South Burlington — The City Council voted unanimously to approve an agreement with the South Burlington City Center Collaborative (SB3C) and authorized the city manager to execute the document so the collaborative can hire an executive director and begin programming.

The agreement formalizes a city‑to‑nonprofit relationship and provides a grant intended to let the Collaborative set up an office, hire staff and restart activities aimed at downtown vibrancy. Alex Judge, board chair of the collaborative, told the council the organization was formed in 2016, operates as a 501(c)(3) and has not previously had full‑time staff.

Alana Blanchard, community development director, said the grant and performance measures in the agreement are intended to support Main Street‑style work focused on economic vitality, promotion and design to make the city center more walkable, bikeable and business‑friendly. “What you have before you is an agreement … that includes goals or performance measures for the organization for the next fiscal year,” she said.

Councilors who spoke in support cited the need for an entity to coordinate events, promotion and design work in the city center and noted the collaborative’s narrower downtown focus compared with the broader South Burlington business association.

Outcome: The council moved, seconded and approved the agreement unanimously. The collaborative will use the grant to hire an executive director and begin outreach and downtown activities; staff will work with the organization on municipal coordination and reporting per the agreement.

What to watch: Implementation milestones in the agreement will be monitored by community development staff, and the collaborative plans to use a Main Street framework for economic vitality, promotion and design work in the city center.