Updated: The City Council voted Monday night 8-2 to amend the city’s agreement with developer Don Sinex to allow the pouring of the foundation for CityPlace Burlington.
[T]he developer of a major project in Burlington has delayed again the planned opening of retail stores in the new downtown complex. In addition, developer Don Sinex is reportedly in a dispute with the project’s general contractor, PC Construction, according to two city officials.
Sinex of Devonwood Investors LLC in New York is leading a $225 million project that would replace the former downtown indoor mall adjacent to the Church Street Marketplace and several surrounding buildings with more than 350,000 square feet of office and retail space and almost 300 apartments. Some of the buildings will be 14 stories tall.
Demolition of the site was recently completed, but Sinex said the unexpected discovery of asbestos and lawsuits from project opponents delayed the scheduled opening. In May, he predicted retail outlets would open in January or February of 2020. He told WCAX on Friday that retail won’t be ready until the fall of 2020.
Mayor Miro Weinberger, a supporter of the project, who helped broker a development agreement between the city and Sinex, downplayed concerns about the delays.
“Clearly some of the timelines have been slipping and it’s not ideal,” he said, but added any major project the size of CityPlace would have problems and delays.
The City Council Monday night will discuss in executive session with Sinex whether to give him approval to lay the foundation for the development, a $16 million project in itself, without having met all the deadlines required in the agreement with Burlington, including not yet obtaining full financing for the entire project. (Any vote would have to happen in open session after the executive session.)
Councilors also hope to get a general update on the project.
Councilor Jane Knodell and Council President Kurt Wright said on Monday that Sinex and PC Construction were having difficulties.
“I know they’re having a dispute,” Knodell said, “and they need to work it out and either they will or they won’t, but they need to work it out.”
Wright said he was also aware their were “problems” between the developer and PC Construction. Neither would characterize the nature of the dispute.
Sinex could not be reached Monday for comment. Efforts to reach a PC Construction spokesperson were not successful Monday afternoon.
Weinberger said any disputes between the developer and contractor were a private matter and not the city’s responsibility.
“I’m not overly surprised or unduly concerned there might be issues that have to be resolved on a project of this sort of scale,” said Weinberger, who developed housing projects before becoming mayor.
Weinberger did say delays in the opening of retail and any delays in construction could be disruptive to downtown businesses. Overall, the mayor said he believed the project was making significant progress.
“I hope it’s just a bump in the road,” said Wright. He said Sinex told him last week that retail would not be opening until the fall of 2020. Originally it was hoped retail could open in the fall of 2019 until the asbestos was found earlier this year.
It is unclear what the additional delay might mean for Sinex’s deal with the University of Vermont Medical Center, which signed on to be a primary tenant for office space in the new complex.
UVM Medical Center officials have said they expected to move into the downtown site soon after the leases expired at other locations in January 2019. Sinex has said the retail space would open first.
