[T]he city of Burlington is hiring a consultant to oversee the $242 million CityPlace Burlington development and coordinate between the city and developer Don Sinex.
The project will include nearly 300 residential units and retail and office space, using $220 million in private funding and in $21.8 million in public money. City Council gave Sinex approval to pour the site’s foundation in August, but that work is yet to begin.
The city’s Board of Finance approved a motion Monday night to pay Jeff Glassberg of Renaissance Development Co. $70,000 for a 10-month term starting Sept. 1 and running through June 30, 2019.
Glassberg will “provide sustained overall leadership to the project team, interact with the developer and facilitate progress among the many parties with interests in the project,” according to a memo prepared by the city’s Community & Economic Development Office for the Board of Finance.
Funding for Glassberg will come from the $903,000 “related costs” budget from the TIF bond approved by voters for the project and will not increase project costs.
In August, city officials said developer Don Sinex was in a dispute with the project’s general contractor, PC Construction. Mayor Miro Weinberger downplayed those concerns.
Sinex has said the unexpected discovery of asbestos and lawsuits from project opponents delayed the scheduled opening of retail outlets in the development, from January or February of 2020 to the fall of 2020.
While the city had retained consultants through the completion of the development agreement in October 2017, CEDO’s interim director Neale Lunderville had been overseeing the project since then with “little assistance,” according to the memo.
Lunderville said working on the project was taking up to three-quarters of his time some weeks. This made it difficult for him to focus on other priorities, such as overseeing other redevelopment projects, improving the office’s civic engagement, and working on affordable housing.
The project is much bigger than the CEDO office is used to overseeing, Lunderville said.
“The complexity and size of this project mean that we need to bring in some outside support,” he said.
The city is also trying to ensure a smooth transition on the project when the city hires a new CEDO director. Lunderville is serving in an interim role and plans on leaving the position at the end of the year.
Lunderville said everyone had expected more progress on CityPlace over the summer, and that the city was eager to see foundation work start as soon as possible.
“Every sector, in every industry, people have styles and personalities,” he said. “I think it is important to look at what’s been done and what is being done to really gauge how the project is going and how to best evaluate the project.”
Glassberg will review and approve all expenses submitted by the developer and will be the point of contact between the developer and the city. He has also worked with the city on ongoing Memorial Auditorium renovation project and an analysis of the Burlington Community Development Corp.
“This project will be another one when he will be sure to put his time and talent to good use for us,” Lunderville said.
Glassberg plans to work 12 to 15 hours a week, Lunderville said. The memo notes that Glassberg will be offering his services at a discounted rate compared to the rate the city paid its prior consultant.
Weinberger said during the Board of Finance meeting that Glassberg has been an efficient consultant in his other dealings with the city.
Sinex said Glassberg was “great guy” who he looked forward to working with on the project but that he had no further comment.
Glassberg did not immediately return requests for comment.
The project is also the subject of ongoing litigation from opponents who say Sinex violated an agreement with them when he got city approval to change parking plans without notifying them.
The city, which argues it followed its notification procedure and was not required to specifically notify the project’s opponents per the settlement agreement, filed a motion to dismiss the case which is currently under consideration following a Sept. 14 hearing.
