File: Courtney Lamdin ©️ Seven Days
The warehouse on Burton's campus
Higher Ground and Burton will not move forward with a proposal to open an indoor music venue at the snowboard company's Burlington campus.
Higher Ground announced the project's demise in social media posts on Wednesday — just days
after the Vermont Supreme Court sided with Burton in a legal challenge brought by neighbors who have opposed the plan.
The concert company, which has been planning since 2019 to relocate from South Burlington to the warehouse space on Queen City Park Road, said Burton backed out. Higher Ground lamented the "significant loss of time and resources" that it expended on the proposal.
"We are deeply disheartened that Burton has decided to change direction in their plans for the building," Higher Ground wrote.
Burton has not publicly communicated any change in plans and did not respond to interview requests. The company previously said it wanted to convert an underused warehouse at its global headquarters into an entertainment hub anchored by a 1,500-person music venue that would be managed by Higher Ground.
The City of Burlington amended its zoning rules specifically to allow a music venue in an industrial strip that is encircled by residential neighborhoods. An opposition group, Citizens for Responsible Zoning, spent roughly $200,000 on legal fees to fight the proposal, including an unsuccessful civil lawsuit, according to spokesperson Doug Goodman.
Goodman celebrated the announcement on Wednesday, calling it a "win for our neighborhood."
But he said Higher Ground's vague assertion that Burton was changing its plans for the site leaves some lingering uncertainty. With its permits and zoning changes already in place, he said, Burton still has considerable latitude to repurpose the warehouse in ways that could affect the neighborhood. The company, a Certified B Corporation, has not meaningfully engaged with neighbors who were concerned about the entertainment hub.
"Burton hasn't communicated with us directly for four years," Goodman said.
The group's attorney, Jim Dumont, said neighbors had made clear that they planned to vigorously challenge future entertainment permits and liquor licenses that the music venue would need. That, in turn, would put pressure on the Burlington City Council to place further limits on concerts there in ways that could make the venue less profitable.
"My clients have been planning all along ... we're going to be there every year for their liquor license application; we're going to be there every year for their entertainment permit application," Dumont said.
He speculated that Burton and Higher Ground didn't want to acknowledge the role of neighborhood opposition in scuttling the project. Higher Ground's announcement referenced "strong support from many South End residents" and blamed Burton for the change in course. Citizens for Responsible Zoning went unmentioned.
In its announcement, Higher Ground said it is still seeking new space, though cofounder Alex Crothers has not responded to recent interview requests.
"We are continuing to seek the best possible venue to bring mind-blowing performances to the area and will keep you updated on our progress," the company's post states.