Wharf Lane Prospects are Good

Negotiations to purchase Wharf Lane have turned around through great efforts of the tenants and local advocates. It looks as though Burlington Housing Authority will go ahead with the purchase of the apartment building, preserving the affordable units and allowing the residents to remain in their homes. There were several articles about this recently; below are some of the most recent developments: Source: Burlington Free Press, January 27, Joel Banner Baird “The purchase of Wharf Lane Apartments by the Burlington Housing Authority has lifted the threat of eviction faced by its 44 tenants, Paul Dettman, the authority’s executive director, said at a meeting Thursday night. A relieved round of applause from a gathering of residents greeted Dettman’s news; earlier, he had notified tenants that the affordable housing complex’s current owners (a spin-off of South Burlington-based Pizzagalli Properties) might deliver lease-termination notices before the end of the week. “I took it as a really good sign that the sheriff didn’t stop by today,” said Peg Batchelder, 83, who has lived in the same ground-level apartment for 26 years — after working for decades with the Burlington Electric Department. “I waited all day on pins and needles.” Other tenants, such as Gabriel Ngandu, who has lived at Wharf Lane for five months, expressed muted relief as soon as they heard the news; Burlington’s housing market for lower-income and workforce apartments is notoriously tight…” Link to Article: Residents of Burlington’s Wharf Lane apartments spared eviction More News: WCAX, January 28: BHA saves Wharf Lane tenants Wharf Lane was also talked about in a recent video segment by WPTZ.com where they discussed the effects of federal cuts to low-income residents in Vermont. Specifically they mentioned that 2,600 affordable rentals in Vermont are in danger of being lost when federal subsidies expire in March. Click here for the story: low income residents could be forced out of homes.

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