VHB is proud to support both the City of Burlington’s Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO) and Friends of The FRAME in repurposing the former Moran Plant property into a unique, multiuse public space on Burlington’s picturesque Lake Champlain waterfront.
The former coal- and wood-fired power plant, built in 1954, was decommissioned in 1986. It sat unused until 2019, when CEDO brought VHB’s Site Investigation and Remediation team in to support extensive cleanup and remediation of the site, including providing environmental management and monitoring services to confirm that the site’s Corrective Action Plan was appropriately implemented. VHB oversaw extensive cleanup of hazardous building materials, isolation of contaminated soils under an engineered barrier, and segregation of contaminant waste streams.
The site has now been rehabilitated. VHB oversaw infill of the plant’s basement level and careful removal of the building’s exterior shell. New paint, lighting, and hardscape paths enhance the site of the former plant, which has been reduced to only its steel frame.
VHB’s Vermont Cultural Resources group completed a series of historic documentation projects for The FRAME to mitigate the adverse effects of dismantling a component of Burlington’s industrial heritage. These projects included a Vermont Roadside Historic Site Marker, two interpretive signs installed at the site that are available online in 10 different languages, an educational booklet, and two interpretive panels offering a timeline of notable events related to the Burlington waterfront and Moran Plant. The property opened to the public in 2022.
This project was part of a larger effort to transform Burlington’s industrial waterfront into a thriving tourist attraction overlooking beautiful Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. VHB has played an integral role in the design, planning, and permitting for many of these rehabilitation projects, including the Burlington Bike Path/Greenway, the Community Sailing Center, and the A_Dog Skatepark.
