The City of Burlington is exploring a partnership with two local developers to revive the city block that contains the dilapidated Memorial Auditorium.

With a unanimous vote on Monday night, Burlington city councilors allowed Mayor Miro Weinberger to sign a letter of intent with developers Eric Farrell and Joe Larkin to look at redeveloping the Gateway Block, a 3.81-acre area bound by Main Street, South Winooski Avenue, College Street and South Union Street.

Aside from the historic Memorial building, the block contains the Central Fire Station, Fletcher Free Library and the College Street Congregational Church.



Those discussions will determine whether it’s financially feasible to redevelop the block. If so, Weinberger could ask councilors to approve a formal agreement in late March, just before he leaves office.

Jeff Glassberg, a real estate consultant who negotiated settlement details at a time when the CityPlace Burlington development had stalled, will work for the city on this new project.

Officials had previously hoped to keep Memorial standing. But other efforts to redevelop the historic building have failed. The letter of intent approved on Monday makes clear it might not be saved.

The arena and event space was built in the 1920s to honor World War I veterans, but years of neglect have left the building in disrepair. The city shuttered it in 2016 over concerns that it isn’t structurally sound.

Since then, the city has unsuccessfully tried to find a partner to make over Memorial. And the city's borrowing capacity is strained, thanks to a multimillion dollar bond to build a new high school.
Other properties within the block are ripe for redevelopment, including an empty lot at the former site of the Midtown Motel on Main Street and a city-owned parking lot on the corner of Main and South Winooski. Redevelopment of the latter property has stalled because the infrastructure underground — a sewer line that runs through a long-buried ravine — is too weak to support a building. That will change when the city relocates the sewer line as part of a larger Main Street renovation, which could begin early next year.

The church and library would stay put, but the fire department would likely have to move from its historic station on South Winooski.

In an interview before the council meeting, Farrell told Seven Days that he and Larkin are under contract to buy the Midtown lot and an adjacent one that houses a tattoo parlor and witchcraft store. Both are owned by real estate broker Jeff Nick and his business partner, Dan Morrissey. Nick didn't respond to an interview request late Monday afternoon.

Farrell is the developer behind the massive Cambrian Rise project on North Avenue. Larkin is building an 83-unit apartment building on Williston Road in South Burlington, on the site of a former Holiday Inn. He’s also one of 19 businesspeople that founded the Bank of Burlington, a commercial lender that opened last year.

Farrell, who was born and raised in Burlington, said he went to "a gazillion" shows at Memorial in its heyday but that he doesn't have a position yet on whether it should be saved. He said he's optimistic about the entire Gateway Block project.



"It’s hard to drive by it and not wonder about all the possibilities," he said. "I think if it's done right, it could really be very strategic for downtown."
Later in the meeting, councilors approved spending $100,000 to address public safety concerns from downtown business owners.

Half the allotment will come from the city's coronavirus recovery funds; the remainder was donated by the Pomerleau family, which owns a handful of commercial properties downtown.

How the money will be spent is still an open question. Kara Alnasrawi, director of Burlington’s Business & Workforce Development department, had originally proposed using much of the budget on a public relations campaign to encourage shopping downtown. In a memo to councilors, Alnasrawi said an influx of unhoused people and those suffering from substance-use disorder are creating “serious challenges” for businesses.

But on Monday, councilors said constituents suggested the money should be used to more directly address public safety concerns, such as by hiring security guards. The council directed Alnasrawi to consult with downtown workers and businesses, plus the Church Street Marketplace Commission and Burlington Business Association, on how to spend the money.

"We look forward to deploying these funds," Alnasrawi said after the meeting. "We look to approach it in a diverse manner — not solely focused on marketing but trying to holistically approach their needs."

Councilors approved the plan on an 11-1 vote. Councilor Joe Magee (P-Ward 3) voted no because he said the council's Board of Finance should have reviewed the proposal before the full body did.