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Dorset Street shared-use path draws broad public support; council moves to executive session on easements
Summary
Hundreds of residents urged the South Burlington City Council to complete the long-delayed Dorset Street shared-use path connecting Old Cross Road to Sadie Lane. Staff reported the project is in the right-of-way phase and that 12 property easements were required; the council later entered executive session to discuss acquisition strategy.
City staff briefed the South Burlington City Council on Feb. 3 on the Dorset Street shared-use path project and residents filled council chambers and the online meeting to press for the project's near-term completion.
Erica Qualen, deputy director for capital projects, described the 0.7-mile project segment along the east side of Dorset Street between Old Cross Road and Sadie Lane. Qualen told council the design calls for a 10-foot-wide shared-use path; VTrans has provided a $661,000 grant and the city planned construction in FY26 with local matches from the city's Penny for Paths and transportation impact-fee budgets.
Qualen reviewed the project history: conceptual work dating to the 1990s, a 2017 scoping study and a 2019 VTrans grant award. She said staff entered the right-of-way phase in July 2022, and that 12 property owners needed easements to accommodate grading, utilities and stormwater treatment. She said council had already accepted six easements; six remained unresolved.
Residents and parents spoke at length, describing daily risks to walkers and cyclists and urging the council to act. Al Moore said daily pedestrian crossings were "exactly for the safety reason that we should not further delay this project." Kayla Moore and several other residents described children and older adults using Dorset's narrow shoulder and urged expedited action. Some asked whether utility poles and the stormwater swale could be rearranged to reduce the number of private easements required.
Public works Director Tom DiPietro explained that stormwater treatment and permitting needs drive much of the right-of-way requirement and that some easements are on school and city property while others fall on private parcels.
After the public comment period, the council voted unanimously to enter executive session under the statute governing the negotiation and securing of real estate purchase or lease options and attorney-client communications to discuss the project's outstanding easements and acquisition strategy. The executive session was limited to invited staff and counsel; council will report any public action after the closed discussion.
