Just off Garden Street, behind Healthy Living, a row of weatherproof frames runs along a paved path toward Barrett Street. Each frame holds a page of The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater. The South Burlington Public Library picked the book for this season because it follows the change into fall. The library puts the walk at about 15 minutes and says it handles strollers and wagons, is accessible, and stays open year-round, with the book changed each season on the children's librarian's recommendation.
That 15-minute stretch connects pieces of City Center that used to stand apart. The City Hall and library building opened in 2021. The Market Street storefronts filled in over the past two years. The park path was the missing link that tied them together, and this October is the first fall that all three are in place at once.
Four streets, one path
Phase II of City Center Park added a shared-use path that connects Barrett Street, Iby Street, Market Street and Garden Street. In its May 13, 2026 project update, the city described it as a link between Goose Park and the natural play area at City Center Park. Where the route crosses wetland, it becomes boardwalk built on helical piles with concrete decking. The city chose that design to protect the wetland, last a long time, and keep the route open over ground that is otherwise hard to cross.
The update also shows the lighting is part of the design. By the end of April the path was paved, the lights and bollards were switched on, and landscaping was in. That matters more in October than it did in July. By mid-month, the light is going before dinner.
The route is part of an official Safe Routes to School network. The city held the ribbon-cutting and grand opening on the evening of July 7 as part of Recreation on the Go, and WCAX reported that the ceremony marked the end of Phase II.
For a baseline, Sophia Babbitt, the first director of the South Burlington City Center Collaborative, told The Other Paper that a few years ago the area around Market Street was open space and a dirt road.
The storefronts the path ties together
With the path open, the ground floors on Market Street work as a single block of businesses within walking distance of the park. The table lists the addresses that are open now, from Garden Street toward the east end:
| Address | Business | What it is | Open since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 234 Market St. | Bijou Blu Medical & Wellness | Cold plunge, infrared sauna, aesthetics, IV therapy, massage, cryotherapy | Recently relocated here |
| 240 Market St. | Folino's South Burlington | Pizza, salads, appetizers, sandwiches; dine-in or takeout | Open by mid-July 2026 |
| 258 Market St. | Bliss Bee | Breakfast, lunch and dinner | March 2025 |
| 264 Market St. | Judi's Ice Cream | Scoop shop with indoor seating, open year-round | Early July 2026 |
| 286 Market St. | The Scale | Build-your-own poké and açaí bowls | December 2025 |
Two of these are especially relevant to fall. Seven Days reported that the Market Street Judi's would have indoor seating and stay open all year. That makes it a different kind of shop from a summer-only scoop window. Its location page lists daily hours of 2 to 10 p.m. The page carries no date, so it's worth checking before a late trip once the weather turns.
The Scale, at the east end of the row, has been there the longest of the newer food spots. Seven Days covered its soft opening on December 10, 2025, and its grand opening that Saturday, December 13, so this is its first fall on Market Street.
The addresses differ a little between sources. A 2025 welcome post from the City Center Collaborative put Bliss Bee at 268 Market Street. Bliss Bee's own contact page now lists 258. Leunig's has announced 268 for its new restaurant.
October uses the park as a venue
The park opened with music, food and games at the July 7 grand opening. The city's October recreation calendar is the first fall calendar to put an event inside it.
On Saturday, October 24, the Haunted Hustle 5K Fun Run/Walk runs from 3:15 to 5 p.m. at the City Center Park Goose Pond Open Space off Market Street. The city is holding it with the Vermont Air National Guard, and registration is through the recreation department. Five days later, on Thursday, October 29, the city's Spotlight 802 series brings two-time Olympian and two-time FIS World Championship medalist Julia Kern to the South Burlington Public Library auditorium from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
The two events sit on either side of the path. Haunted Hustle runners can use the park to warm up and cool down, and anyone heading to the Kern talk can take the boardwalk to the library on a lit route. One possible way to spend the afternoon of October 24:
- Park along Garden Street, where the library says StoryWalk parking is available.
- Walk The Leaf Thief toward Barrett Street. It takes about 15 minutes.
- Pick up the Haunted Hustle at the Goose Pond Open Space before the 3:15 p.m. start.
- Finish on Market Street. Judi's listed hours begin at 2 p.m., and Folino's offers dine-in.
The Collaborative's own events page showed no listings for October through December when we checked. Its most recent dated entry was September 29. For now, the city's recreation calendar is the place to find events in the park.
The empty storefront at 268 Market Street
The biggest piece still missing is Leunig's. Seven Days reported on June 29 that the Burlington bistro is opening a second location: a 5,300-square-foot restaurant at 268 Market Street in the Catamount Run development. The plan includes weekday breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch and dinner, and sidewalk café seating, with an opening expected "this winter." At the Collaborative's August 27 annual meeting, co-owner Amy Bernhardt, a South Burlington resident, was still renovating the space. We found no updated opening date as of mid-October.
The Other Paper reported how Bernhardt explained the choice at that meeting:
"South Burlington is up and coming. It's far enough from downtown, and people still come out. I think it's just it's a good place to be, community-wise."
According to the same report, she would like to see more retail nearby, so people could browse local shops and then stop for a meal or ice cream. The Collaborative doesn't sign tenants, since leases are up to the building owners. Babbitt described its role as "connective tissue" that connects interested businesses with property owners. She called the next phase "activating what we've built."
Two more connections are planned beyond the park. WCAX reported in May that the city plans to extend Garden Street to Williston Road near Al's French Fries and rebuild that intersection, with work running from this year into next. The Collaborative also listed a July 27 groundbreaking for Phase I of a walk-bike bridge over I-89, starting at the Staples parking lot at 861 Williston Road. That listing announced the event; it doesn't confirm how far construction has come.
If you're trying to judge how City Center's next phase could affect a home near Market Street or Garden Street, the team at Pursuit Real Estate follows these projects closely and can talk it through with you. Book an appointment.
