Think Globally, Live Locally
Erica O’Brian
Institute for Civic Engagement
Moran Plant—Discussions Response
2/11/06
On February 1, 2006, Burlington College’s Institute for Civic Engagement hosted a panel of citizens involved in the ongoing debate over the future of the vacant Moran Generating Plant on the Burlington Waterfront. This space has been preserved with tenacious advocacy by concerned citizens and city planners from wealthy developers, private interest groups, and supporters of developments that would change this public space into an exclusive place of business or real estate.
Some would describe the Moran Plant, located on the northern section of the Waterfront, as an eye-sore, a hulking relic from Burlington’s industrial past, or even a hazard to the health and safety of the surrounding neighborhoods. Whatever your feelings on the aesthetics of this unused space, the Moran Plant is serving no functional purpose for the community and the talks and planning around its future use need to move forward.
The panelists at Burlington College reviewed some of the plans that have been proposed and rejected in the past. This included the controversial 2005 plan for housing a new YMCA in the Moran Plant. The citizens of Burlington ultimately sided against the plan for a variety of reasons, including concerns about the Young Men’s Christian Association’s religious affiliations, the threat of increased volume of traffic and parking, and issues of economic exclusion (high membership dues). There were also those who would rather see a hotel or more profitable entity located on the Moran site. However, the Public Trust Doctrine places limitations on what kinds of uses would be allowed on this city-owned land.
Read the rest of the paper by downloading it here (PDF/538 kb).
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