New Street Proposal to City, Vermont Agency of Transportation and Federal Highway Officials

Let’s shape a street the City can love!

                                     PINE STREET COALITION PROPOSAL:

NEW STREET

                     …An economically viable, environmentally sound alternative to the

 “Champlain Parkway/Southern Connector"

NEW STREET is the forward-thinking transportation alternative to the stalled, obsolete Champlain Parkway/Southern Connector project. NEW STREET incorporates many  elements of the plan, so can proceed to construction with minimal additional state and federal review. 

NEW STREET eliminates previous safety, environmental and social justice roadblocks, addressing much community opposition which has until now stymied the Champlain Parkway. 

NEW STREET protects the safety of travelers (vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists) and vulnerable adjacent populations. It bolsters long-term sustainability and development of Burlington's South End. We anticipate that NEW STREET should cost millions less to build than the proposed Champlain Parkway project. The New Street design cuts 1.5 lane-miles of roadway construction, maintenance, and storm-water infrastructure.

NEW STREET incorporates the most recent Environmental Justice initiatives from the Federal Highway Administration, thus avoiding disproportionate impact to Burlington's predominant minority and low-income neighborhoods.  NEW STREET responds to the Climate Emergency resolution adopted by the Burlington City Council on 9/23/19 and signed by the Mayor on 9/25/19. New Street reduces pavement,  promotes bike and pedestrian travel, and protects the Englesby Brook natural wildlife corridor.

                           NEW STREET OUTLINE: SECTION by SECTION 

1. RESTORE and REFURBISH as a two-way, two-lane road the EXISTING PORTION of the never-completed SOUTHERN CONNECTOR. This runs from I-189 at Route 7 to Home Avenue. 

A roundabout intersection at south end of Pine Street retains connection between I-189, Queen City Park Road and South Burlington. LARGE TRUCK traffic, is REROUTED to the restored CONNECTOR roadway. Automobiles, light trucks, and bikes may travel this route or travel NORTH on PINE, and WEST or EAST on QUEEN CITY PARK ROAD.

From the Pine Street roundabout to Flynn Avenue the road will be posted as “TRUCK ROUTE.” The restored road ends at HOME AVENUE.

A sidewalk and separate bikeway is built on the west side of the restored connector from Pine Street to Home Avenue.

2.   NEW STREET FROM HOME AVE TO FLYNN AVE

Beginning on NEW STREET, at the intersection of restored CONNECTOR and HOME AVENUE, light trucks, cars and bicycles may travel NORTH or SOUTH on NEW STREET, or EAST or WEST on HOME AVENUE.  LARGE TRUCKS continue SOUTH ON NEW STREET which ends at FLYNN AVENUE.

A new intersection on NEW STREET serves as entrance to CITY MARKET and PETRA CLIFFS businesses.

Between HOME  AVENUE AND FLYNN AVENUE the sidewalk and separate bikeway continue on the West (City Market) side of NEW STREET as well a sidewalk on the East side.   

NEW STREET replaces BRIGGS STREET and a small section of BATCHELDER STREET in the new design remains as in the current design on the east side for residences access to the adjacent Addition road network.

From NEW STREET intersection with Flynn Avenue cars and light trucks will be routed  WEST and EAST on Flynn and SOUTH on NEW STREET. LARGE TRUCKS are REROUTED West on FLYNN.

3.  NEW STREET ENDS AT FLYNN AVENUE—SIDEWALK AND SEPARATE BIKEWAY CONTINUE TO MAIN STREET   

The Westside sidewalk and separate bikeway continue NORTH to ENGLESBY BROOK—the sidewalk and separate bikeway crossing the Brook will likely feature an historic iron bridge of the VTrans program of historic preservation.  The sidewalk and separate bikeway continue to Sears Lane and through to Lakeside Avenue.   At Lakeside Avenue the sidewalk and bikeway turn East one block to Pine Street, then North toward downtown on the  Westside of Pine to Kilburn Street-Curtis Lumber. From Kilburn Street  to Main Street the sidewalk continues and bicyclists use a protected bike lanes on Pine Street.  No traffic signals would be installed at either Pine Street/Maple Street or Pine Street/King Street intersections. 

May 16, 2020   Pine Street Coalition L3C     Rev. 1

SafeStreetsBurlington.com

Pine Street Coalition New Street Proposal--A Street our South End and City Can Love!!

 Let’s shape a street the City can love! 

                                     PINE STREET COALITION PROPOSAL:

NEW STREET

                     …An economically viable, environmentally sound alternative to the

 “Champlain Parkway/Southern Connector"

NEW STREET is the forward-thinking transportation alternative to the stalled, obsolete Champlain Parkway/Southern Connector project. NEW STREET incorporates many  elements of the plan, so can proceed to construction with minimal additional state and federal review. 

NEW STREET eliminates previous safety, environmental and social justice roadblocks, addressing much community opposition which has until now stymied the Champlain Parkway. 

NEW STREET protects the safety of travelers (vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists) and vulnerable adjacent populations. It bolsters long-term sustainability and development of Burlington's South End. We anticipate that NEW STREET should cost millions less to build than the proposed Champlain Parkway project. The New Street design cuts 1.5 lane-miles of roadway construction, maintenance, and storm-water infrastructure.

NEW STREET incorporates the most recent Environmental Justice initiatives from the Federal Highway Administration, thus avoiding disproportionate impact to Burlington's predominant minority and low-income neighborhoods.  NEW STREET responds to the Climate Emergency resolution adopted by the Burlington City Council on 9/23/19 and signed by the Mayor on 9/25/19. New Street reduces pavement,  promotes bike and pedestrian travel, and protects the Englesby Brook natural wildlife corridor.

                           NEW STREET OUTLINE: SECTION by SECTION 

1. RESTORE and REFURBISH as a two-way, two-lane road the EXISTING PORTION of the never-completed SOUTHERN CONNECTOR. This runs from I-189 at Route 7 to Home Avenue. 

A roundabout intersection at south end of Pine Street retains connection between I-189, Queen City Park Road and South Burlington. LARGE TRUCK traffic, is REROUTED to the restored CONNECTOR roadway. Automobiles, light trucks, and bikes may travel this route or travel NORTH on PINE, and WEST or EAST on QUEEN CITY PARK ROAD.

From the Pine Street roundabout to Flynn Avenue the road will be posted as “TRUCK ROUTE.” The restored road ends at HOME AVENUE.

A sidewalk and separate bikeway is built on the west side of the restored connector from Pine Street to Home Avenue.

2.   NEW STREET FROM HOME AVE TO FLYNN AVE

Beginning on NEW STREET, at the intersection of restored CONNECTOR and HOME AVENUE, light trucks, cars and bicycles may travel NORTH or SOUTH on NEW STREET, or EAST or WEST on HOME AVENUE.  LARGE TRUCKS continue SOUTH ON NEW STREET which ends at FLYNN AVENUE.

A new intersection on NEW STREET serves as entrance to CITY MARKET and PETRA CLIFFS businesses.

Between HOME  AVENUE AND FLYNN AVENUE the sidewalk and separate bikeway continue on the West (City Market) side of NEW STREET as well a sidewalk on the East side.   

NEW STREET replaces BRIGGS STREET and a small section of BATCHELDER STREET in the new design remains as in the current design on the east side for residences access to the adjacent Addition road network.

From NEW STREET intersection with Flynn Avenue cars and light trucks will be routed  WEST and EAST on Flynn and SOUTH on NEW STREET. LARGE TRUCKS are REROUTED West on FLYNN.

3.  NEW STREET ENDS AT FLYNN AVENUE—SIDEWALK AND SEPARATE BIKEWAY CONTINUE TO MAIN 

STREET   

The Westside sidewalk and separate bikeway continue NORTH to ENGLESBY BROOK—the sidewalk and separate bikeway crossing the Brook will likely feature an historic iron bridge of the VTrans program of historic preservation.  The sidewalk and separate bikeway continue to Sears Lane and through to Lakeside Avenue.   At Lakeside Avenue the sidewalk and bikeway turn East one block to Pine Street, then North toward downtown on the  Westside of Pine to Kilburn Street-Curtis Lumber. From Kilburn Street  to Main Street the sidewalk continues and bicyclists use a protected bike lanes on Pine Street.  No traffic signals would be installed at either Pine Street/Maple Street or Pine Street/King Street intersections. 

May 16, 2020   Pine Street Coalition L3C     Rev. 1

SafeStreetsBurlington.com

Burlington Snapshot Rental Survey--354 Vacant Apartments--7% Vacancy Rate a "Glut"?

Draft  5/10/2020

Burlington Snapshot Rental Vacancy Survey— 

           Draft Data and Analysis - May 2020

Here are numbers from a May 8-10 snapshot inventory of available Burlington rentals gathered from online services Zillow, Craigslist, apartments.com, etc.

There were two surprising numbers.  First, the median prices  changes per year from the 2017 snapshot survey to this survey were less than 1% median price increase per year for the predominant rentals offered, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units.  Increases per year for the 2017-2020 three year period were 0.6% per year for 1-bedroom median price and 0.1% per year increase in price for the median price 2-bedroom as offered.

Note most rentals do not include electricity and in a large proportion heat is not included.   There is a clear indication that rental prices in Burlington have been fairly stable 2016 to date in 2020.  Clearly housing development coming on line starting in 2016 has helped to stop the price increases in apartment rentals, but there is no indication that prices are dropping at all to this point.

                              May 2020 Snapshot Burlington Rental Inventory

Median Rent Sample Size

Studio $1,225 21

1 Bedroom             1,350 99

2 Bedroom              1,500       136

3 Bedroom              2,000         64

4+ Bedroom            3,000         34 

Clearly apartment rentals prices remain inflated.  Note a Craigslist survey of Plattsburg rents done last fall found a 1-bedroom median of $790 and 2-bedroom median off $900, $570 less per month for a 1-bedroom rent an $600 a month less for a 2-bedroom rent than the May 2020 numbers for Burlington. 

Second, the available rental numbers, 354, are up 50% over similar surveys of about 225 taken in 2017 and 2019.  There is no question that there are a sizable number of rental units on the market.  The causes include both sizable new rental inventory coming on line in Burlington (Cambrian Rise and Bayberry Commons are examples) and several other projects throughout the County.

One very important factor which could disrupt the Burlington rental market is the impact of student rental demand decline which may materialize this fall from UVM, demand itself composed of two unknowns, the likely decline in students overall even in the best of times and the effect of Covid-19 dampening both foreign student numbers (now about 6 percent of all students) and the normal 9,000 out-of-state students incoming as well as continuing student numbers.

Landlords with experience in Burlington may have a better sense of these various trends at the moment, but its is hard to imagine any trend but downward in student rental demand as UVM overall census has been unchanged since 2010 as most other residential colleges have sustained drops in students.  

  Burlington Rental Vacancy Rate—Likely about 7%, Glut Territory

For the 1990-2015 period Burlington rental vacancy rate stayed in at most 1-2%, far less than the desirable “healthy” 3-5% rate posited by the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission.  

In fact, the 356 rentals offered on line in the last three days represents about a 3.5% vacancy rate using the roughly 10,000 US Census rental inventory.   This rate vastly understates the percentage of units available in the so-called “private market,” perhaps only half the 10,000 Burlington rentals, about 5,000 rentals.  There is practically a zero vacancy rate in federal subsidized rent assistance found in “Housing Choice Voucher” occupancy in the market (about 1,500), another well over 1,000 fed assisted housing units in Burlington Housing Authority and other developments with assigned federal Section 8 type units, 1,000 shallow subsidy non-profit housing units (Champlain Housing Trust and Cathedral primarily)  and likely about 1,500 inflexible student demand unaffected by normal private market forces, primarily UVM students.   Note Burlington Housing Authority and Cathedral wait lists total over 2,000 today.

With 354 units of rentals available on a “real” inventory of 5,000 rental units in the “private” rental market, the vacancy rate is about 7%, far higher than “healthy” and definitely near or in rental glut territory.  An unhealthy vacancy rate means landlords cannot generate necessary revenue to cover costs and maintain their units—values of rental inventory decline, etc.   There is a good reason to move as much inventory out of the private market as possible—again, compare the Burlington rents to Plattsburg where no market forces like the growth of UVM students 1990-2010 occurred helping to artificially increasing Burlington and Chittenden County rents.

Tony Redington     TonyRVT99@gmail.com"?