City of Rutland photo
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Late last month, the city of Rutland, Vt. received a $3 million Catalyst Grant from the Northern Border Regional Planning Commission (NBRC) to help cover the approximately $7.8 million needed to revitalize Center Street, designed to provide new infrastructure, sidewalks and a hotel.
WPTZ-TV, an NBC affiliate serving the Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Burlington, Vt., market, reported that the Vermont Economic Progress Council approved a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District for Rutland. The council is now in the process of approving a phase filing for the district.
Following that, the TIF district will be heading to the polls in the fall on a $3.1 million bond. The city said other grants will help to cover the rest of the cost.
Rutland Mayor Mike Doenges said this project has been in discussion since the 1970s and, now that it has gained momentum, he is hopeful to see it through.
"I think the most important thing is to communicate that while [Rutland residents] have to vote on us taking out this debt, the debt will not affect their property tax rate," he said.
Complete Street Reconfiguration Planned
Doenges and other Rutland municipal officials want to reconstruct the entire streetscape on one block of Center Street downtown, from Wales Street west to Merchant's Row.
Center Street currently has two opposing travel lanes with parallel parking stalls on both sides of the roadway. The city plans to convert the block to a one-way street (motorists would travel west bound), to generate additional space for pedestrians, outdoor seating for merchants and new green space, according to Rutland's RFP for engineering services.
The city also intends to construct a curb-less streetscape and install protective barriers between motorists and pedestrians, such as bollards, and incorporate masonry planters into the design.
Although Center Street's current on-street parking is oriented parallel with the curb line, the city wants the new streetscape to incorporate a combination of both parallel and angled parking, including spaces dedicated for delivery purposes only.
In addition, in the green space where street-side trees and rain gardens have been proposed, the city wants modular, suspended pavement/concrete systems so that trees have enough uncompacted soil to thrive.
Before visible streetscape improvements on Center Street can begin, the Rutland Herald noted, critical underground infrastructure work must first take place.
The engineering proposal also noted that in advance of the streetscape project, Rutland intends to replace the existing below grade utilities, such as water, sewer and stormwater drainage. The new design will need to consider stormwater management, which will be critical in that the street will be rebuilt without a curb.
Tree pit modular systems must have underdrains that discharge stormwater to a new pipe, the city noted, as well as new catch basins.
Planners also want to build a new hotel on the improved block of Center Street at its northwest corner with Wales Street where the corridor's current "parking pit" is located.
Understanding Rutland's Downtown Infrastructure Funding
The new grant represents just one piece of the larger funding puzzle needed to move this phase of the TIF District forward, the Rutland Herald noted.
To understand how projects like the Center Street upgrades are funded, the Rutland news source turned to Stephanie Clarke, vice president of White + Burke Real Estate Advisors in Burlington. The firm is helping to guide Rutland through its TIF and infrastructure planning and implementation.
"To make private development projects like the hotel feasible, the city must ensure the property has the necessary infrastructure in place," she explained in answer to a question about the differences between private development and public infrastructure projects, and how they connect within the TIF framework.
"In a downtown where building is especially difficult, the City of Rutland wants to step up to be part of the solution. TIF is one tool the city is using to remove utility and access barriers that have historically made the site impossible to redevelop."
Rutland's $3 million NBRC grant fits into the financing structure for this first infrastructure project, she said, because the city does not want to burden its taxpayers with the cost of the downtown infrastructure upgrades.
"This is a large undertaking, so the city must use as many available dollars as possible to fund the project," Clarke said.
Although TIF and the Catalyst Grant are the two biggest source of funding, she said, Rutland has projected that other monies "will come from a variety of state and local sources," which could include funds via Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) programs, Sales Tax Reallocation and city's capital project funds.
Opinions of Streetscape Run the Gamut
Rutland Mayor Mike Doenges said Center Street project has been under discussion since the 1970s and now that it has gained momentum, he is hopeful to see it through.
If the bond passes, it's unclear exactly when construction will start. While the project has gained support, the work would almost certainly be disruptive to businesses along that block of Center Street.
WPTZ-TV spoke with one business owner who feared how long the construction might last and was afraid the project could potentially put them and others out of business.
Doenges said he will do as much as he can to prevent that from happening.
"We want to make sure that there's still at least access [to their businesses]," he said. "We're thinking about parking, we're thinking about the dust and how we're going to physically control it. We are cognizant that this is the lifeblood of many of those people who own businesses."
Other store owners, though, said the city's investment in creating a streetscape will be worth it.
Michele Farrington, the manager of Phoenix Books's Rutland location on Center Street, said after experiencing the pandemic, she and her employees will be able to work through the construction.
"We have ways to be creative to get books into people's hands," she told WPTZ-TV. "So, we'll be looking for all those opportunities to work with our customers and our supporters of Phoenix Books, as well as our other downtown businesses."
