MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Montpelier City Council this week gave the green light to a new design for a proposed parking garage but the costs have risen because of the legal battle with opponents of the project.
The garage is a joint project with the city and the Bashara family, which plans to build a Hampton Inn hotel on land that it owns.
A group of residents opposed to the garage appealed the state Act 250 land-use permit and a local zoning permit to the Environmental Court, the Times Argus reported. In April, an Environmental Court judge dismissed the Act 250 appeal and the opponents have asked him to change his decision. They say if he doesn’t they will appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court. City attorneys say an appeal to the state’s highest court will likely delay the project for a year.
The new design has level parking decks instead of sloped decks to address some of the appeals.
Voters had approved a $10.5 million bond for the project in 2018. The council learned Wednesday that the estimated project costs have increased to $12 million, partially because of legal fees, with $250,000 spent so far on appeals.
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