[B]URLINGTON — The Burlington City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the proposed “Frame” renovation plan for the Moran Plant.
The plan calls for a partial demolition of the building that would strip it to its frame and create a multi-use space. The “Frame” concept would cost about the same as a full demolition, and allow the city to use the currently vacant space.
The city first pitched the idea for the building on the Lake Champlain waterfront in December.
Voters have already approved setting aside Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the project and would not have to pay more. In 2014, voters approved that funding for either the earlier version of Moran redevelopment, or demolition and site stabilization if the council determined the project was not feasible.
The city loses authorization for the funds if not bonded by the end of the year.
The city plans on using $3.4 million in TIF fundings and a $2 million loan from the U.S. Department of Urban Development to pay for the project.
Voters approved $9.6 million in tax increment financing for waterfront development in 2014. The other funding went toward waterfront projects like the skate park and sailing center.
The city has $5.6 million currently available for Moran, and if the funds are not bonded by the end of the year, the city will have to return 70 percent to the state, Mayor Miro Weinberger said.
Moran has stood unoccupied since 1986, and a number of redevelopment concepts were discussed but never enacted. The most recent of these efforts was a redevelopment project led by nonprofit New Moran Inc., which was discontinued in 2017 when the city felt the financial risk was too steep to continue.
Demolition of the building would have cost between $4.3 million and $11.6 million, according to an analysis completed by the city’s Community & Economic Development Office.
Councilor Dave Hartnett said he thought the Frame concept would enhance the waterfront and would be more advantageous than complete demolition.
“I think we’re at a place now where it might not be perfect, but for me personally, it is time to act, it is time to move,” he said.
Burlington resident Chris Flynn raised some questions about the project’s financing during Tuesday’s Board of Finance meeting which were also discussed during the council meeting.
The city said at the December meeting that it had $5.4 million in TIF funding available. Since then, the city has studied the available funding more closely and determined that $5.6 million was available.
Councilor Karen Paul said that while the additional capacity was good news, she said it was disconcerting that the figure had changed after the $5.4 million number had been discussed over a period of months.
Weinberger said there was no scenario in which the city would be returning to the council and asking for more funding for this stage of the project.
“Fundamentally, yes, this project is on sound financial footing,” he said.
It’s possible that the city could do more with the site after the initial partial demolition creates the bare-bones structure. For example, the city could build elevated viewing decks, an ice rink, a stage for the summer, or a large children’s playground.
Hartnett said that funding for any next steps remains an open question, and the council should be clear with taxpayers how it will pay for any additional work on the project.
“I think this is a great project, it is a start, it gives us many opportunities,” he said.
Weinberger said there was a chance the city is never able to find the funding to do some of the more ambitious potential future phases. Either way, he said he was excited about the project, even if only the initial frame concept comes to fruition.
“If all we do is that, which is what tonight’s vote is about, it would be a vast, vast improvement over what we have there today,” he said.
This story has been updated to clarify the language of the 2014 ballot item on Moran redevelopment.
