Community Renewal Good Stories - Burlington

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Redevelopment of Historic Building Rises to New Levels

Burlington, Vermont, RC

Despite its location in Burlington's thriving downtown Church Street Marketplace, only part of the Nelson Block had shared in the area's economic renewal. Although the ground floor of this 1864 vintage building was rented to retail tenants, the upper floors had long been vacant. The second floor had not been occupied for two decades, the third floor not since 1932.

Each of the abandoned upper floors contained a potential 4,400 square feet of floor space in a viable commercial location. Yet much of the space was inaccessible or not in compliance with building codes. Under ordinary modes of financing, the costs of making the upper floors usable would have been overwhelming.

In 2003 a $144,000 CRD allocation through the Burlington RC, along with other financial resources, helped remedy the situation. The Nelson Block Redevelopment Project-Church Street Marketplace took place in two phases. Phase I included critically important infrastructure improvements to the building, especially to the roof, support beams, and drain system. Reinforcement of the floors with metal beams to meet code requirements for floor loadings-an exceptional expense- occurred during Phase II.

Redevelopment of the Nelson Block helped enhance the vitality of Burlington's downtown. Opening the building's neglected upper floors to commercial use helped make up for the lack of vacant, developable land at the Church Street Marketplace. The upper floor redevelopment strategy also fights urban sprawl and preserves the city's historic and architectural heritage.

For more information on the programs of the Burlington RC, please contact Bruce Seifer of the city of Burlington at (802) 865-7144.