Melinda Moulton Remembers a Changing Burlington Waterfront

Twenty years ago, Lisa Steele and I began envisioning a new Burlington Waterfront. In 1982 the Waterfront was an old rail yard surrounded by barbed wire, a grain company, a junk yard, and assorted rough and tumble relics of our industrial age. As we moved forward in the revitalization effort, we became aware of a similar project just a few blocks away.

Up on Church Street, a handful of community leaders were masterminding a metamorphosis: the creation of a pedestrian-friendly environment which would turn a city street into a brick walkway. Managed by a commission that would handle the maintenance, operation, and marketing for the merchants, this concept was not new in Europe, but was certainly new to New England.

Our focus along the water’s edge seemed miles away from the hustle and bustle surrounding the rebirth of Church Street. There wasn’t a link between the two, invisible or real. When our redevelopment plans were presented to Church Street merchants, there was an air of suspicion, and a deep concern from some that whatever happened down by the water would have a negative effect on the success of Church Street.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, we have witnessed enormous changes on the Waterfront. There is now a waterfront park, a science center, a community boathouse, a 7.5-mile bike path, a skate park, housing at the foot of Lake Street, new office and retail complexes anchoring Battery Street and its side streets, a renovated railroad station and passenger rail service, a community sailing center, and tourist boats dotting the Lake’s surface during the summer months.

Simultaneously, Church Street has blossomed into one of the country’s most celebrated downtown centers. The Burlington Square Mall, following the construction of Filene’s, is getting a facelift; exciting new nationals have arrived, old established businesses are thriving, and many new local storefronts line the street. Throngs of people – Burlington residents in the majority – arrive every day on our four-block pedestrian walkway to work, play, eat, shop, and generally enjoy their thriving city’s center.

Something else has happened the past twenty years. The distance between Church Street and the Waterfront has become smaller. Downtown expanded to include the Waterfront, and it takes less time to move from one to the other. A College Street Shuttle carries people back and forth. And for walkers, the trip is much friendlier. Abandoned storefronts on Main Street have become vibrant new establishments. College Street now boasts an 85-unit apartment house, deli and fish market, and a crosswalk with pedestrian signals. And now, the Burlington Business Association and Preservation Burlington are planning a historic walking tour that will make a narrative connection between the Marketplace to the rest of the City.

The links are established and the old fears of “us versus them” have all but disappeared. The economic vitality of Burlington depends on the power of the whole. Burlington is a remarkable part of our world, and the Waterfront and the Church Street Marketplace are remarkable parts of what makes Burlington a special place.
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