000
 students with few issues. The Trinity campus could handle that many. The number
 being proposed today, 4-500 beds, will do little to fix housing. The area around
 campus has ready access to entertainment and shopping where families and young
 professionals could enjoy the urban life. Instead, we’ve given it up to transitional
 20/21 year olds to enjoy, then they move on. I don’t see how we’re OK with this.
 UVNM has to take more social responsibility and house more of their students,
 particularly when many students come from well off out of state families.
 o Alexander Friend – will hold response until the housing topic.
 o Jonathon – How to make sure all councilors know the meeting start time. Jack:
 Councilors had assumed the meeting start time was unchanged from 7 pm. A quick
 reminder email immediately before the meeting, including the start time, will help.
- Speakout – Dave Cawley – Participates with the community coalition. The Coalition will be
 repeating a community survey with the goal of capturing issues in neighborhoods. The
 Coalition will discussion survey details at their April 22 meeting. More details are available
 at the UVM office of student and community web site. Gail Shampnoi is the founding director.
 Jack: This is a great space to have discussions with UVM.


School Board Commissioners: Update on Per Pupil Spending at State level - Kathy Olwell
- BHS / BTC – five conceptual plans have been released to the BSDVT web site. An
 accompanying survey enables feedback.
- S287 – Weighting study passed unanimously out of the Senate. The bill is in the House. The
 House is considering a completely new approach to funding. The House Ed committee either
 wants to kill [new weights] or something. But the pace is fast with action expected within
 weeks. Kathy to send actions to Carol.


David Schein: Vermont Make Music Day
- Represents Big Heavy World – advocates for music in Vermont. We are participating in project called
 “Make music Vermont day” which is part of an international festival this summer solstice, June 21. We
 are working to get music across the state. There are many places in W18 to have music, including the
 steps of Dewey hall, the ball park… UVM. Music can be anywhere David is looking for a contact to
 work with. His contact info is dafschein@gmail.com 716 640 4639 [or MakeMusicVermont]. VPR and
 FPF are sponsors.
- Comments: Angie Chapple-Sokol – I lived in France for a couple of years. There was a
 music celebration and people were so happy to be there. Part of it was the beginning of
 summer, part was just free music and there was dancing in the streets and joy in the shared
 community activity. Its delighting to hear about this plan.


UVM Student Government Association: Cyrus Oswald –
- Key concerns students have about City included sexual violence, drug harm, Earth Week and
 housing.
- Housing: There was a discussion about students living off campus, the challenges and
 leadtimes required to find an apartment, the lack of quality apartments, landlord sometime
 slow response to issues and neighborhoods.
- The UVM Community Coalition, lead by Gail Shampnoi is a forum designed to help students
 and neighbors maintain good neighborhoods.
- Comments:
 o Cindy Cook – It’s great to have you here, and others from SGA and the broader UVM
 community where can talk together and work out issues, so please come back.
 o Carol Livingston – We heard about the Community Coalition, and it sounds like
 that’s another good intersection where we can jointly struggle with issues around
 housing. Can you talk about quantity and quality of housing and how its
 communicated to landlords. Cyress: There are many stories about bad landlords.
 Sometimes things break and landlords are slow to respond. Carol: How are students
 informed about landlord / tenant issues? Part of the challenge is supply and demand.
 o Alex Friend – How to compare the cost on-campus vs. off-campus. Cyrus: Students
 often choose to live off campus after 2 years. Currently there’s a forced triple
 situation where 3 students live in a 2 person room. Which will cause more strain on
 Burlington housing. Alex: Do students move off campus because its cheaper? Cyress:
 mostly yes
 o Angie – Thanks for coming, this forcould advance a valuable exchange over time.
 The cost of UVM housing, how expensive it is and how limited BTV housing is that
 can be less expensive than UVM, but still affordable [to students]. The Univ. has
 effective rent control over the City. I look forward to the City and UVM talking about
 it at that level… that the UVM cost is so onerous that students use BTV housing as a
 cost reduction measure. This interferes or displaces people who want to or need to
 work here or young families who want a chance to rent or buy a house here. UVM
 has too much control over housing in the City.
 o Tom D. How does the NPA reach out to UVM students? Cyrus: There is no great
 way. Forums like this are good. Students are not on FPF. Perhaps seeking out groups
 with a specific focus may be advantageous
 o Keith Pillsbury: Thanks for letting me participate at SGA meetings when I was a
 school commissioner. Also thanks for coming tonight.
 o Jonathan: Why do students own cars? There are so many. Is club sports a contributor?
 Cyrus: Students need vehicles to access the outdoors. There’s a lack of useful public
 transportation, which is especially challenging to students during inclement weather.
 There’s also a status component of car ownership. UVM discourages bringing a car to
 campus, but off campus students are most likely taking neighborhood parking.

Housing Panel: Keith Pillsbury led a panel discussing the tight housing market in W1&8. The Planning
Commission was represented by Emily Lee and Alex Friend

Keith posed housing question to the panel, including but not limited to the following:
- The Planning Commission [PC] involves much detailed work and understanding complicated
 regulations. It is clearly not a position for everyone. Why have you decided to serve this commission?
- What do you as an individual living in or near the East district think the major development
 and land use issues are for the east district?
- What do you think are impediments to development in the East District to provide more
 housing for non-student residents you probably already said something impediments.
- What development planning is the Commission doing with UVM, the largest employer and
 recruiter in the East District?
- What that would be what recommendations from your studies and plans are you providing
 the city council with for the East District to have more a more balanced mix of student
 transitional renters and long-term renters and owner-occupied living units?

There was much said and with some views more subtle than others. The summary below
captures only the most obvious points. Please listen to the youTube recording to get the entire
conversation.

The panel responded earnestly that our biggest challenges include:
- UVM has an oversize impact on housing and rental rates in Burlington. Housing availability
 is a strong function of UVM’s student population size.
- Students have different financial considerations for housing. While many students depend on
 parents for support, which working families cannot compete with.
- As a City, Burlington has [like many places], an over dependence on cars for transportation
 The space used for cars, may be repurposed to support increased housing.
- Zoning changes are needed to significantly increase housing in W1&8. Increasing housing at
 UVM’s Trinity campus will help to reduce housing pressure, but not make housing
 affordable to working families who want to live in Burlington.

- The Planning Commission has two missions: The primary mission is to review and apply
 Burlington rules to proposed developments. The secondary mission is as an advisory body to
 City Council and City Administration regarding the impacts due to projects and rule changes.

- A number of ideas to help housing were suggested, including a request to UVM to build
 housing for some staff, converting the Trinity campus cottages into open rentals and re-
 vitalizing the Community Project, whereby the City would purchase rental building [as they
 come on the market] and convert them to owner occupied condos and/or long term rentals.

Localvore coupoons:
- Coupons were handed out to those in attendance.

The meeting ended at 8:30 PM


 Wednesday meeting you can access the recording there, too!
 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLljLFn4BZd2Pa3H8l30gy_gZ3NL6orXcN

 NPA Steering Committee
 Tom Derenthal (Ward 1) tomd.npa@gmail.com,
 Carol Livingston (Ward 1) carol.livingston1951@gmail.com,
 Jonathan Chapple-Sokol (Ward 1) chapplesokol.npasc@gmail.com,
 Hannah King (Ward 8) kinghannah190@gmail.com
 Keith Pillsbury (Ward 8) kpillsbury7@gmail.com