11-28-11 Council Agenda & Packet

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Notre Dame and Ignition Park, a two-site State Certified Technology Park. Given the increased visibility the Eddy Street Corridor South will have, it was critical for plans to be developed for the area in order to identify development opportunities, improve pedestrian connections, and improve the physical attractiveness of the street. Although the major improvements to State Road 23 end at the intersection of Eddy and Campeau Streets there is an opportunity to make additional improvements to Eddy Street south to LaSalle Avenue. Currently, the Eddy Street right-of-way south of the Campeau and Eddy intersection is only 60 feet wide. This includes a 6-foot sidewalk and generally 45 feet of asphalt paving for two travel lanes and parallel parking on each side, The setbacks for the residences along this portion of the street vary, with some as close as 14 feet. The existing conditions are not ideal for pedestrians and the wide, undefined asphalt section does not move vehicular traffic efficiently. In order to address this opportunity for improvement, a number of public meetings were held to gather input from area residents and stakeholders. Attendees were asked to participate in charettes that shared their desires for any future improvements to Eddy Street as well as potential land uses along the street. Based on input from those sessions, the redevelopment options for the Eddy Street Corridor south of Campeau through LaSalle were studied and plans were developed to address the physical impacts and acknowledge the changing road character, traffic patterns, movements, and volumes on the neighborhood as a result of the State Road 23 realignment. Three redevelopment concepts were created showing various levels of change. Each roadway/land use concept seeks to make physical improvements to the streetscape by adding new sidewalks, tree lawns, and lighting, and increase pedestrian safety by incorporating new amenities such as crosswalks, countdown timers at signals,and separated sidewalks. The difference between each development concept is in the amount of right-of- way acquisition necessary to achieve the desired character goals. The preferred plan calls for the pavement width (from curb to curb) to remain the same distance and for "greening"of the right-of-way. The existing right-of-way will need to be expanded and will introduce treelawns and landscaping, including a multi-use path on the east side of the street connecting to Fredrickson Park, in order to create a more pedestrian friendly environment. The existing street width will remain but consideration should be given to resurfacing the street and striping in order to clearly delineate the two lanes of traffic in each direction, This scenario would require additional property to be acquired for the right-of- way expansion. 9