Downtown Walking Tour

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE

This information was adapted from a report prepared by Phillippos J. Loukissas and Stuart H. Mann, Community Studies Program, The Pennsylvania State University. The report was prepared for the Office of Management, Research, and Transit services, Urban Mass Transportation Administration, Washington, D.C. The original document was issued in June 1984. The revisions were made in March 1995.

The City Of Burlington and surrounding Chittenden County are Vermont's most populous areas. The State of Vermont is the third smallest state in the Union with 564,964 inhabitants according to the 1990 Census. It is one of two states designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as predominantly rural with thirty‑two percent Of the state's population living in or around urban areas. During the past decade, Chittenden County's metropolitan population increased by 14 percent to 131,761 persons. With 39,127 residents, the city proper of, Burlington accounts for 29 percent of the county population Census). The average wage of Vermont residents is $22,364, while the Chittenden County figure is $25,917.

Burlington has been and continues to be the largest center of trade in the state of Vermont. The City's original commerce and trade can be traced to lumbering and farming, and transportation because of Burlington's position on the east shore of Lake Champlain. By the late 1800s, textile manufacturing prospered in the area due to the abundance of cheap hydroelectric power. As with many other cities in the Northeast, the 1950s and 1960s were a period of decline for the City. The textile industries had moved from the area, overall manufacturing was on the decline and the downtown area ceased capital improvements as the suburbs grew. The City's successful past as an industrial and commercial center in the 19th century is evidenced by the beautiful residences remaining from that period.

The metropolitan area has experienced continued growth in vitality in the last decade with the entrance of new industries and small businesses. Burlington is the headquarters for the Champlain Management Company (Bruegger's Bagels); Burton Snowboards and Rhino Foods. The chief industries in the area are IBM, Martin Marietta and IDX Corporation. The downtown area is the second largest employment district in the county with over 9,000 workers in service, government and retail positions. Universities and colleges make up the third largest base industry for the Burlington area. The University of Vermont, Fletcher Allen Health Care and three other colleges are all within a mile of downtown businesses and public spaces. The student population. of 16,500 is a major clientele for downtown businesses. A free shuttle runs seven days per week between Burlington's downtown waterfront, the Church Street Marketplace and the University ‑of Vermont. Burlington, has an active political landscape and a strong three party system.

Physical Characteristics of the Burlington CBD

The downtown area is a twenty block shopping and residential district bounded by major through streets on four sides. Within the CBD, the major shopping. environment is located on the four blocks of Church Street from Main to Pearl Streets. To the west side of the shopping district is the Lake Champlain waterfront, with a waterfront park, a nine mile recreation path, the Community Boathouse, the Spirit of Ethan Allen tour ship, the Lake Champlain Transportation Company ferries, and the Main Street Landing mixed use development. On the other three sides are residential neighborhoods which rely on the downtown area for shopping, transportation and social services.

The downtown area contains approximately 1,604,000 square feet of building space, a hotel and several off ice buildings. 600,000 square feet of building space is retail based. The majority of the retail space fronts onto the four block area of Church Street. The Burlington Square Mall, provides an additional 150,000+ square feet of retail space, and has its main entrance on Church Street. At present, four other retail districts provide competition to the CBD. The University Mall, located two miles to the east of downtown Burlington, generates the second largest shopper trip frequency of all the retail districts. The Staples Plaza, and the Sears complex, are located on the eastern and southern boundaries of the city respectively. . The Champlain Mill, north of Burlington, is a rehabilitated textile mill with may specialty shops that service higher income groups. Development of an area called Taft Corners in Williston has been postponed by many permitting delays. The Lang Farm Center in Essex Junction is in the process of developing a high end retail outlet center.

The Urban Renewal Project

In 1958, a twelve acre Urban Renewal Project was begun in Burlington in cooperation with the U.S.' Department of Housing and Urban Development. The developer for the renewal project is Donohoe Associates of Philadelphia. The original project plan ,called for the development of mixed uses, including office, retail, hotel and parking facilities. Prior to the start of construction on the Church Street Marketplace in 1979, a 200‑room hotel, and four separate medium office buildings had been completed; a 620 space parking garage and the Burlington Square Mall had been built. Seven acres, all between Burlington Square Mall and the waterfront, remain to be developed. Separate from the urban renewal project, a 400‑space parking facility was completed off South Winooski Avenue, parallel to Church Street. Funds for this garage were supplied by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Three other parking facilities have been built by private developers since 1986 bringing the total number of undercover parking spaces in the CBD to more than 2,1 00. City Officials report that Burlington now has a supply of parking which far exceeds the average for a city its size.

Mass Transportation Services

Prior to 1973, public mass transit service was operated within the Burlington area by the Burlington Rapid Transit Company (BRT), a private operator. In July 1973, the BRT petitioned the state for cessation of services and the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) was formed by state statute (Kamerbeek 1980). The authority provides mass transit to the five municipalities of Burlington, South Burlington, Essex, Shelburne and Winooski and is the only public authority in the State of Vermont. Contrary to the trend in many small cities, CCTA has shown an increase in bus miles operated and passenger revenues due in part to increases in level of service, revised fare structure, improved transfer procedures, and new bus equipment.

Development of the Church Street Marketplace

The Church Street Marketplace is a four‑block area along through the central retail district of downtown Burlington. The north end of the street is bounded 'by the First Unitarian. Church, built in 1816. City Hall and City Hall Park are on the south end. This 'retail district' is composed predominantly of three and ‑four‑story buildings along a 66‑foot wide street (Voorhees 1977,. Burlington). The street level of the buildings was originally owned or rented by a wide mix of retailers and the upper stories were usually used as office space, storage, or vacant. One hundred four retail units are located along Church Street, and the Burlington Square Mall, an enclosed retail center, is at right angles to the third block with more the 150,000 square feet of retail. Before implementation of the mail, pedestrians were allocated only 31 to 40 percent of the public street place, with the remainder going to parking, autos, buses and service vehicles (Voorhees 1977, Burlington).

The concept of the Church Street Marketplace originated as early as 1958 as part ,of the Urban Renewal discussions. During the summer of 1971, a one‑day experimental street fair was held on the four blocks of Church Street by the Burlington Downtown Merchant's Association. Merchants and City officials report that approximately 15,000 persons attended. The success of the one‑day street fair was taken as a demonstration of the feasibility of a mall.

By late 1971, Patrick Robins, the president of the Downtown Burlington Development Association, a downtown merchant's organization, had been appointed as chairman of the Burlington Street Commission, and a local architect Bill Truex had become chairman of the City's Planning Commission. Both men recognized the potential of the mail for supporting the retail district and as a way to bring Church Street into the Urban Renewal plans. Traditionally, the City of ‘Burlington had a north‑south orientation paralleling Lake Champlain. The efforts of the Urban Renewal project were to change the orientation to an east‑west direction in order to develop the land areas between downtown and the lake shore while using the lake as a focal point. Church Street was seen as a potential anchor on the east side of the redevelopment project. Possibilities for this redevelopment scheme were aided by the exchange of property for St. Paul's Church lot along St. Paul Street when fire destroyed the building in 1971. The Urban Renewal developer exchanged the church lot for one closer to the lake. The Church property that is now the site of the Burlington Square Mall was acquired by the developer as a private acquisition to connect the urban renewal project with Church Street.

As further investigation into the feasibility of the 'Church Street mall, the City Planning Commission, the Street Commission and the Transit Authority director planned a second experimental street fair along Church Street for a week, in the summer of 1972. Traffic was rerouted from the four blocks of Church Street to the parallel streets, extra transit was added for the week and short‑term physical modifications were made on the street, such as adding trees, benches and booths. Merchants were allowed full use of the area for display of retail goods and special events were planned. Reports by city officials and merchants indicated that the experiment was successful. It was estimated that 50,000 persons attended during the week. The success of this demonstration facilitated the planning of a pedestrian mall and reinforced cooperation between the Planning and Street Commission, the Traffic Department and the downtown merchants.

Interest in the downtown area, especially in the creation of a Church Street mall continued to grow, and in 1974, the Downtown Burlington Development Association prepared impact studies of the Church Street mall project on pedestrian flows, traffic, and space usage. In 1975, Mayor Gordon Paquette appointed the Church Street Mall Steering Committee as a separate committee to further study the mall concept. The Mayor and the Planning Commission Director, Randall Kamerbeek, both strongly in favor of the project, were able to convince the City Council/Alderman of the merits of the mall. Patrick Robins was made chair of the new Steering Committee, which included professional and business concerns. The committee commissioned Alexander and Truex, a local architectural firm to begin preliminary design work.

The Steering Committee and the architects collaborated to develop criteria for a
design that included use for vacant building space in the mall area, provision for shelter from Vermont's weather along the mall, a system of snow removal along the mall and sidewalks, and a maintenance and promotion revenue scheme. By late 1975, the architects had completed a preliminary design that included access ‑to the vacant upper stories of buildings by means of ramps and elevators, walkways covered by canopies to provide protection for pedestrians, and retail for space in the street for small‑ shops and booths (Kamerbeek 1980). Support for the Steering Committee and preliminary designs came from the Downtown Burlington Development Association, which helped raise capital and merchant support, and from money from Vermont's Bicentennial Commission. 1

In 1976, with some preliminary design work completed, and on the advice of the County's Transit Manager, the Steering Committee applied to UMTA for a $1 million grant under the Service and Methods Demonstration program for auto restricted zones. Due to the success and recognition of the new Transit Authority, a good working relationship had been established between Burlington and UMTA, especially with the Boston field office. Upon receipt of $1.6 million from the Public Works Employment Grant for a downtown parking garage, the Boston office advised the Steering Committee to rework their design, to stress t he impact of the mall on mass transit and to apply for capital monies from Section 3, as well as other sources. The Steering, Committee , modified the original design plans and resubmitted its grant application in late 1976 to include an increased request from $1 million to $4.8 million. 2

Burlington was picked as one of five auto‑restricted zone demonstration sites and UMTA awarded Burlington a $200,000 grant for design and planning of the mall in early 1977; the City also received $50,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts, and $10,000 from a local historic preservation fund to aid in the planning and design of the mall. 3

Additional local merchant and public support for the Church Street mall was generated during 1976 and early 1977 by the announcement from the Pyramid Company that plans were being developed to build an 82‑store shopping complex in Williston, 6 miles east of downtown Burlington. 4 Local officials, who favored a healthy downtown retail area, feared that the Pyramid mall would draw up to 40 percent of the downtown businesses' revenues to the suburbs. The City and the State were successful in deferring development of the Pyramid Mall, principally because of negative environmental impacts on traffic, air quality and economic effects upon the CBD. 5 Litigation continued until June 1983 when the developers finally withdrew their plans. In 1986, plans for the Pyramid Mall resurfaced. Again, Act 250, Vermont's land use law, provided a framework by which negotiations are still taking place in order to insure that the Potential development is appropriate for the community and the region. Wal‑Mart has vied for space directly across the highway from the proposed Mall. It's progress has also been slowed by the development review process known ‑as Act 250.

During late 1976 and early 1977, a series of eleven local public hearings were held in Burlington to display the proposed design for the Church Street mall. Citizens' criticisms of the appointments to the mall, such as snow melting equipment and canopies, led the Steering Committee to scrap the original design. 6,7

During the spring and summer of 1977, the Mayor, the Director of City Planning, Chairman of the Steering Committee, and the architects traveled to several other cities that had built auto restricted malls, such as Portland, Minneapolis, and Providence. From these exploratory trips, they decided that the factors most important to the success of a mall included responsibility for operation and maintenance, design on a pedestrian scale, offering community uses along various parts of the mall, and inclusion of a transit system compatible with the mall's design (Kamerbeek 1980). In August of 1977, city officials signed a $304,000 design and architectural contract with Alexander and Truex to develop the new design for the project. 8

About the same time, Burlington officials turned down financial assistance from UMTA's Office of Service and Methods Demonstration for auto restricted zones. The awards of the section 3 grant had precluded the need for the demonstration monies. In addition, Burlington officials report the SMID grant placed restrictions on a choice of design, planners and scheduling. The Burlington officials had already done preliminary work and created an acceptable design while the SMID Office wanted to repeat the whole planning process. Also, the latest mail design limited bus routes to intersecting streets on the mall instead of the length of the mall and the SMD office regarded this feature as contrary to its guidelines for ARZ demonstration projects.

The Two‑Level Mall

The second design for Church Street was unveiled in March 1978. The design encompassed a two‑level scheme, with the lower level below the street level and connecting to adjacent buildings through their basements. The lower level would add 80,000 square. feet of retail space to the City's total with no new construction, and provide 20,000 square feet of city‑owned retail space. 9 The main deck, or street level could be turned into an urban park with plantings and public spaces open for retail and pedestrian uses. The design did not add to, the architecture of any existing buildings and left the street free to. vary with no design impediments. A transit study recommended rerouting of the bus routes, rescheduling and ‑additional capital improvement expenditures to improve access to the downtown from all points surrounding the City, and to reduce headways. The total cost for the proposed two level mall was projected to exceed $19 million. 10

In the Fall of 1978, the Steering Committee and the Mayor returned to Washington to gain financial support for the two‑level mall. Burlington was seeking $7 million from UMTA for a bus loop linking downtown shopping, waterfront‑ and entertainment districts with the regional bus system, $3 million from Housing and Urban Development for development around the mall area, $2 million from the Heritage Conservation and Recreation. Service to turn street level sections of the Marketplace into an "urban park setting," $2 million from the Environmental Protection Agency for sewer and utility work on the site, and an additional $3 million from other federal agencies. 11 The overall Federal response to the mall was positive, and the City of Burlington had political support in high places. Senator Leahy of Vermont, the first Democratic Senator elected in Vermont in over 100 years, owed much of the Democratic support in the State to Burlington's Mayor Paquette. The Senator appointed a full time staff person in his office to work on the Church Street Mall project. The Carter Administration also offered its support; the administration saw Burlington as a small city with potential for success as a demonstration site for several federal projects. Jack Watson, special assistant to President Carter and head of inter-government coordinating agency, voiced the President's support, and attended meetings. between Burlington Officials, UMTA and the other potential funding agencies. 12

In March, 1979 the City of Burlington sponsored round table discussions in. which a panel of development experts reviewed city plans to assess the need for a mail and strategies for implementation in response to the proposed $20 million two‑level mall. 13 The panel recommended the creation of. a mall, but raised questions about the two‑level design. Local citizens and merchants also responded negatively to the idea. In a University of Vermont market survey of 2,800 persons, only 13 percent were in favor of the mall design. Merchants feared. the long construction time of the project, incursion into sub ground basement areas, and the engineering and safety problems of working on buildings 1 00 years old, however, the costs of the project proved to be the ,most prohibitive factor. Although. there was much support among various agencies, only UMTA. was able to promise any of the necessary monies.

The Final Mall

The Steering Committee decided to drop the two‑level scheme by April 1979, and a new one‑level plan was devised. The new plan included bringing the street level up to the sidewalk level, resurfacing the street with brick, adding canopies and shelters, closing the street to cars on the two central blocks, and implementing the downtown bus loop which would enable buses to cross Church Street at two intersections. The City again submitted applications to UMTA by May 1979 for $5.4 million from section 3 Urban ~ Initiatives Grant. In June, 1979, the City was notified by the Boston Office that UMTA would allow $5.4 million for the construction of the mall out of Section 3 money, and that the City would have to put up the remaining 20 percent or $1.5 million. 14

In late June, 1979, Burlington Alderman and the Planning Commission approved asking city voters to approve changes to the City Charter to enable establishment of a Church Street Marketplace district and a private governing commission. The Commission would be given power to levy common area fees, on properties that would benefit by the construction and operation of the Marketplace, for the purpose of running and maintaining the mall area. In addition, the Commission would have the power to lease space in the Marketplace, hire staff and raise money. Only, 6,400 of the total 70,000 square feet of the Burlington Square mall were to be included in the district. 15 In a special election on August 21, 1979, citizens voted on a $1.5 million bond issue for the City's share of mall construction costs. While, the voters did approve the creation of the Church Street Marketplace district and governing Commission, only 65 percent of the voters approved the bond issue, 2 percent less than the required 213 majority needed for approval. 16 The Mayor, acting on what appeared to be popular support, asked for another election, and in October 1979, the bond issue passed with over the needed 2/3 majority. 17

With the approved creation of the Marketplace Commission, passage of the bond issue, and assurance of federal money, involvement of the Burlington Planning Commission and the Church Street Steering Committee was over. At this time, Robins, the driving force behind the project, and Alexander and Truex, the design architects, terminated their involvement in the project. A dispute between Truex and the City over construction standards of the 400‑space parking facility may have caused the resignation of that firm from the Marketplace project which resulted in the hiring of a new architect for the final design of the mall. The last act of' Robins' as head of the Steering Committee was to pass a mandate through the Board of Alderman that in any design proposals the central two blocks of Church Street would remain completely for pedestrian use only, while the outside two blocks would handle pedestrians and cars. This was an acceptable compromise for all parties.

The Construction Phase

The new Marketplace Commission was given charge of hiring a new architect and contractor, and beginning construction. C. E. Maguire, Inc., of New Britain, Connecticut, was hired to supervise the architectural/engineering work. That firm assumed all engineering tasks and contracted, in turn, with Carr, Lynch Associates. of Cambridge, Massachusetts to act as. architects. Design work was based on the final design scheme by Alexander and Truex, a one level street mall with replacement and improvement of utilities underground, resurfacing of the street and improvements and appointments along the surface. The new $6 million design scheme was approved in early 1980 and construction was scheduled to begin in July, 1980. A contractor was selected, and a construction consultant manager was hired from an independent construction company to coordinate the efforts of the contractor and the architect, to expedite problem solutions, and to review scheduling and construction progress. The consultant manager has been credited with, completing the construction of the mall ahead of schedule and under budget. Construction began on July 7, 1980. 18

In the 1980 construction' season, the street was torn up and underground utility improvements were installed one block at a time. In 1981 the street amenities were added. During the sixteen months of construction, none of the businesses along Church Street changed locations or terminated business and retail sales in the area showed no .decline. In fact, some reports indicated that more persons came into the Church Street area after construction began. Construction workers became local folk heroes, and tales of their skills, became popular. The Marketplace Commission took advantage of the publicity of construction by publishing and broadcasting schedules of weekly construction events for spectators. Advertising and promotion were heaviest during the first month of construction to lessen the impact of construction on potential shoppers. construction was completed in the fall of 1981.

The completed mail is covered by a level brick surface up to store entrances. Trees, planters and benches are placed along all four blocks of the mall. Auto traffic is restricted from three blocks, by bollards and chains. One way traffic is allowed on the southern most block but parking is prohibited from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.. The intersecting streets allow two way traffic flow. Delivery traffic is allowed on the main length of the Marketplace between 7:00 and 10:00 a.m. In conjunction with the Marketplace, an adequate bus system was created to allow workers and shoppers to get to and from the downtown easily, and it is complemented by close parking. The transit system was rerouted and rescheduled to include routes that service downtown from all suburban points. Each bus circles the transit loop of downtown before departing, thus passengers are within 350 feet of any destination downtown. Scheduling was coordinated by creating a "Pulse" system in which all buses depart simultaneously from downtown and headway are one half hour at all downtown stops. 19 Transit shelters *were built on two streets that intersect the Marketplace, and a new terminal was built adjacent to the Marketplace at the corner of Cherry and Church Streets. The shelters are semi‑enclosed areas that protect waiting passengers from rain and snow, but provide little protection from wind and cold. A particular point of interest on the Church Street Marketplace is the restriction of buses from the length of the street; buses charge and discharge passengers at intersection corners of the streets and the Marketplace.

Maintenance and Promotion of the Mall

In addition to overseeing construction and completion of the mall, the Church Street Marketplace District Commission was given the full private responsibility of operations, maintenance, and promotion of the street. The budget of the Marketplace Commission is provided primarily by common area fees charged to property owners on the Marketplace. Additional revenue comes from the licensing of 'vendors and sidewalk cafes as well as sponsorships and donations. In 1994, with a total budget of nearly $500,000. One hundred eighty thousand dollars ($180,000) was spent for advertising and promotions, and the remainder spent on maintenance and operating expenses.

Operations include the collection of common area fees, planning for additions, and licensing of street vendors. Currently, merchants along the mail pay $380,000 per year in Marketplace charges. The Commission also controls the amount of street space allowed for store front extensions, such as sidewalk eating and drinking areas. The spaces are leased by the square foot and on a temporary basis. Street vendors are licensed by the Commission; an upper limit on the number of street vendors allowed has been established. Street vendors pay an annual fee which is adjusted based on location. The fees range from $212 to $1500. Snow removal on the mail is contracted out by the Commission, while litter removal, routine maintenance and repairs are performed by Marketplace personnel. Snow removal extends right to store fronts.

One form of promotion of the Marketplace is the validation of parking and bus ridership. The Marketplace Commission and merchants, in cooperation with the Transit Authority and the‑ parking facilities operators, make tickets available to downtown customers for each purchase. Each ticket is redeemable either for a 25 cent discount on parking or bus fare. The combined system of subsidy for buses and parking validation was unique in the US when the program was implemented in the early 80's.

Since completion of the Marketplace, retail occupancy on the ground floor has remained at or near 100%. Rents have increased from 25 to over 100 percent along the Marketplace and have held steady in spite of the recession which engulfed the Northeast in recent years.

General Comments

Many factors have contributed to the successful implementation of the Marketplace. An important factor is considered to be the size of the city and its relations to the state. Though Burlington is a small city, it has a strong economic base and it is the largest urban center in a small rural state. This provides it with a great deal of political power and influence in state and federal affairs. The CBD, the focus of an expanding metropolitan area, had a healthy retail district even before the Marketplace was built. In this situation Burlington's small size worked to the City's advantage by facilitating interpersonal relations. This is demonstrated in the anecdote about construction workers becoming local folk heroes.

Strong leaders in both the public arena and the merchant community were largely responsible for maintaining support and progress toward implementation. Locally, Mayor Paquette was in office over the period from conception of the Marketplace through construction. He made the project a high priority in his administration, was able to persuade the Board of Aldermen about the merit of the project and to gain public confidence especially on passage of the bond issue to insure the necessary local funds. Additionally, his positive relationship with Senator Leahy helped gain needed support in Washington.

In the merchant community, Patrick Robins, a charismatic person, appears to have been the driving force behind the development. As head of the Downtown Burlington Development Association, he was able to gain the other merchants' support for the Marketplace over a period of ten years. It all started as an experimental street fair. As a member of the Redevelopment Authority, he demonstrated foresight in the early planning of the Church Street Marketplace and saw both the practicality and financial implications of the Marketplace as part of the urban renewal project. As chairman of the Church Street Steering Committee, he opened the Church Street mail to public debate and showed flexibility and openness to public opinion, thus ensuring public support for final implementation. He also worked well with the other committees and agencies and established good relations with federal funding agencies, especially the Boston UMTA office. The hiring of Truex, a local architect, for the preliminary design work may have facilitated the overall project implementation. Truex, who had previously served as the chairman of the Planning Commission, had a good understanding of the local problems and worked well with Robins. His two‑level design, though it proved unfeasible, provided the necessary excitement and enthusiasm that motivated the participants.

At the federal level, Senator Leahy (D) Vermont provided the necessary assistance and connections with the various federal agencies. Support also came from the head of the executive branch of the federal government when President Carter actively showed his willingness to help Burlington.

Close cooperation and coordination of all local committees and the transit and renewal authorities were crucial to the successful implementation of the mail. Involvement of the transit authority was among the most important factors since UMTA was currently working with the authority, and avenues of funding for the Marketplace were opened by the inclusion of a transit component in the plans. The renewal authority's involvement was helpful in tying the Church Street mail to the urban renewal development project land and in providing new parking facilities on the perimeter of the Marketplace.

The creation of the Church Street Marketplace Commission for construction, operation and maintenance proved to facilitate the Marketplace development. The Commission decided wisely to hire a construction consultant to manage all aspects of construction who was able to complete construction ahead of schedule and under budget. The Commission also worked closely with the merchants along Church Street, and through promotion and advertising, successfully demonstrated that the decline of retail sales during construction can be minimized. The responsibilities of the Commission for maintenance and operation helped to ensure the smooth operation and continued success, of the mall, The fact that Penrose Gearin, the Commission's administrator, was involved in the early planning phases of the project had a positive influence as well.

One should not conclude that Burlington faced fewer obstacles along the road to implementation than other cities. Consensus on an acceptable design was not reached easily, the final plan represented a compromise in terms of auto restriction. But in spite of their problems, they persevered and were able to solve their problems creatively.

Finally, exogenous events such as the announcement of the proposed Pyramid Mall in a nearby suburban area in 1976 played a very critical role in the project. It led to a public outcry to protect the downtown district from decay and proved to be the catalyst for a commitment to strengthen the downtown during the following years.

1. "Burlington Mall Plan Interests Federal Agencies", Ann Devroy, [Garnett News Service], September 13, 1978.
   
2. "Burlington Delegation Headed to Washington to Lobby for Mall", The Times Argus, January 3, 1977.
   
3. "Church Street Mall Gets Off Ground with Contract", Bob Sherman, The Times Argus, August 31, 1977.
   
4. "Is Burlington Pyramid Proof", Alan Abbey Vermont, November 1, 1981.
   
5. "Church Street Would be "Decimated by Pyramid, Forum Speakers Say", Scott MacKay, Burlington Free Press, December 10, 1976.
   
6. "Committee Vows Major Rethinking at Church Street Project Hearing", Russ Garland, Burlington Free Press, February 3, 1977.
   
7. "The Church Street Mall: Mayor's Paquette's Pet Project", Greg Guma, Vermont, Cynic, September 29, 1977.
   
8. The Times Argo. August 31, 1977.
   
9. "Church Street Plan Includes Mall Arcade", Gayle Gertler, Burlington Free Press, March 23, 1978.
   
10. "Mall Project Cost Expected to Top $15 Million", Gayle Gertler, Burlington Free Press, July 6, 1978
    
11. Ann Devroy, September 13, 1978.
    
12. Ibid
    
13. "Boston Planner Expects Experience Easy to Adapt to Burlington Needs", Rob Eley, Burlington Free Press, February 23, 1979.
    
14. "Marketplace Grant Withdrawn Delayed", Alan Abbey. Burlington Free Press, August 23, 1979.
    
15. "Church Street Market District Finally Gets City's Approval", Alan Abbey, Burlington Free Press, June 28, 1979.
    
16. "Paquette Says City Should Expect Second Vote on Marketplace", Alan Abbey, Burlington Free Press, August' 28, 1979
    
17. Voters OK Marketplace Bond Issue", Alan Abbey, Burlington Free Press, October 31, 1979.
    
18. “Marketplace Construction Begins Monday; Merchants Hope Work Won't Scare off Shoppers", Steve Larose, Burlington Free Press, Jul 6, 1980.
    
19. Changes in Bus Routes Begin Monday", Rob Eley, Burlington Free Press, July 5, 1980.