SPRINGFIELD – City Council members heard recommendations on a new transportation plan, including proposed changes to street connectivity policies, maximum block lengths and adjustments to accommodate multi-unit housing developments. These included potential code changes for the requirements regarding driveways and planter strips.
Emma Newman, senior transportation planner with the Department of Public Works, made the presentation during a City Council work session on Aug. 26.
Following previous revisions to the TSP project document, four questions were presented to the Council for its direction. The revised Plan would then be finalized and presented to the Lane County Board of Commissioners for a joint public hearing.
The goal of the TSP is to provide for multi-use paths and safe accommodation for all modes of travel, including bicyclists, pedestrians and emergency vehicles. During the meeting, Mayor Christine Lundberg noted concerns about pedestrian and bike safety at the roundabout at Q Street, which contains a bike path. “I never supported that particular spot,” she said. “I would be very happy if it went away.”
She also said that residents in the area along Wayside Loop by MLK Parkway were “vehemently opposed” to changes that had been made there, and noted that speeding drivers were common on Pioneer Parkway between Q Street and Harlow Road.
During the ongoing revision process, technical incompatibilities were noticed among street networking standards, the recommended code amendments and the existing multi-unit design standards for blocks.
Recommendations were presented to the Council to remove existing requirements for planter strips from the multi-unit design standards to resolve the issue.
Learn more: The agenda packet can be found at: www.springfield-or.gov.
Audio recordings of this proceeding can be found at: http://laserfiche.springfield-or.gov.
