This story by Liberty Darr was first published in the Other Paper on August 1.
South Burlington is eyeing a city green.
As the city continues to expand and grow, it’s exploring a place for residents to kick back, to talk to each other and to escape the hustle and bustle of an urban life.
Most towns and cities around Vermont have a designated green space, like a village green, that often serves as a place for community activities like farmers’ markets or informal gatherings.
While there have been recommendations in previous city plans to create such a green space, Ilona Blanchard, the city’s community development director, said this is the first time the city has looked at the idea as a standalone project and not in conjunction with other developmental plans.
Since the process is still in the conceptual phase, the city hasn’t settled on a location or secured funding. Current possibilities are all directly within City Center, Blanchard said.
“It is still very conceptual,” she said.
The city has engaged a consultant, Wagner Hodgson, to help find the optimal location for a city green.
The city council approved roughly $35,000 in American Rescue Plan Act pandemic funding last year to hire the consultant. But since the city doesn’t own any of the land save for city hall and the surrounding roads in City Center, any location might have to be purchased by the city or offered through a public-private partnership, she said.
In May, roughly two dozen participants offered feedback at a public outreach event hosted by the city, and several ideas rose to the top: a big, green, open space surrounded by trees amid the buildings, and expansive walkways and seating areas with decorative lights. Other things like splash pads and tents with the possibility of live music were other heavy hitters.
Participants found less favor with park amenities like swings and slides, Blanchard said.
“It’s important that this conversation happen now because as the community grows and properties redevelop more and more of the downtown area, there will become less and less real estate available for projects like this,” she said.
Community activists and city officials have long advocated for a designated space to help create more of a community feel amid development and growth, and such a green space would add to the working landscape and creation of a diverse village streetscape.
“This can be a central location where people hang out and meet people and strengthen the community in that way,” Blanchard said. “So, while we do have many parks in the area and seating and trees and so forth, this can become a location where people know they’ll run into other people.”
Securing funding — and land — would not be addressed by city council until a final recommendation is made.
An initial location and recommendation will be presented to the public on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Residents are encouraged to offer feedback as the project needs input from those who will utilize it the most: the city’s residents.
Blanchard said they hope to make a final recommendation to the council in the fall.
“If this is something that the community intends to and wants to invest in, that decision should be made soon,” she said.
