Consultants present economic-development benchmarking; residents press for climate, housing and workforce detail

Consultants hired to help draft South Burlington’s economic-development strategy presented benchmarking data to the City’s Economic Development Committee on the evening of the committee’s public meeting, prompting questions from residents and committee members about housing affordability, workforce pathways and coordination with climate and open-space planning.

The presentation by Laura Hamlin, CEO of Civic Soul, summarized findings from a benchmarking assessment that compared South Burlington to peer municipalities and to county, state and national measures. Key findings reported by Hamlin included an 8% population increase from 2018–2023, higher-than-average household incomes and education levels, a younger median age (about 38), significant job growth (a reported 10.8% change in jobs 2018–2023), higher-than-expected rents, and low rates of walking or biking to work (about 3%).

The assessment matters because the consultants and the city team say those metrics will guide a multi-year economic-development strategy that emphasizes workforce, housing and “place” as equally important to traditional company attraction. "If you lead with building a vibrant workforce versus company attraction, you can get to a a more interesting and a more positive place in communities," Hamlin told the committee and attendees.

Hamlin described the project’s approach as an ecosystem analysis that will identify industry “clusters” and the supporting institutions around them—employers, suppliers, training providers and infrastructure. She said the team has completed a benchmarking analysis and initial stakeholder interviews, and will follow with sector-focused roundtables and more iterative stakeholder engagement. "This is your plan. This is not about the physical coming in and overlaying a plan onto the community," Hamlin said.

Residents and committee members used the listening session to press for details and to connect the economic-development work to other city priorities. Donna Laban and several others asked that success metrics for the economic plan be tied to South Burlington’s climate-action goals; Hamlin acknowledged climate priorities and said the consulting team intended to embed those values across sector analyses. Michael Mittag and others urged that open-space conservation and quality-of-life values be emphasized alongside growth. "I would try to measure future economic development success related to how well does it help us reach our climate action goals," Laban said.

Other questions focused on workforce specifics: Steve Crowley (Energy Committee chair) and resident Alicia Koski asked whether the consultants would analyze county-level commuting and employment patterns to understand where new residents work and whether younger residents are employed locally or remotely. Hamlin said the benchmarking uses city-specific measures but that county and regional context is also part of the analysis, and the team plans follow-up data work and engagement to clarify commuting patterns and employer needs.

Multiple speakers asked the team to address workforce pipeline issues for construction trades and other in-demand occupations that typically require post–high-school credentials rather than four-year degrees. Hamlin said the plan will explore career-pathway and credentialing programs to help “stack credentials” so residents can progress from entry training to supervisory roles. Nicole LeBrec, a committee member participating in the panel, emphasized that the plan should translate into a concrete multi-year workplan for the committee.

Participants also raised questions about the data and methodology. Ryan Doyle asked about the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) used for cost-of-living adjustments; Hamlin confirmed the MSA in question includes Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties and said the consultants would follow up with an adjusted-cost slide on request. Attendees including Sandy (longtime resident) asked which census and survey sources were used; Hamlin said the team used U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates (most recent five-year datasets and 2023 points where available).

On housing, Hamlin reported that median home values were roughly $399,600 (reported in the presentation) while median rents were elevated compared with many peers; overall cost-of-living adjustments left South Burlington relatively competitive when accounting for local wages, but affordability concerns persist. Several residents urged the city and consultants to prioritize more family-sized and subsidized-affordable housing and to consider the effect of recent local land-development regulation updates.

Committee chair Tom Bailey and city staff (Jesse, Alana and Paul were identified as project staff) said the city intends to coordinate the economic-development strategy with existing master plans and the recent updates to form-based code and land-development regulations. Jesse (city staff) invited more specific feedback on potential conflicts among plans and asked attendees to send follow-up input.

Hamlin closed by reiterating next steps: sector roundtables, additional stakeholder interviews, and production of a strategic framework with phased implementation steps and suggested first-, second- and third-year priorities. No formal motions or votes were taken at the meeting.

A number of community concerns recorded during the session—linking growth to climate targets, retaining open space, building career pathways for trades, clarifying commuting and remote-work patterns, and addressing rental affordability—are likely to shape the consultant team’s next engagement steps and the draft strategy that staff will bring back to the committee.

Ending: The Civic Soul team will run sector-focused roundtables and follow-up analyses; residents were invited to submit additional written input to city staff and Civic Soul to help shape the next round of engagement.