As seen in Burlington Free Press - Vermont

Big plans for a big building

By Matt Ryan
Free Press Staff Writer

October 14, 2007
An indoor ice-climbing facility. A restaurant. A children's museum. They are all part of a plan unveiled by Mayor Bob Kiss on Saturday that would transform the decaying hulk of the former Moran Generating Station into a waterfront hub of commerce and recreation at a cost of about $21 million.

In a tent outside the brick building with rusted steel girders, supporters shared with the public the plan to convert the decommissioned plant into a center tentatively called the "Moran Center at the Waterfront Park."

Redeveloping the site would cost more than $21 million, according to Burlington's Community and Economic Redeveloping the site would cost more than $21 million, according to Burlington's Community and Economic Development Office. The city would pay more than $7.3 million of the total, leaving business leasing space in the building to pay the remaining $13.6 million.

Prospective tenants include the Community Sailing Center, which operates out of the building's first floor; Ice Factor Burlington, which looks to provide an indoor ice and rock climbing experience; and the Green Mountain Children's Museum. Other tenants are being sought.

"It's a community and recreation facility, but it's also a tax-paying facility," said Michael Monte, CEDO director.

In April, Kiss and the City Council began studying ways to use the Moran Plant site. Considerations for the site, which was transferred from Burlington Electric to the City Council in 1986, have included a science and art center, a baseball stadium, and a brewery and concert hall.

In 2004, voters rejected former mayor Peter Clavelle's 2004 plan to sell the plant to the Greater Burlington YMCA. Last year, in a survey of about 10,000 voters, 86 percent said they preferred the building to be knocked down and replaced with a park.

Unlike the YMCA proposal, Monte said, Kiss's plan has the site generating tax revenue for Burlington -- $122,405 a year, according to CEDO. Tenants would pay another $317,320 for building, planning and impact fees.

"It's going to really strengthen the local economy," Monte said.

The proposal involves landscaping the 2.8 acres surrounding the building to increase green space and park amenities, upgrading the bike path and creating a seasonal refrigerated skating rink. The land would be "an extension of the amenities of the waterfront," according to CEDO.

The city would pay $3.5 million to renovate the 44,000-square-foot building, $1.9 million for the park and infrastructure, $1.5 million for parking and $375,000 to improve and expand the existing skate park.

Ice Factor Burlington would pay $7.9 million for its facility; the Community Sailing Center, $3.5 million for its space; and the Green Mountain Children's Museum, $2.1 million for its space.

As for possible traffic congestion and limited parking, Monte said the city would work to extend bus routes to the building and ask workers in the businesses to park off the property.

"It's well suited for non-car users," Monte said. "It has the opportunity to bring alternative modes of transportation to the site."

Public meetings about the project will be conducted weekly until January, when the City Council will decide whether to put the proposal on a March ballot.

Contact Matt Ryan at 651-4849 or mryan@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com