2008-04-21 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

8 Mr. Chad Freckman, 104 Northwood Circle, said that energy costs are rising. He asked what purpose the interchange will serve if traffic does not increase due to energy costs. He said the County should provide funding. Mr. Hayden Ardrey, 1621 Sagewood Drive, a student at the Living Education Center, said it is only getting more expensive to drive. He said there should be a different alternative. Ms. Pat Napoleon, 700 Lyons Avenue, said McIntire gave the City the gift of the park. She said park space should be protected. She said the Parkway will negatively affect the quality of life in downtown. Ms. Suzanne Michels, 600 Northwood Avenue, supported the no build option. She said the park will not be very usable and it will increase cut-through traffic in the neighborhood. She said the Parkway is not longer a reasonable road. Mr. John Hossack, 617 Davis Avenue, a neighborhood representative on the Steering Committee, said there are 30,000 cars a day on Park Street and gridlock at peak hours. He said the Parkway is not a perfect solution. He said the County will build their portion and it could end at Melbourne Road, and the City needs to control the situation. He said the no build option will impact the neighborhood. Mr. Stratton Salidas, 704 Graves Street, spoke against the Parkway. He said it will increase traffic in Charlottesville and will make the City a shortcut. He said no recent traffic studies have been done to show what it will do to the City. He noted that the replacement parkland will be in the County. He said VDOT would not pay to build only the County portion of the road. Mr. Ernest Reed, 610 Farish Street, said he would like to see better impact studies of the impact on Schenck’s Branch. He noted increasing gas prices, and said he supports the no build alternative. Mr. Burnie Davis, 234 Wine Street, said he supports the no build option. He said it is wise to ask questions about the cost. He said lowering the cost could scale back the project which would be good. He said the west ramps at Park Street should not be closed because that would increase cut-through traffic. Mr. Bob Hodous, 1309 Lester Drive, a member of the Steering Committee, encouraged Council to go ahead with the recommended alternative. He said that a Chamber of Commerce study showed that the Parkway is important for jobs. He said an effort was made to improve Schenk’s Branch and to improve and retain the Vietnam Memorial and the Rescue Squad. Mr. Mark Kavit, 400 Altamont Street, said he doubts we will end up with what has been shown on the concept drawing. He expressed concern about the closure of the west ramp at Park Street. He asked who will pay for the shortfall. Mr. Leigh Middleditch, Albemarle County resident and a member of the Steering Committee representing the 5C’s group, said that the vitality of downtown is dependent on parking and access. He said the City has done a good job with parking, but access is still needed. He said alternative C-1 was recommended primarily for the safety of traffic. nd Ms. Cheri Lewis, 809 2 Street, N.E., a member of the Steering Committee and the Planning Commission, said the Committee wanted to reduce cut-through traffic in the neighborhood. She said the goal was also to improve pedestrian access to the park. She urged Council to support the work of the Committee. She said there was a lot of public input. She said the no build option means a 17 lane intersection and more cut-through traffic than there is now. Mr. Breck Gastinger, 612 Wine Cellar Circle, expressed concern about closing the west ramp off Park Street, which he said could have a huge impact on cut-through traffic.