Burlington City Council pushes Marketplace Garage security, lifts college's housing cap
Burlington will be investing in a few quality-of-life initiatives, focusing on two of the city's biggest hurdles: housing and public safety.
The March 10 City Council meeting ran shorter than most but led to the passing of two contracts that Burlingtonians will see go into effect soon.
The downtown Marketplace parking garage, which has long been a hot spot of vandalism, graffiti and drug usage, will be renewing their security contract to further secure the garage's safety.
Champlain College will be lifting their student housing cap to better serve their students who are struggling to find affordable housing in Burlington's housing market.
The council voted unanimously to continue the contract with Green Mountain Concert Services (GMCS), which will "continue the work already being done to secure the spaces."
The contract will be renewed for $395,000 to extend into fiscal 2026.
The Department of Public Works told the council that they cannot open stairwells in the garages because of the amount of crime and vandalism. But DPW Director Chapin Spencer said there has been a change since GMCS started patrolling the building, as much less repeated vandalism is being reported.
Besides having patrolling security guards, GMCS monitors and maintains security cameras, has increased and upgraded lighting, holds annual meetings with hotels and businesses and improves fencing when necessary.
Hoping to lessen the crush of Burlington's housing market, the council voted unanimously to lift Champlain College's cap on student housing.
There has been a limit on how many beds Champlain College can have on campus since 2009, with a maximum of 680 beds.
While first-year students are provided housing, Champlain College upper-class students have often chosen to live off campus. However, changing preferences and a worsening shortage of quality and affordable housing near campus has created a new paradigm in which Champlain College upper-class students increasingly request housing on campus.
Furthermore, other renters in the city are also struggling to find affordable housing.
No specific plan has been laid out of where or when new housing can be created, but plans will now begin to move forward with the council's approval.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington VT City Council lifts Champlain College housing cap
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