Because I was at the CRC task force last night, I missed the Planning Commission work session on the Burnside/Couch couplet, but here’s the update I got from a fellow neighborhood activist:
The motion made by Don Hanson and carried in a 3-1 vote (and 1 abstention) made the following recommendations to:
- not move forward on the B/C couplet
- enhance Burnside
- address Burnside safety issues
- develop an urban design and development on B/C
- eliminated Broadway as a barrier between East and West Couch
- make more positive pedestrian environment as development occurs
- make streetscape improvements
- apply sound economic strategies and assist social services in the area
- make turn lanes from Burnside
- evaluate East/West streetcar alignment as a part of the rail system plan to find the best spot for it
Further, they recommended that IF the City Council does adopt the couplet to:
- implement pedestrian safety measures on Burnside now
- make streetcar part of the up front improvements
- do not extend the couplet past 16th, however the streetcar could be
- make I-405 overpass upgrades
- make street designation changes right away
My personal view is that the Planning Commission fails to appreciate that the ‘enhanced Burnside’ alternative delivers only a fraction of the benefits to pedestrian safety that the couplet does and that any serious attempt to tame the traffic while Burnside is still a two-way street will have significant effects of diverting traffic into the surrouding neighborhoods.
Stay tuned for the next round in the bout at City Council on the 15th of March.