[S]OUTH BURLINGTON — The University of Vermont announced a buyer for 44 acres of undeveloped land that the university has said will likely be developed as housing.
UVM selected Eastern Development Corp. from four companies that responded to a request for proposals, according to spokesman Enrique Corredera. The terms of the sale are still being negotiated, Corredera said, and few details are currently available.
Eastern was chosen based on the criteria that included their “development experience, development concept, amenities, history of stewardship and community interest, and positive benefits for UVM, the city of South Burlington,” according to a news release.
The South Burlington Land Trust said UVM’s plans to sell took them by surprise when it was first announced in August, and said they hoped to make an argument for conserving the land.
“They kind of treat their lands as a land bank,” said Sarah Dopp, the land trust’s president, at that time. “I never knew how quite literally they meant that until now.”
The university has said it’s selling the land in order to make strategic investments in its continued growth.
The property UVM is selling has two sections. The largest, the Edlund South Tract, is 34 acres, largely wooded and bordered by Spear Street and Potash Brook. The 10-acre Martin Tract is mostly fields on the north side of Swift Street, near UVM’s Wheelock Farm.
The college uses the farm for agricultural cropland and research; it also contains a 12-plot community garden. UVM has said the sale won’t include the farm or garden.
The Edlund South Tract is zoned for institutional and agricultural use, while the Martin Tract is zoned to allow for a maximum of four residential units per acre. City officials said they’ve had initial conversations with UVM about changing the zoning for that land.
Any changes would need to be approved by the Planning Commission and then the City Council.
Eastern also plans to purchase an additional 22 acres of land at 150 Swift St. located between the Edlund South parcel and East Woods Natural Area, bringing the total acreage of the project to 66 acres, according to Corredera.
UVM and the development company are planning to solicit input from South Burlington residents as to what they would like to see included in the project, he said.
“The combination of these parcels enables the construction of needed housing, the enhancement of East Woods Natural Area, and the expansion of the regional network of public walkways and bike paths,” Corredera said in a statement.
