Moran Plant Redevelopment

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Your Ideas and Comments: July 11, 2005 - Part II

Thank you to all who have submitted ideas for the future of Moran!!

I believe that the waterfront needs to be open to everyone in Burlington. There are so many buildings devoted to pay-as-you-go (ECHO, the new complex now going up along Battery St., parking, ferry boats and cruise rides). Please keep the area open, with parks, plantings native to this area, inconspicuous benches, unpaved trails throughout. I look to the rambles in Central Part in New York City for what I�d love to see at the waterfront. That area where the plan is open area for trees, shrubs, quiet space, no statues, labyrinths, sundials, just natural plantings, maybe a bench or two.

It should be taken down�replaced with an outdoor skating rink (i.e., the oval in Lake Placid or the ice at Rockefeller Center) for winter use�am amphitheater for summer concerts (VSO, Mozart, etc.) to replace Battery Park which is too small. Dave Achereman

A �nightclub� that is substance fee and open late. Music/dancing/coffee/books/litefare/open to all ages/videos/computers. �It will be a great day when the bars close at 9 pm and the libraries are open until 2 am. (paraphrase from Dugg Napp). Maybe with different spaces for different ages/days/functions; maybe a �members only club� like a co-op: flat rate; discounted rates and �credit� towards fees for working. Cynthia Grace; 21 yr. Resident of Burlington (LCMHC, LADC)

An Energy Conservation Museum. Burlington can use more interactive museums and this location pairs wonderfully with ECHO. Maintain the building, but amend parts of it to represent various options for current commercial and residential construction focused on conservation. People should be able to come to get ideas on how their own buildings/houses could be built or redone. There would be other exhibits focused on forms of energy conservation in daily living. The site could also involve research centers for developing new technologies. Interested partners could be local educational institutions, Burlington Electric, VT Gas, Efficiency VT, and local energy entrepreneurs.

Please tear it down (Moran Plant). Clean the area up and let�s enjoy the view before we make any hasty decisions. For me, I�d love to see the open space . . .

I think the building as it stands is ordinary. It will take imagination and vision to make it otherwise�perhaps it should be torn down and the area given a new start. I do like the YMCA staying in the City. I did not see the vision the YMCA had for the building.

Take it down and put up a nice boat house with dockins for 200 boar. Look at money that would bring in. In Boat House a dining room for 300 people with grass and parking for cars. This would bring in 75 new jobs. Mr. Robert Phelps.

Committee to review ideas �must� include Sandy Baird, Maurice Mahoney and Kurt Wright. Commit to an expansion of Public Trust Doctrine to see if it attracts new proposals. Another public marina with pier and craft and food shops including a restaurant. If Moran cannot be incorporated into realistic plans, it should be removed.

1. Tear it down except for small sailing center slash yacht club. 2. Retrofit for small shopping center with a nice blend of shops, bars, a casino, restaurants. H. Wick M.D.

Tear it down! Tear it down! Tear it down! Katherine F. Gilleland

Process Art: The Vermont Contemporary Art Center. The old Moran Generating Plant would become a new art center that will generate new ideas and creativity for Burlington and Vermont. At the heart of the new, restored generating plant wProcess Art: The Vermont Contemporary Art Center. The old Moran Generating Plant would become a new art center that will generate new ideas and creativity for Burlington and Vermont. At the heart of the new, restored generating plant would be a museum dedicated to contemporary art of Vermont and of the world. This museum would have a permanent collection as well as temporary space for traveling and special shows. The museum will also consist of artist studio spaces that the public will be able to observe and experience the process of an artist. The art center would invite well known artist to work for a few months time in these studios and create art that will be later exhibited at the center. There would also be a large amount of smaller artist studios in the art center that would be rented out local artist. The center will strive to become the new epicenter of the art scene in Burlington. The artist that work there would contribute art to small galleries on the ground floor. The ground floor would be all glass inviting the public in. The ground floor will house a museum store, cafes, restaurants, and other retail opportunities. The glass base will give the building a feeling of lightness and create an active pedestrian environment. The roof of the building can become a sculpture garden that would also double as public viewing platform of the beautiful views of Lake Champlain. The art center will also have an art school that will give the public the chance to not only see art but to create it as well. The visiting artist could be part of this school giving workshops and classes. Theater spaces would also be added to hold lectures for artist, movie screenings, and plays to add to the depth of the creative spirit. The Vermont International Film Foundation could be housed in the center and show films there creating a center hub for the festival. The plant building would be restored with modern architectural elements added to create a powerful architectural statement. The interior of the building would be divided up into large, light filled spaces keeping a lot of the old elements of the building like brick and steel. Sense the spaces are simple rooms it could be cheap and efficiently converted to an art center. Other cities around the world have transformed old industrial spaces into new thriving art communities. Examples are: MASS MOCA-www.massmoca.org, DIA BEACON www.diabeacon.org, TATE MODERN www.tate.org.uk/modern, to name a few. The Vermont Contemporary Art Center will be the merging of the old and new to create a thriving, colorful community. Not only will the center highlight Vermont art and artist but will bring world class art to Vermont for everyone to enjoy. Kyle L. Nelson

Tear it down�replace with a museum�interactive, etc., to anchor the northend of the waterfront�focus on other uses from the past shipping, lumber, wars�the �people aspect of the waterfront.

No more buildings! Instead�some sort of natural habitat. A well-maintained city park for the public with nice landscaping, flower gardens, trees, etc. like the Boathouse area already has with perhaps something like a mini (NY City) Central Park area would be appreciated and enjoyed. CT Wheeler

I cast my vote for tearing down the Moran Plant. It will cost, but so did buying out the lease to Mesa. In this case, money should not hold back on what is necessary to rid the waterfront of an obsolescent eyesore. I think a beautiful stretch of open land would a wonderful addition to the area, enjoyable by all. We don�t need anymore building there �we have enough�. Marilyn Stout, Burlington resident.

A complement to ECHO Science Center would be the Lake Champlain Maritime Center/Museum.

Thank you for listening. I live in the projects, but I don�t want to, but the rents are too high. If taxes were lower, rents would be too. If there were fewer city government programs and services or less expensive ones, taxes could be lower. So I say, sell the land. Control less and charge us less. (less charge more life?)

Incubator space. Burlington lacks lowcost (<200$ per month) incubator space for artist, engineers, software developer, media manipulates, other creative technical types. Renovate the Moran Plant into a variety of these spaces. Someplace with internet, water and lockable rooms. User can do a month to month rent. Soundproof and different levels of industrialness would be . . . consideration. Keep it raw. Call it �the Plant�.

Bulldoze it, make it into an extension of greenspace. Maybe gentle rolling hills. 2. Also, possibly make it into a boat friendly dock, accessible to canoes, kayaks, small crafts.

I would like to see the Moran Plant torn down and in its place I would like to see a park that would be open to the public. Most importantly: My family does not want to see a facility/building that will draw a lot of cars. We would like to see a park that is accessed by bikes or other non-motorized modes of transport.

Sailing Center. Maritime Museum.

Still can�t let go of YMCA. What else could foster community well being accessible to all no matter income, age, culture? If not the YMCA�a spot for everyone �community center with cultural, sports, ethnic, arts, music and fitness facilities, events, boating, ice skating.

Multi-use tax producing facility�marina, hotel, amphitheatre, offices, dining, museum (children�s). *Facility must pay taxes.

Tear the building down. It�s an eyesore. Make a water park with an enclosed portion for the winter. This will attract a lot more people to the waterfront. Also, make more daily boat slips available for people who want to visit Burlington to go to a restaurant or sightsee or shop.

Unless I know what the inside of the building looks like. I couldn�t possibly guess what could be done with it�Is there any possibility of converting it to a multipurpose use for teens who seem to be getting into more problems like arson on a private beach which could have burned down neighboring homes, etc., during a dry spell? A concerned citizen.

Page last updated July 11, 2005

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