BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington city leaders and the University of Vermont hope to get final approval next month for an agreement aimed at increasing future student housing while freeing up the local housing crunch.
“We are hopeful, but we will have to wait and see,” said UVM’s Richard Cate.
A proposed memorandum of understanding reached between the city and UVM last year calls for creating more on-campus housing for juniors and seniors. City and UVM officials have called it a win-win agreement.
“I think there are still adjustments being made to the draft that was posted publicly. I see this as an opportunity for us to build a relationship, to hold eachother accountable. My commitment is to move the MOU forward,” said Burlington City Council president Karen Paul.
Under the plan, UVM will provide a minimum of an additional 1.5 beds per every one undergraduate student it enrolls above the fall 2023 level. The city, for its part, will get to work on shifting zoning rules for the Trinity Campus, the 280 East Avenue parcel, and the Waterman Block.
UVM is eager to start building immediately after approval. Cate says concerns from some that the plan would lead to unbridled growth are not realistic. “There are some people in the community that are concerned that if UVM gets the zoning, that we will build new housing and simply fill it with additional students. We are not in a situation where we can just add 1,000 students or something, because of all the other limitations in terms of the number of faculty, our classroom buildings, and everything else,” he said.
City officials anticipate the agreement will lead to about 1,500 new student beds, in addition to the over 600 beds for graduate students, faculty, and staff and that nearly 550 beds for undergraduates planned in South Burlington will help alleviate the housing crunch.
UVM students we spoke to said it would be nice to have more on-campus housing options.
The City Council is expected to weigh in on the MOU at their February 12 meeting.
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