At the time the waterfront land was purchased from the Central Vermont
Railway, an "Interim Development Area" of approximately 7 acres was
delineated south of the Urban Reserve and north of Waterfront Park. This area
was not part of the Urban Reserve, and it was intended that development would
occur on this land—with applicable regulatory review—without triggering the
requirement of completing the conservation easement. This land was not intended
to be reserved for conservation uses.
The Interim Development Area (IDA) of the Burlington Waterfront includes land
north of Waterfront Park, from the shoreline to just east of Depot Street and
north to a line running west from the southern end of Lakeview Terrace to the
Lake. The northern boundary of the IDA is shared by the southern boundary of the
Urban Reserve. See map of area in Appendix F.
The IDA is owned by the City except for a .20 acre parcel owned by Frank Von
Turkovich. An easement for the New England Central Railroad runs through the
property along the railroad tracks. Existing uses in the IDA include the Coast
Guard Station, the small boat launch, the Water Treatment Plant, the Water
Department building, the Moran Plant, the equinox sculpture, the Community
Sailing Center, Water Department Park, the Bikepath, informal roads, and an
informal parking area for service vehicles for festivals at Waterfront Park. A
skatepark is permitted but not yet built. Overhead transmission lines run
through the area.
The IDA includes three development zones (refer to map in Appendix C):
- WFC-W Waterfront Commercial West
- WRM Waterfront Residential, Medium Density
- WRC Waterfront Recreation/Conservation/Open Space
In addition, four notable zoning constraints are in place:
- Approximately 2/3 of the IDA is filled land, where only Public Trust uses
are possible.
- A 60’ wide pedestrian/view corridor has been designated extending from
Sherman Street west to the shore.
- Development must be set back 100’ from the lake shore.
- The New England Central Railroad (NECR) has an easement through the area.
The Interim Development Area should be developed in conformance with zoning
requirements for the area. The development should integrate the adaptive reuse
of the Moran Plant, the Skatepark, the bikepath, housing on the Von Turkovich
parcel and other unfilled lands, parking for related uses, and the potential use
of existing NECR tracks for passenger rail service between Burlington and Essex.
Public infrastructure improvements will be needed in the Lake Street
right-of-way to support the development of the IDA. Changes to existing zoning
regulations should be made to make zoning consistent with the Public Trust laws.
The Interim Development Area should be reduced and should not include any area
north of the northern boundary of the former Moran Plant.
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