Latest news with #FoodNotCops
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Burlington mayor signs amended resolution to clean up downtown, gives $10,000 to relocate Food Not Cops
BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Burlington mayor Emma-Mulvaney Stanak signed on Monday night the city council's Resolution 8.1, which aims to help businesses in the city's downtown area, especially in the Church Street Marketplace, by calling for among other things clearer signage and a stronger police presence. Read the full resolution hereDownload The most controversial part of the resolution proved to be a clause calling for the removal of the Food Not Cops (aka Food not Bombs) food distribution center from the marketplace's garage. Democratic members of the city council have said the food distribution attracts the same people who engage in anti-social behavior in the neighborhood, including drug use and theft, while Progressive members have protested based on a lack of presented evidence. City Council passes resolution for downtown issues The Burlington City Council currently has a 7-5 Democratic majority, and the resolution passed on May 19 with a clause with softened language requiring a proposal to relocate the center, rather than a full relocation, by July 14. Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, who is a Progressive, announced at last night's city council meeting $10,000 in city funding to ease the relocation and help Food Not Cops find a new place to operate. In a statement Tuesday, the mayor had mixed feelings about the outcome of the council's deliberations. 'My administration has worked for nearly a year to build relationships with Food Not Cops and with community partners in an effort to find a mutually beneficial path forward. 'The debate around Resolution 8.1, and the insistence upon placing a deadline on these efforts has only hindered our ability to make progress on this work.' Small businesses express concern about conditions in Downtown Burlington But some city council members said they felt like a compromise had already been reached, and were glad to be able to move forward. 'I mostly want to thank the mayor for dealing with this head-on,' said councilor Sarah Carpenter. 'I'm saddened we couldn't get to language… but think we're on a really good path.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Small businesses express concern about conditions in Downtown Burlington
BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – An open letter to Burlington's mayor named ten specific concerns about the future of the downtown neighborhood, including the condition of local parking garages, public nudity, and the safety of children. A coalition of over 80 small business owners and other people Friday addressed the letter to Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, saying that safety, cleanliness, and public accountability need urgent improvement in downtown Burlington for it to remain the 'vibrant, welcoming, and locally-owned' heart of the Queen City. 'While newer ventures have come and gone,' reads the letter, 'we have remained—through COVID, economic hardship, and an increasingly difficult downtown environment. But even we have limits.' The letter emphasizes safety above all and asks for 'a consistent security presence' in parking garages and on Church Street itself. Among the letter's suggestions are clearer signage near the construction project on Main Street, a cleanup program for needles, and the relocation of Food not Cops's free lunch program from the Cherry Street parking garage. Burlington's Church Street was first conceived by architecture student Bill Truex who in 1962 witnessed the transformation of downtown Copenhagen, Denmark from a 'traffic-snarled nightmare' into a lively, successful pedestrian mall. With help from Burlington voters and then-senator Patrick Leahy, the Church Street Marketplace was opened to the public in 1981 and then expanded in 1994. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
