S. Burlington OKs redevelopment of Pizza Hut property, but project has no starting date

SOUTH BURLINGTON - A proposed development to replace the blighted buildings at the corner of Shelburne Road and Swift Street in South Burlington − including a weed-infested and graffitied former Pizza Hut − has finally gotten approval from the city's Development Review Board , but don't expect any dirt to fly soon.

Gary Bourne, the Massachusetts-based owner of Bourne Petroleum, co-owns the three parcels that make up the site on Shelburne Road. Bourne began planning in 2020 to build a Chase Bank branch where an abandoned Shell gas station sits; a mixed-use building with commercial space on the first floor and three apartments on the second floor where the Pizza Hut sits; and a three-story building with 27 apartments on the site of a former auto service center adjacent to the parcels that front Shelburne Road.

In August 2023, the DRB denied Bourne's initial application for the project, primarily because he had not provided the required number of inclusionary dwelling units, and because he had included a drive-through ATM that was prohibited by city regulations.

Inclusionary units refers to housing that is kept permanently affordable for households earning 80% of the median household income, which in South Burlington was $90,410 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Two paths forward, uncertainty about which will be taken

Bourne appealed the decision to the Vermont Superior Court Environmental Division, commonly known as the environmental court, in fall 2023. The following March, Bourne submitted a revised plan to the DRB, which upped the number of inclusionary units from seven to 10 − meeting the regulations − and dropped the ATM. That application was approved two months later, in May 2024, clearing the way for Bourne to begin.

Meanwhile, in June, the environmental court backed the DRB's decision rejecting the initial plans for the project submitted in 2023. This fall, Bourne appealed the environmental court's decision to the Vermont Supreme Court.

More: Redevelopment of blighted corner on South Burlington's Shelburne Road remains in question

"In sum, the property owner is presently following two paths," said Paul Conner, South Burlington's director of planning and zoning. "They are continuing their appeal of the original application and have an approval for the second application that they can proceed with if they choose. Because both paths remain open, we do not presently have a timeline for construction."

Bourne did not respond to a call for comment.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: S. Burlington OKs redevelopment of Pizza Hut property, but project has no starting date