[B]URLINGTON — The city is considering a new plan for the Moran Plant that would partially demolish the waterfront building but leave up its frame to create an open structure that would be used for events.
The frame concept would cost about the same as a complete demolition and would allow the city to continue using the space, according to Neale Lunderville, the interim director of the city’s Community and Economic Development Office.
The plan — outlined to the city council by Lunderville Monday night — is the most recent in a string of ideas stretching back decades to revitalize the old industrial plant on the city’s waterfront.
The city had worked for years with a nonprofit, New Moran Inc., on a major renovation and then a scaled-down project, both of which fell through. After the most recent scaled-down plan was scrapped, the city started to consider demolition of the building.
Under the new plan, the city would remove most of the building’s brick exterior and reveal the building’s frame. The space would be used as a one-floor, open-air covered events facility.
City voters have already approved setting aside $5.4 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the project, and would not have to pay any more. But that funding was approved in 2014 for an earlier version of a Moran redevelopment, and must be bonded by December 31, 2019, or the city loses authorization for the funds.
The city estimates the frame concept would cost between $5.2 million and $5.4 million.
Lunderville said the plan would retain the building’s character while making it a must-visit destination in town.
“We believe that this delivers greater community value than full demolition,” he said. “This partial demolition to reveal this community icon, it’s sort of like a sculptor with a block of marble that we need to pair back to find the beauty in there.”
The plant, located right on Lake Champlain, was in operation from 1954 to 1986 but has sat empty since. After the city’s agreement with New Moran Inc. fell through in September 2017, the city did a study that determined demolition would cost between $3.9 million and $10.7 million.
Councilors expressed universal support for the idea during the meeting, voting unanimously to send the issue to the council’s parks, arts and culture committee. Lunderville said CEDO can come back to the council in early 2019 with a work plan aiming to meeting the TIF deadline at the end of 2019.
Mayor Miro Weinberger said he was encouraged by the council’s reaction to the plan.
“It’s a very pragmatic approach.” he said. “It’s an approach that is focused on getting the resolution the people of Burlington want in the near-term.”
Councilor Dave Hartnett said he has been skeptical about renovating Moran, but he liked this plan and thought it could be accomplished in a timely manner.
“I think it’s realistic, I think it’s affordable and I think it’s doable,” he said. “And I don’t think we’ve heard that in a long time when we’ve talked about Moran.”
Councilor Sharon Bushor was very optimistic about the plan.
“I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself,” Bushor said. “I love the way you think out of the box.”
Councilor Max Tracy raised a question about the public process, asking Lunderville how CEDO plans to solicit feedback from the public since the March 2014 vote to approve TIF funding was for a very different proposal.
Lunderville said the city attorney’s office believes the language put before voters was broad enough that the updated plan would not have to go to another vote. Lunderville said the city was mindful of the time crunch with the impending TIF deadline but was planning on soliciting public feedback.
The facility would be managed by the waterfront division of the city’s public works department. The concept would allow the city to do additions to the structure moving forward, but these would cost more than the $5.4 million currently set aside for it.
For example, an ice rink could be added to the building for winter use.
The city still has to decide how much of the building’s brick exterior would be retained in the partial demolition. Lunderville said the brick would be ornamental.
Weinberger said other recent improvements along the waterfront, such as the building of a skate park, sailing center, bike path and soon-to-open marina, makes the unoccupied Moran building stand out.
“It’s more unacceptable than ever that this building is sitting there abandoned, unimproved, and I think this plan gives us a path to address that in a focused, immediate period of time,” he said.
