Cambrian Rise, the development at the old Burlington College site on North Avenue, will be adding more housing units as it adjusts its plans to include smaller residences.
The council unanimously approved the request from Eric Farrell, the site’s developer, to increase the density on the site from 770 to 950 units.
Farrell wrote in a memo to City Council President Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, that the developers were planning on redesigning floor plans to make units smaller and increasing the height of some buildings to the limit allowed in the zoning district for the 14-building site.
The increase in housing units would help address the city’s housing crisis, Farrell wrote.
“Increasing the allowable residential density at Cambrian Rise from 770 to 950 units represents an indisputable WIN-WIN for all stakeholders,” he wrote.
Councilor Brian Pine, P-Ward 3, said the request from Cambrian Rise was a reconfiguration of the plans in response to shifting demand in the housing market.
“It’s really a response to real significant changes in the market, not due to Covid but due to the notion of micro-units, and people choosing to live in much smaller housing units than we’ve ever seen in Burlington before,” he said.
The council also passed an amendment, supported by Farrell, that decouples the cost of a parking space from the cost of housing for leases starting in July or later. That amendment passed in a 9-3 vote.
The requirement does not apply to the properties run by Cathedral Square and the Champlain Housing Trust.
Farrell said the increase in the number of units will be driven largely by the reduction in the size of units, not in the increases in the heights of the buildings.
“The increase in density is largely driven by the reduction of the size of units,” he said. “Buildings grow, and shrink, and change size and shape based on market conditions. We’ll build this project out over several years, and it will go through iterations over those years, all within what’s allowed in zoning in that particular district.”
Earlier during Monday’s meeting, Jeff Glassberg, the consultant working for the city on the CityPlace project, cautioned councilors that he was skeptical that construction would be able to start this year.
Brookfield, the project’s developer, had aimed to start construction this August, and told VTDigger earlier this month that the company still hoped to do so despite the pandemic. The company unveiled a new plan for a 10-story building that includes a hotel late last year.
“The developer continues to express confidence in Burlington and in the project over the long term, however, I’m a realist, and I believe some new challenges may lie ahead,” Glassberg said.
The health of downtown retail businesses and ability to obtain financing for the project are two concerns, Glassberg said.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is the leading office space tenant for the project, and the UVM Health Network projected a $152 million loss this year due to Covid-19.
“The long-term health of UVMMC and their need for office and administrative space is something that may be questioned in the near term,” he said.
There has not been significant progress on the project since March, Glassberg said, as Brookfield has not filed permit applications for the site.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the vote on the resolution to increase the density at Cambrian Rise. It was unanimous and included Councilor Jack Hanson, P-East District.
