The Burlington, Vermont City Council held a public hearing Monday night on updates to the city's Open Space Plan, which hasn’t been revised in 25 years.
According to the document, Burlington's Open Space Plan is intended to establish "a framework for conserving, managing and expanding open space across the city.”
City residents packed into council chambers Monday night to discuss the document in the lakeside city that is being squeezed by development.
Before opening the public hearing, Burlington Department of Permitting and Planning Principal Planner Scott Gustin said the new plan builds on the original that was adopted in 2000.
“It has four primary themes. One is conserve and that is to build on the conservation legacy of the existing open space plan. The other is connect. That looks to retain and enhance connections among our green spaces as we host the creation of new homes throughout the city over the coming years. We have experience to enable and enhance access to our variety of open spaces. And finally we have cultivate to support and strengthen our local food systems.”
Agency Landscape and Planning Principal Urban Planner Rhiannon Sinclair provided a short presentation and said open spaces are at the heart of what makes the Queen City special.
“The legacy of open space protection and of conservation has long existed in the city of Burlington and this is a really critical moment to take all of that legacy and assemble that into a new framework for the future of Burlington’s open spaces. And so the purpose of the 2025 Open Space Plan was to focus on creating a framework for the conservation, management and expansion of open space across the city.”
During the formal public hearing, several people spoke about the need for an updated plan.
The Intervale Center is non-profit in Burlington that manages an agricultural and farming center where residents can grow their own food. Land Manager Patrick Dunseith highlighted two strategies critical to the overall plan
“The first of which is a direct quote from the summary page right at the start of the document: This plan is an opportunity to coordinate the many stewards and landowners who contribute to the open space network. And then even more specifically under the conserve section strategy three: to evolve the Conservation Legacy Fund to be flexible to changing needs. This is really critical and in my mind is the first step to enabling the Open Space Plan.”
Following public comments North District Democrat Mark Barlow quipped that this was one of the most attended public hearing since he’s been on the council, indicating the importance of open spaces. But he also expressed concerns about some of the updates.
“One of the issues that is touched upon in the document that I’m still very concerned about is the use of our open space land for informal camping because of the conflicts that camping creates with other uses and activities. And because of the messes and hazards that are left when these campsites are abandoned, we should implement policy changes in some open spaces that have been significantly impacted by camping especially in the Urban Reserve. I feel we need to be much more intentional and prescriptive about where camping is allowed.”
Councilors approved scheduling a second and final public hearing on the plan and possible adoption on January 12th
