What happens next?

Now that we've held two community meetings to provide guidance for the Citizens' Committee on the Champlain Parkway, we're ready to get to work! Here's what will happen over the next three or four months:

We build the committee.  Now that both meetings are done, we’ll sit down and take a look at the names of all the folks who offered to serve on the committee.  From those names, we’ll do our best to identify seven or eight people who, taken together, represent the full range of needs and interests related to this project.  We will then contact those folks and ask them to serve, and we’ll also contact everyone else who volunteered to thank them for being willing.

Report from first two community meetings

The community meetings on March 15 and 16 were a big success!  The first meeting -- focused on residents' concerns -- attracted about 15 or 20 people, and we spent an hour and a half identifying community needs that should be taken into account in the final design, should the project be built.  Some of the needs and ideas included:

• Safe crossings for pedestrians at all intersections
• Continuous sidewalks and bike paths along the entire length of the project (including upper Pine Street)
• Good lighting and attractive landscaping throughout
• Measures to minimize infiltration of truck noise into neighborhoods
• Careful integration of public transit stops and facilities

Here's a link to some TV coverage from WCAX from the first meeting.

The second meeting -- focused on local business issues -- brought up many of the same ideas and needs.  In particular, there was strong support among business owners for a highly pedestrian-friendly design along Pine Street.  In addition, business owners focused on the following:

• Careful phasing and management of construction so as to minimize impacts on business revenues
• Improvement of parking along Pine Street

What is the Citizens' Committee?

The Champlain Parkway (aka the Southern Connector) has been an ongoing issue for Burlington's South End for over 40 years.  After all these years, it is anyone's guess as to whether it will ever be built.  However, the project recently reached a major milestone with regard to approvals from the Federal government and is probably as close as it has ever been to becoming a reality.  The bottom line is, we as a community do not want to be caught unprepared if it does in fact get built this time around.  

To this end, three Burlington organizations -- the South End Arts and Business Association (SEABA), the Ward 5 Neighborhood Planning Assembly (NPA), and Local Motion -- are working together to convene a "Citizens Committee on the Champlain Parkway."  This informal group will meet over the next few months to review the plan for the Connector with three questions in mind:

·         How can the project be made to protect and restore neighborhood quality of life throughout the South End?

·         How can the project be made to enhance the local business climate and increase commercial property values along Pine Street and surrounding commercial areas?

·         How can the project be made to improve safety and create a more attractive environment throughout the immediate project corridor for people on foot, on bike, and in wheelchairs?