The new owners of the long-stalled CityPlace development told the Burlington City Council on Monday night that construction would begin this fall.
“All I can say is, ‘It’s about time,’” said Dave Farrington, a local construction executive and member of the CityPlace Partners ownership group.
Earlier Monday, CityPlace Partners filed a building permit with the city to begin construction, according to Farrington and Mayor Miro Weinberger.
The developers also announced at Monday night’s meeting that they had reached a partnership agreement with Champlain Housing Trust to incorporate 85 units of affordable housing into the project.
Michael Monte, the trust’s CEO, called the deal a “unique and great opportunity to build affordable housing in downtown Burlington.” Monte referred to the affordable portion of the development as “CityPlace West.”
The developers described to the council the relief they felt last month upon settling lawsuits that had held up construction.
“We were handed a mess when we bought this thing,” Farrington said.
CityPlace Partners includes Farrington, who owns Farrington Construction; Al Senecal, owner of Omega Electrical Construction Co.; and Scott Ireland, owner and president of S.D. Ireland Construction. The trio bought a 50% stake in the project last year and the rest of it earlier this year from Don Sinex, the project’s original developer.
Monday’s presentation to the council was informational only and the public body took no action, though it entered into executive session to discuss the matter. Weinberger noted that the council would need to take action to amend a development agreement and timelines related to the construction contract. He said he hoped for more council action related to the development at next week’s meeting.
Conceived in 2014 as a 14-story mixed-use development featuring apartments, hotel rooms, office space and retail, CityPlace soon stalled over a variety of issues, including financing, local opposition and disagreements with the city — but not before Sinex razed large portions of the Burlington Town Center mall. An empty lot, known as “the pit,” has occupied the space ever since.
Farrington told the council on Monday that, soon after he and his partners took over the project earlier this year, they reengaged with design teams and started working on permits. The first of those would allow crews to start foundation work.
“We’re planning on building this exactly as it was permitted originally,” Farrington said.
That plan called for over 420 housing units with ground-floor retail that would circle the block. Roughly 420 parking spaces would be included with the project as well. Saint Paul Street and Pine Street, long divided by the former mall, would be reconnected.
While CityPlace developers plan to construct the foundation for the affordable units, the rest of that construction would be completed by the housing trust. According to Weinberger, Sinex himself had planned to build the affordable units.
The mayor also said that the new owners’ partnership with the housing trust would lead to one of the largest affordable housing developments in the city in decades.
Monte said the rents would be “deeply affordable.” According to him, at least 20 percent of those living in the affordable units in the development would be “formerly houseless.”
Monte said the housing trust was still working through a variety of possible funding sources, but he said he was confident that his organization would get to the finish line.
“We have not started a project like this without finishing,” Monte said.