Conservation Commission backs mall rezoning environmental features, approves sewer compliance

BURLINGTON -- January 23, 2025, Burlington Conservation Commission voted unanimously to formally support the environmental provisions of a mixed-use rezoning proposal covering 117 acres around Burlington Mall, including requirements for 20 percent minimum green space per development parcel, native street trees, rain gardens, and a Vine Brook Greenway. The commission, which has no authority to approve zoning warrant articles, will have its written statement read at town meeting alongside reports from other municipal boards when the four related warrant articles are taken up together. Conservation Administrator Eileen Coleman, who will deliver or authorize the statement, cautioned members to distinguish clearly between speaking for the commission and offering personal views, citing guidance from the town moderator. The commission also voted 4-0 to issue a certificate of compliance for a 4,000-linear-foot sewer force main project at 26A Francis Wyman Road, with Coleman noting the site looked "fine" on a recent inspection and that the new pipes run under roadway rather than through wetlands, an improvement over the abandoned asbestos cement pipes they replaced.