Waterfront belongs to all of Burlington

Altogether, the politics of individual greed over those of a collective future need to be blamed. - The Oil Drum

Good People: Citizens for a Liveable City - "... is a non-profit citizen's coalition working to achieve a fair and open government process towards the development of the City of Burlington, Vermont which reflects the desires of the residents of the city while at the same time allowing for growth and economic vitality.

"We want there to be good development, where decisions about what is good and what is not good are made by the affected communities."

Get Involved! Contact your City Councilor! Come to the next City Council Meeting when the Zoning Rewrite will be discussed and the controversial amendments possibly voted on:

August 6, 2007 at 7:00pm -- Contois Auditorium, City Hall

Brian over at Vermont Hum comments: Before we know it, all sorts of out-of-state, fat, rich bastards will be hogging all the traditions, including the views, from their stupid looking high-rise condos near the water.

Robert Resnik (program announcer at VPR) has got involved by writing a kick-ass letter to the Free Press -

I have been lucky enough to live in Burlington for the past 37 years. In that time there have been many changes in town, but some things just stay the same: We all need to watch out for unrestricted, short-sighted, or aesthetically rotten development west of Champlain Street.

I am horrified, for instance, when I ask intelligent, usually well-informed friends what they think about the pending construction of the April Cornell high-rise on Battery Street and get blank looks. This multistory brick block will consist primarily of luxury condos, and will serve to further limit the view and alienate the general public from access to our waterfront.

The only people who seem to know enough about the laws to really care are the one who stand to make the most money by taking advantage of the loopholes.

How many offensive and unimaginative buildings must be built right in front of our eyes before we speak up. We are going to be stuck with some of these eyesores for generations.

It is our duty as responsible residents of this city to make sure that we don't get any more Miami Beach-style development which serves to take lake views or lake access away from the rest of the people of Burlington, and serves to benefit only a wealthy few.

I urge everyone to pay attention to any changes in zoning laws that might open the way for further architectural abuse, and to resist any further construction of high-rises, condos, soul-less piles of brick, and other attempts to shut people out from one of Burlington's great treasures -- an unobstructed view of the lake.

The waterfront belongs to all the people of Burlington.

Other Good People: Waterfront Watchdogs