City still looking at downtown retail options

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

    It’s been several years since Burlington began its downtown redevelopment.

    First came the new parking garage, and with it, the Hampton Inn.

    What was supposed to follow was a retail development – one with an atrium and central area, one that appeared ready to make with tenants lined up.

    But as Tom Stelling and Bill Stone, the two most visible members of Burlington Core Group II explained Tuesday evening at the Community Development Authority meeting, that just has not happened.

    As the two explained last year, a soft market – and planned medicine-related tenants who have now balked because of the Affordable Care Act – the retail space just cannot be developed as planned.

    “Some decisions need to be made,” said Stone at the meeting.

    By a unanimous vote, the CDA approved a one-month extension on the option to the Core Group II, giving the city and the group until May 30 to react an agreement on sale of the property to the development team.

    Right now, it looks like the best possible chance to develop the space would be to create another new multi-family dwelling. But placing new apartments in that space continues to draw concern about parking in the downtown area.

    While City Administrator Kevin Lahner said the parking situation could be addressed, others questioned whether or not the parking structure could handle the load.

    But more to the point of Stelling and Stone was the amount of time, effort and money the development group has put into the retail possibility.

    “We’ve invested a lot of time, energy and money,” Stelling said. “We’re not real happy at the idea of that disappearing at the end of the month.”

    With the extension, the Core Group and the City will now work together to create an option that will allow the Core Group to purchase that land and continue with plans to develop it. At the very least, they will improve the space – currently covered with gravel – and pay taxes on the land.

    “It’s a pretty pragmatic decision,” said Lahner to CDA members in terms of making a call to try and get something done with the land.

    And as Stone put it, the major decision now seems to be whether the city wants to see more residential space in the downtown area.

    “I think the core decision is whether you want apartments down there,” he said.