2007-02-05 - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 Mr. Lynch said having 7 ½ Street northbound allows a left turn out of the neighborhood. He said turns should be not be allowed out of Walker Square at that location. He said he is comfortable moving forward as soon as possible with closing the medians at Birdwood and Hillcrest. He said the interchange at the 250 Bypass is contemplating a roundabout which could accommodate the neighborhood. He said he is more skeptical about one waying Calhoun and Franklin. He said there is a lot more traffic on other streets. He said we cannot simply shut down streets or parts of City streets. Dr. Brown said the previous discussions about Franklin Street were about truck traffic and noise, and the dialogue has kind of changed now. He said he would like to look at this a little more. Ms. Hamilton said it would be helpful to have specific traffic counts. She said she feels 7 ½ Street is the most critical. She said it appears that there are unmet promises with Walker Square and said that should be looked at. She said she agrees with her colleagues on the other issues. PUBLIC HEARING/REPORT : OLD LYNCHBURG ROAD Mr. Tolbert asked that Council consider the closure of Old Lynchburg Road and Biscuit Run proffers. He said the Council has been approached and asked to consider closing Old Lynchburg Road at Azalea Park, and Council asked staff to look at the issue. He said no detailed traffic study was done. He said an origin and destination study would cost approximately $10,000. He said staff understands the concerns of the neighborhood. He said the vehicle to capacity ratio of the road is very low, but there are significant speeding issues. He said the road also has a large number of driveways and it is difficult to get in and out. He said the road is also not safe for pedestrians. He said staff recommends not closing Old Lynchburg Road because it would direct traffic to other streets, Old Lynchburg Road has a collector road classification, and it would eliminate a key connection in that area. He said Council has authorized a project to improve Old Lynchburg Road with bike lanes, sidewalks and drainage. He said staff is not sure what roadway improvements could be done yet. He said the Sunset to Fontaine connector has been proposed. Regarding the Biscuit Run proffers, staff recommends that Council look at three things: 1) ITS improvements; 2) intersection improvements in the southern part of the City that are impacted; and 3) improvements to Old Lynchburg Road. He said the previously proposed improvements to Old Lynchburg Road are estimated to cost $3 million and this would be an opportunity to get funds to help with that project. He said the Fontaine to Sunset connection is worthwhile and needed, but will go through two properties, Granger and Fontaine Research Park, and the feeling is that the connector will be built as part of the development of those properties. He said the only proffer currently is for the bridge. He said he would like Council to discuss it tonight as the Albemarle County Planning Commission wants a read on what the City wants from proffers. Responding to a question from Mr. Taliaferro, Mr. Tolbert said that the change in th alignment of the road through Biscuit Run will angle more traffic onto 5 Street. Mr. Norris noted that this angle works better for the Belmont neighborhood. Mr. Norris asked if there are any assurances that development will occur on the Granger property. Mr. Tolbert said that an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan has been submitted, but the project could stall. The public hearing was opened. Ms. Jeanne Chase, 223 Old Lynchburg Road, said she regrets and was disappointed with the staff report. She said she continues to think that closure is a valid solution. She said she thinks a better study needs to be done. She asked that the City reaffirm promises that were made in the past, take specific action on traffic calming, fund additional traffic officers to enforce speeding, and maximize the pressure on the County regarding the Biscuit Run development and to build the Fontaine connector.