Public Hearing Regarding Pine Street Food Court

Description

From the organizer, Andy Simon:

This is a public hearing held by VT Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

The hearing is about a project proposed for a parcel of land on Pine Street known as 501 Pine Street Gatehouse. It's directly across from Jackson Terrace Apartments. This little (0.1 acre) parcel has been owned by VT Gas Systems since the 1966 closing of a highly-polluting coal gasification plant that operated there for 60 years.

Recently, it was sold to Kurt Schueler, a local investor, for his plan to open a seasonal drive-up food court. Here is an architect's rendering of the proposed food court project: https://tinyurl.com/96cze725.

The project has already received its city permits and was quickly greenlighted in June by the city's Development Review Board, despite several residents' strenuous objections.

The only obstacle now standing in the way of construction is the requirement for an environmental Corrective Action Plan (CAP) approved by DEC and EPA since it's directly in the Barge Canal Superfund site. The draft CAP was written by a private consultant and cleared by regulators on August 22. Comment deadline was September 21.

Andy submitted comments on September 20 and requested a public hearing.

The rest of the 24-acre Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund site will, in the future, become publicly-owned conservation land. It is currently home to hundreds of species of plants, animals and fungi. Does it really make any sense to cut down all the trees and pave over one parcel of it for a private business that may or may not last more than a year or two?

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