Council approves MOU with University of Vermont Medical Center after hours of public comment and debate

The Burlington City Council voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with the University of Vermont Medical Center on Tuesday, authorizing Mayor Mulvaney Stanek to sign a nonbinding agreement that outlines how the hospital and the city would work together on long‑range planning for the Colchester Avenue campus.

The agreement, described by city and hospital officials as a statement of intent rather than a binding development plan, passed on a roll call of 9 in favor, 1 opposed and 1 recusal. Councilor Bergman made the motion to approve the document and Councilor Barlow seconded it.

Supporters — including the mayor and hospital representatives — told the council the MOU aims to preserve green space, address stormwater, expand labor standards for future construction, and work with Burlington Electric on battery storage and other climate commitments. Karen Bastine, senior officer of community relations for the UVM Health Network, said the “purpose of the MOU is to be a statement of intent, and it is also meant to exemplify our partnership with the city.” Dave Kilty of UVM Medical Center emphasized the hospital’s position that it must grow vertically because the campus is largely built out.

Residents who spoke during public comment urged significant changes before the council endorsed the document. Jean Keller of Ward 1 warned the MOU gives the hospital “everything they’ve asked for” while providing “no protection for green space, air space, for mitigation of traffic impacts” for adjacent neighborhoods. Cynthia Cook said the MOU would commit the city to supporting large increases in building height and nearly 1,000 additional parking spaces on a campus she said now has roughly 2,000 spaces; she asked the council to withhold support until the hospital completes traffic and shadow studies.

In deliberations, council members acknowledged both the need for health‑care capacity and the neighborhoods’ concerns. Councilor Bergman urged the city to treat the MOU as requiring regulatory review and said city staff should be allowed to analyze permit applications and provide recommendations under existing regulations. Director Charles Dillard (Planning & Permitting) noted the MOU does not change current zoning or permit standards and proposed an area planning process to study potential height and setback issues, streetscape improvements, and berm preservation.

The approved MOU includes minimum targets and commitments described by the mayor and hospital: a site‑wide housing plan with a stated minimum 20% affordable units, labor standards for construction contractors (apprenticeships, health and retirement benefits, livable‑wage provisions), transportation demand management work for employees, coordination on stormwater and water‑system infrastructure, and collaboration with Burlington Electric on resilience measures such as battery storage. Hospital representatives said any individual project arising from the MOU would still go through Burlington’s permitting and public review process.

Councilor Travers recused himself at the start of the discussion because of a professional conflict of interest. Councilor Neubieser recorded the lone “no” vote in the roll call; Acting President Shannon and the remaining councilors voted in favor.

The mayor and hospital officials said the next implementation steps include further technical work on transportation and water infrastructure, and that specific building projects would return to the permitting process where neighbors would have formal opportunities to comment.

The council approved the motion to authorize the mayor to sign the MOU “subject to the review and approval of the city attorney’s office.”