By Kolby LaMarche

Burlington city councilors, and voters, heard Monday evening an update on the Memorial Block redevelopment project, where developers presented conceptual designs that could transform the 3.81-acre downtown site long dominated by the vacant Memorial Auditorium. 

The plans came out of a partnership between developers Eric Farrell and Joe Larkin under a pre-development agreement, were first executed in March of last year and extended twice. 

The scheme would shift the focus from isolated fixes to the decades-old, but iconic, auditorium to a comprehensive overhaul of the entire block bounded by Main Street, South Winooski Avenue, College Street, and South Union Street.

The auditorium, erected as a tribute to World War I veterans and once a hub for concerts, graduations, boxing matches, and other community events, was shuttered in 2016 after the city engineer deemed it structurally unsafe due to decades of deferred maintenance. 

Since then, the building has sat boarded up, accumulating graffiti and symbolizing stalled progress at what many call the gateway to downtown Burlington. Over the summer, the city attempted to hide vandalism to the building using an “art fence”. 

The fence itself was soon after vandalized and then removed. 

Surrounding it are the Fletcher Free Library, College Street Congregational Church, Central Fire Station, and expansive – in downtown terms – parking lots. 

This latest proposal marks a departure from years of unsuccessful attempts to revive the site. 

Efforts date back to at least the early 2000s, with studies and community input processes highlighting the need for creeping repairs but failing to produce actionable results. 

In 2018, the city’s Community and Economic Development Office conducted extensive public engagement, including surveys and workshops, leading to architectural reports on adaptive reuse options. Those concepts, which prioritized preserving a public assembly space, never advanced amid rising costs, funding challenges, and changing priorities. 

A major setback came in 2021 when voters rejected a $40 million infrastructure bond that included $10 million earmarked for auditorium renovations. 

The measure garnered majority support but fell short of the required supermajority. 

Around the same time, ideas like relocating Burlington High School to the site or partnering with Higher Ground for venue operations fizzled out, compounded by the pandemic’s impact and shift toward supporting businesses. 

In 2022, the city issued a request for proposals specifically for the auditorium, receiving three submissions.

 None progressed: one from an out-of-state developer was rejected, another from a local arts group withdrew over feasibility concerns, and a third from a music nonprofit was deemed non-responsive. 

By late 2023, the city signed a letter of intent with Farrell and Larkin, leading to the current pre-development agreement. 

The conceptual designs unveiled Monday emphasize urban integration and a continuation, it feels, of the change happening at Burlington Square.  

The east wing of the auditorium, including its facade and the in-place veterans’ memorial, would be retained to preserve a sense of historical entry to downtown. Most of the main structure, however, would be demolished to accommodate a hotel, residential buildings, commercial spaces, and community/flex areas.

A prominent feature is a new youth-oriented park and playground positioned between the untouched library and church, replacing asphalt lots with green space. 

The historic Central Fire Station is slated for adaptive reuse, potentially for commercial or community functions, while relocation studies continue for a new public safety facility, developers say. 

Parking would be consolidated underground or in garages, accessed via South Union and South Winooski avenues, with dedicated drop-off zones for the hotel, library, and church.

Designers highlighted potential pedestrian enhancements, such as extending Thorsen Way toward Church Street and City Hall Park, tying into ongoing Main Street improvements, and creating multiple indoor-outdoor public gathering spots. 

The goal, as stated in the presentation, is a block welcoming to residents, visitors, workers, and guests regardless of their purpose.

Financial hurdles remain significant, though. 

An August 2025 preliminary budget analysis pegs the project at around $224 million but identifies a $33 million gap. 

Over the winter and spring, the team will refine modeling, validate infrastructure costs, explore phasing, and review funding mechanisms like tax increment financing or bonding.

A key decision point is scheduled for June, when developers plan to return to council with a viability determination, updated finances, recommended city contributions, and possibly an interim development agreement framework.

Councilors reacted with measured optimism, praising the pedestrian-focused layout and green additions but probing parking capacity for residents, hotel users, and church attendees. 

Questions also lingered on finalizing fire station relocation details, which developers have offered to fund upfront.

Burlington Daily News will provide ongoing updates as the project evolves.