Committee endorses FEMA hazard-mitigation buyout application for 505 Riverside Avenue

Committee recommends council approve FEMA buyout application for landslide-risk property

The Burlington Transportation & Utilities Committee recommended that the City Council approve applying for and, if awarded, accepting a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) award to buy out 505 Riverside Avenue. The measure would allow the city to acquire the property and convert it to green space after payment of market value to the owners.

Why it matters: property judged at imminent slide risk; buyout would remove future public-safety and environmental hazards

Scott Guston, principal planner in Permitting & Inspections, told the committee the parcel was assessed and found to be at imminent risk of slope instability following a geologic survey completed in October. Guston said the property also has a documented history of petroleum contamination being managed through the state petroleum cleanup program; city staff have coordinated with the Vermont DEC to address liability and remediation concerns.

Owners support buyout and emphasized city partnership

Property owners on the Zoom call, identified in the meeting materials as Cheryl and Scott Strenio, said they had worked with city and state staff to find a viable long-term solution and supported the buyout application. "At this point, we've been working closely with the state. The state and the city have been working closely, together, and we just want the space to be used as best as possible," one owner said.

Committee action and conditions

A committee member moved to approve and recommend that City Council: (1) authorize submission of a hazard mitigation grant application to FEMA for the buyout of 505 Riverside Avenue; (2) authorize the city to accept the grant should it be awarded; and (3) authorize the mayor and the director of Permitting & Inspections to execute documents necessary to effect the grant and property transactions. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote.

Practical implications and next steps

If awarded, the grant is a percentage-funded FEMA program; staff said those funds would allow the city to move quickly to acquire the site and stabilize or remediate the bank. Guston said similar projects on Riverside have proceeded through the same program. Staff also said they would follow the city's encampment policy to address an informal campsite observed on part of the parcel and would coordinate any relocation under that process if the site posed immediate danger.

Ending

The committee's recommendation will go to the full City Council for final approval and execution of grant documents if the award is made. No enrollment in a grant or transfer will occur until City Council action and any required legal steps are complete.