Burlington Community Development Corporation

Burlington Community Development Corporation 8/3/2015 MINUTES SUBJECT TO CORRECTION BY BURLINGTON BOARD OF FINANCE. CHANGES, IF ANY, WILL BE RECORDED IN THE MINUTES OF THE NEXT MEETING OF THE BOARD. BURLINGTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CITY HALL BURLINGTON, VERMONT MINUTES OF MEETING August 3, 2015 DRAFT MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Miro Weinberger Karen Paul Sharon Bushor Kurt Wright OTHERS PRESENT: Rich Goodwin, Assistant CAO Jennifer Kaulius, Mayor’s Office Richard Haesler, Assistant City Attorney Chapin Spencer, Public Works Director Norm Baldwin, Public Works Engineering Betsy Shand, Clerk/Treasurer Office Peter Owens, CEDO Director Lise Veronneau, Police Department 1.0 CALL TO ORDER and AGENDA Mayor Weinberger called the meeting of the Burlington Community Development Corporation (BCDC) to order at 5:05 PM. 1.01 Agenda Page 1 of 3  Burlington Community Development Corporation 8/3/2015 MOTION by Karen Paul, SECOND by Sharon Bushor, to approve the agenda as presented. VOTING: unanimous; motion carried. 2.0 PUBLIC FORUM There were no comments from the public. 3.0 BCDC REORGANIZATION MOTION by Sharon Bushor, SECOND by Karen Paul, to approve the slate of officers including Mayor Weinberger as BCDC President, City Council President, Jane Knodell, as BCDC Vice President, and Bob Rusten as BCDC Secretary/Treasurer. VOTING: unanimous; motion carried. 4.0 APPROVAL OF BCDC MINUTES 4.01 May 28, 2014 MOTION by Sharon Bushor, SECOND by Karen Paul, to approve the BCDC minutes of May 28, 2014 as written. VOTING: unanimous; motion carried. It was noted there were Executive Session meetings held by BCDC since May 28, 2014 and there should be minutes to reflect that the sessions took place. Staff will investigate the matter. 5.0 ACTION ITEMS 5.01 Execute Grocery Spur Quit Claim Deed There was discussion of the resolution regarding rail rights on the grocery spur relative to the Morton parcel. Peter Owen explained in 2011 there was a concurrence of interest resolution in which BCDC and the city were joined in interests with regard to the Champlain Parkway. There was authorization for legal work and strategic decisions. BCDC would cooperate with the city. The city was trying to extinguish the rail spur and have BCDC do a quit claim to any rights to the spur so the parkway is free and clear. The language in the quit claim is being fine-tuned before being brought to the city. Sharon Bushor asked for an explanation of “just compensation” and what is being waived. Peter Owen said the rights have been unused for many years so the compensation would be negligible. Betsy Shand said VTrans gave a determination that the rail rights associated with the grocery spur are less than $5,000 so per federal law a full appraisal is not necessary if any of the property owners were to ask for full compensation. Staff worked with the City Assessor’s Office and VTrans Right-of-Way Division. The vast majority of the property owners have donated the rights with no request for compensation. Sharon Bushor asked why only BCDC signs the quit claim and not the city. Richard Haesler briefly explained the quit claim between Cooper and BCDC. Betsy Shand added two properties are owned by Cooper (747 Pine and 42 Pine used by Champlain College). Negotiations are ongoing and language is being crafted. Page 2 of 3  Burlington Community Development Corporation 8/3/2015 Kurt Wright asked if the Champlain Parkway can move forward with the quit claim deed. Richard Haesler said the parkway cannot proceed without the deed. Betsy Shand added if all the properties cannot be secured then the project could include a rail crossing at an estimated cost of $500,000. Mayor Weinberger assured it is progress that the railroad stepped away from a crossing which would have further held up the project for years. Karen Paul asked about the timeline. Richard Haesler said it is hoped to have the matter wrapped up for City Council by the end of September. MOTION by Kurt Wright, SECOND by Karen Paul, to authorize the execution of the grocery spur quit claim deed. VOTING: unanimous; motion carried. 6.0 ADJOURNMENT With no further business and without objection the meeting was adjourned at 5:16 PM. RScty: MERiordan Page 3 of 3