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South Burlington City Center collaborative reports rapid membership growth and program expansion
Summary
SB3C executive director Sophia Babbitt told council that the organization grew from 14 founding members to 91 members since launching in September 2025, leveraged the city’s $75,000 investment and expanded programming, partnerships and volunteer engagement to support downtown development.
Sophia Babbitt, executive director of the South Burlington City Center collaborative (SB3C), presented the organization’s FY26 Q3 report covering January–June 2026 and credited the city’s seed funding and early partnerships with quick growth in membership and activity.
Babbitt said SB3C launched in September 2025 and grew to 91 community and business partners from 14 founding members, adding that "the city's $75 k investment was foundational for us." She cited nearly $50,000 in additional membership revenue and in-kind support and described programming that includes a business-connect series, marketing campaigns, volunteer pipelines with Champlain College and UVM interns, and partnerships with 7th Generation to assemble school and community kits for distribution to the Howard Center, South Burlington Food Shelf and the district schools.
Council members praised SB3C’s early performance, asked questions about how to promote new businesses and recommended promotional packages for soft openings. Babbitt said the collaborative has begun using short videos and cross-promotional approaches and hopes to build a sustainable membership and sponsorship model going into FY27.
