City does U-turn on parking

Last week, the city posted on its social media outlets an invitation to the public to attend an open house May 19 to discuss its plans for parking along Nevada Way between Wyoming and Arizona streets. The plan called for parking in the center of the street.

The meeting was designed to get final comments from the public before the topic goes before city council on May 27. But just hours before the meeting Monday, the city sent out an updated version of the proposed construction plan, which, among other details, eliminates the center parking as well as preserves trees that had been slated for removal.

“Based on community feedback and ongoing communication with Nevada Way stakeholders, the city updated our approach to the parking configuration,” the release stated. “Option 2A replaces the center parking with diagonal parking on the west side (restaurant side) of the street and parallel parking on the east side (Ace Hardware side).”

It went on to state, “This revised configuration also supports the goals of the Nevada RTC Complete Streets initiative, which promotes roadways that are safe, accessible, and convenient for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Option 2A reflects these priorities by enhancing safety, accessibility, and multimodal usability while preserving community character.”

Public Works Director Gary Poindexter opened the meeting by echoing those thoughts. He said that following a demonstration last week of what the center parking would look like, additional concerns were expressed by the public and staff. This is what led the city to modify the plan.

He said if this new option is approved by council, work is still set to begin July 7 and should conclude in mid to late September. Work is proposed to take place in the evenings. Like the previous option, removable festival gates will be placed at Arizona and Wyoming streets for events such as the New Year’s Eve event earlier this year. That portion of the street will also see the speed limit reduced to 15 mph.

According to the city, key benefits of Option 2A include:

• Preserves existing trees

• Allows sidewalk extensions on both sides to meet ADA standards

• Maintains a 24-foot clearance for emergency vehicles

• Provides longer vehicle parking on the north side

• Preserves the existing parade route

• Supports outdoor dining opportunities

• Distributes ADA throughout Nevada Way with access to upgraded crosswalks

• Adds motorcycle parking

• Improves pedestrian safety and accessibility, in alignment with Complete Streets goals

In addition, the project includes:

• Full street improvements with new asphalt and striping from Wyoming to Colorado streets

• Upgraded crosswalks

• Additional vehicle parking on Wyoming Street to offset parking changes on Nevada Way

• Lighting of existing trees along the corridor that currently don’t have festive lights

The format of the open house consisted of the more than 100 in attendance be broken into five, staff-led groups. While the intentions were good, what was designed to have more interaction with attendees quickly became the exact opposite. With so many people talking at once within the Elaine K. Smith Building, the speakers could not hear the audience and vice versa. With about 15 minutes left in the hour-long event, Poindexter took the mic and then offered it to anyone with questions.

Many of the questions or comments surrounded the need for the project, who it benefits, why the same ADA standards aren’t being applied to other streets such as Arizona, concern about parallel parking and the most common question, enforcement. ADA requires a 48-inch-wide pathway on any sidewalk to enable those in wheelchairs to pass through. Even with the widening of the sidewalks, some felt that pathway could be ignored by the restaurants and their patrons.

Regarding ADA compliance on sidewalks on other city streets, Poindexter said, “One piece of the pie at a time.” And as for enforcement, Poindexter said the city currently has one code enforcement officer and he does not work nights or weekends.