Champlain College
Burlington, Vermont
Champlain’s first master plan identifies appropriate locations for residential and academic expansion within one of Burlington’s most desirable residential neighborhoods as well as within the city’s downtown.
Project Highlights
- Long an important institution within Burlington, over the past five years Champlain has successfully reinvented itself, moving from a two-year technical school to a four-year residential college with an innovative, profession-oriented curriculum that draws students from across the country.
- The school needs 1,200 new beds and additional academic space to support planned growth. Accommodating these facilities within a historic residential neighborhood poses a considerable challenge.
- Growing concern over campus expansion demanded an open, transparent, and inclusive planning process. Working with the college, Goody Clancy developed an extensive outreach program involving an active neighbor-college steering committee, a website, public workshops and meetings, and regular updates mailed to community members.
- Dialogue among the college, the city, and local residents yielded agreement on development limits and helped identify opportunities to advance the college’s goals in ways that benefit both campus and community.