NPA - All Wards

All Wards Neighborhood Planning Assembly Wednesday, May 29, 2024, 5:00-6:30pm Join in-person: Contois Auditorium, City Hall Join virtually: https://zoom.us/j/97684208734 Moderator: Chris Haessly Notetaker: Jess Robbins 5:00 pm Introductions & Announcements | 10 min 1. Adopt the agenda 2. NPA member introductions 5:10 pm Public Forum | 10 min (two minutes per person) Please state your full name, pronouns, street, and ward. 5:20 pm All Wards NPA Meeting Schedule | 15 min Christopher Haessly / Ward 3 A discussion about how often the All Wards NPA would like to meet and where we would like to hold our meetings. - Spoke about holding meetings on the 5th Wednesday or Thursday of the month for now (4-5 meetings per year) - Next All Wards NPA Meeting: Thursday, August 29th 2024, location TBD 5:35 pm The NPAs Representation on CDNR Committee | 25 min Jessica Hyman / Ward 2 A discussion about the relationship between the NPAs and the City of Burlington. - Ward 1: Resolution brought before city council May 6th. The council voted to support, votes to send to CNDR committee. o Chaired by Carter, Evin and Joe Kane on committee as city councilors. o Discussed next steps, committee formed of 2/3 NPA people and perhaps CEDO, and other people who might be interested. o NPA role discussion on their impact and feedback on impact of city council decisions. o Resolution looks at the relationship between city council and NPA and their intentions. o How do they take advantage of one another’s position in the city. ▪ Better coordination, better outcomes for citizens. o CDNR asking to nominate folks from NPA’s to work on the committee. - Jonathan: NPA represents a subset of the ward, not full representative. o The City Council could bring more attention to NPA. o Consider them as an arm of government or an extension of the city council. Maybe more would want to get engaged?  o Certain things city council does that need outreach from entities. - Ward 1 Carol: No defined responsibilities of the NPA. - Charlie Ward 2: Working out the legal aspect of it, what is the relationship? o This would be paid for, that NPAs would use some of their allotted funds to pay for this. o Looking for a legal opinion from two lawyers to establish some understanding of NPA relationship with the city. - Fosca: Caution on proposing that NPAs pay for this work, without a decision & consultation from all NPAs o Charlie ward 2 response – will not seek confirmation from CEDO on this matter. - Ward 1: Summary of above points, motion to propose three people to serve on this committee. o Chris ward 3; Point of information. Are we going to decide on this matter without other wards being present? To ensure representation. - Wards 3 Jessy: Ensure representation. - Wards 1: When will we make this decision. - Wards 3 Jessy: Doesn’t need to necessarily be a consensus amongst the representatives on the committee. That is the point of the discussion. Entering the void of summer when there might not be a meeting. - Wards 3 Chris: Did they have a date as to when this decision should be made? - Wards 1 Jonathan and Carol: No. - Wards 2 Charlie: Nothing is prohibiting people from going to the meetings, to understand how they work and getting accustomed. - Wards 1 Jonathan: Procedual comments, the NPA’s representation on CVNR committee. Figuring out the wards representation on the committee. Clear on the title of the agenda item. o Other piece is that pretending this is more formal of a group than is. No quorum currently. Need an all-wards by-laws committee. o Intention of all wards is that they all participate. Asking every steering committee if there is anyone who wants to join and putting into hat and drawing out random. - Chris ward 3: what is downside to waiting until September? - Ward 2 Jessy: Move quicker with the momentum. If we ensure expectations of reporting back and no issue of swapping out people on the committee, should be okay. - Chris Ward 3: Motion to handle this, so we can vote and decide. - Make a motion to support NPAs submitting names to be drawn from a hat for representation on the committee. o Ward 1: Send an email to the group, each ward steering committee? Name into the hat. - Chris ward 3: Point of information, steering committee comprised for 8 wards, no joint wards. - Wards 1 Tom: One name per ward, a draw for the committee. - Wards 1 Carol: Emailed Carter, keep in touch as the chair of the CVNR.  - Wards 3 Chris: Solicit amongst 8 committee to propose 1 representative from the wards. Including a deadline to submit. (Proposed by Ward 1 as an addition to the motion) - Fosca: Who will pick from the hat and collect submission? - Ward 1: Jonathan to coordinate and send out email. - Ward 2 Charlie: Reminder on what will this committee do? - Ward 3 Chris: Interest between both sides and rules of engagement. Informal ad-hoc committee of the CVNR. 6:00 pm Advocating for Burlington: The NPAs and the Legislature | 30 min Jonathan Chapple-Sokol / Ward 1 A discussion about how the NPAs can work collaboratively to get Burlington's eleven (11) State Legislators to lobby cohesively for the needs of the city. Ward 1 Jonathan: Heard from city councilors and mayor, challenges getting delegates to advocate as a lobbying group for the city of Burlington. - Not sure how often they are caucusing, or how they are working together to influence the legislation on behalf of Burlington. - All wards could work on this, hard to think of group better placed than NPA. - Jonathan wrote down wards associated with each legislature. - First get coordinated in those who are engaging with NPA and believe in NPA. Another approach would be to pick an issue to advocate for and go to the statehouse ourselves. Ward 1: Tom: Lot of legislatures have blinders for what their committee is focused on. Segmented in Montpelier. - Joint effort to get people to get a bill passed? Could the NPA go down and lobby themselves? - Push for whatever we think our priorities are. Easy to pick off Burlington reps and say hey we need help on this. Good idea overall, surprised if it’s currently being done. Ward 1: Jonathan: Find 1 or 2 things they want to work on, two or three things happening in the city and approach legislatures on this. What does NPA want to see in the legislature. - Different depending on wards and relationships with the ward. Wards 3 Chris: Chris and Jonathan would work on this. (And anyone else who might be interested but wasn’t in attendance) 6:15 pm The NPAs Relationship with Local Developers | 30 min Carol Livingston / Ward 1 A discussion about the NPA’s role in hearing plans from developers about prospective developments in their wards. Ward 1 Jonathan: Developer who is working on Chase Street, fill out one of those forms to present at NPA but was received on May NPA meeting, wanting to attend. Said they would get back to them. Notices about a May 29 NPA meeting popped up around the area, developer had put signs up. What is the requirement for developers to come to the NPA? Ward 3 Chris: Doesn’t know of a requirement, nothing in statute. - Suggestion that they use the NPA, but they can hold their own meeting only for major impact projects. Ward 1: Tom: When what is currently in statute got passed (Development Review Board | City of Burlington, Vermont (burlingtonvt.gov), people on all-Wards that there was a firm signed off meeting with NPA’s. Purpose that there would be feedback from community on development. Ward 3 Chris: Concern that they hide the legal requirements by hiding themselves in the newspaper or having meetings in the mornings. Ward 1 Jonathan: Developer spoke with Brian Pipe and that NPA couldn’t accommodate, was told to hold their own meeting. Feels like this piece must tie into what the CVNR committee is talking about, should developers come to NPA’s and be required to this? Ward 3 Chris: What is the outcome we want? Clarification? Wards 1 Carol: We want clarification. The situation at hand, the developer followed appropriate steps but didn’t have the impact it should have. Have found that developers have shifted their plans due to concerns raised at NPA meeting. Ward 3 Chris: More transparency seems like a good idea. Not a requirement currently, topic for the committee to discuss. Ward 1 (Sorry, forgot to take name): question, how does this fit into the housing project? How does this development augment the city. Ward 1 Tom: People on the NPA provide feedback, developer would make changes to make people happy cuts out people from going to the planning commissioner to complaint. Ward 3 Chris: Next time when people add to the agenda, make sure it is connected to a motion. Ward 2 Charlie: One of the reasons this was put into effect, the city of Barre, public would not hear about it until it was on review board. Attempt in Burlington to notify the public that something is about to happen. Little bit of wiggle room that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the state. Ward 1 Tom: Clarification from CEDO, at some point it needs to be in writing. Ward 1 Carol: CEDO not in control of that. Tom: Whoever clarifies in reference to statute etc.  Ward 3: Chris: Do existing requirements make sense for the times we live in, any means such as front porch forum more effective? Any other questions? Carol ward 1: Look at date of the next meeting, suggestions for next meeting. Fosca: wards 4/7 first Wednesday SC meeting Chris: Fifth Thursday, 29th August? Move to make meetings either fifth Thurs. or Wed depending on schedules. Fifth Thursday of august? Carol: Do we think people will come? Fosca: Lot of committees and boards that meet. Chris: We get bumped from meetings, subjected to open meeting law if we are a branch of government. Fosca: As far as Fosca knows, city views NPA as a commission of sorts, as it was created through the City Council. That explains her position and funding available to the NPAs from the City. Carol: Can we set a date. Chris: August 29th at 6.30 tbd. Chris happy to continue with organization of the meeting, please send in information. 6:30 pm Adjourn - thank you for coming! Our next meeting is Thursday, August 29th (location TBD)