The Burlington Select Board paused until June a hearing about whether to issue a Letter of Support to the state for 24 units of age-restricted housing, including six affordable housing units.
The project, meant to be called Winn View Heights II and located at 35 Mountain Road, has been in the works since 2019, but has faced opposition from the public. After a vote on the letter of support failed 2-1-1, with one member absent, supporters of the project have asked for the board to revisit the issue, according to the Burlington Buzz.
“We’ve batted this around a few times now, however, we have very specific bylaws, specific to this board in particular and to 40B affordable housing proposals,” said Select Board Chair Mike Runyan.
He continued to read from a prepared statement, saying:
“The bylaw is very rigid, and dictates very rigid public hearing requirements that no other board or commission is subject to. Included is language that prevents the board of selectmen from taking a board at the conclusion of any public hearing for a period of at least three days. This bylaw seems intent on delaying and obstructing affordable housing opportunities for our residents.
“Our staff made every effort to adhere to these requirements, and out of an abundance of caution, and for concerns raised by two residents that they could not easily find information online for a full 14 days prior to today’s scheduled hearing, we will open the public hearing and ask for a motion to continue the matter until June 12. We will not be taking any public comment on this matter this evening.”
If approved, the development would include 18 market-rate housing units costing between $603,250 and $711,000, with six affordable units at approximately $221,500, all reserved for people over the age of 55.
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