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STARTING POINTS: ANALYSIS DETERMINANTS Before this report delves into more depth regarding the history of US 31 and analyzes the various possible routes for the highway in St. Joseph County, staff will explain an issue that needs to be addressed before any recommendation can be put forward. Staff examined the importance of the following historic aspects of the county in order to determine which possible routes were most and least favorable: historic landmarks, historic structures, historic regions, railroad corridors, current roadway types, and landscapes. Because the Commission has ordinances and resolutions that protect local and national landmarks, preserving these from encroachment and damage is a straightforward task and one over which the Commission has the appropriate jurisdiction. The later elements offer added complexity to proposal for a new facility for US 31. The HPC has potential jurisdiction over ranking historic structures that could be granted landmark designation as well as concentration of structures and landscapes that could be granted historic district status. Several pockets of historic structures are located nearby several of the proposed routes. The rail corridors, rural roads, and rural landscapes found in the south of the country have less protective legal opportunity than the other elements, yet their presence are importance aspects of St. Joseph County's sense of place and history. Though less able to be legally and directly protected by the Commission, any large-scale impact upon and through the rural landscape may have far more negative consequences than rebuilding upon the more built-up routes route that may have a greater concentration of structures lining the roadway. These final three elements could be protected through advocacy and diplomacy, though difficult it may be. SUMMARY OF PROPOSED ROUTES and RECOMMENDATIONS These proposed alternatives for US 31 span the area from Oak Road as the western most road portion to Elm Road/Capital Avenue in the east. Yet, because of noise, the need for access ramps and possible road widening (data and location not known on these, assumed) the area of impact greatly exceeds the proposed roadway as shown on the maps found on the US 31 website. The alternatives traverse six townships in St. Joseph County: Liberty, Union, Madison, Greene, Centre, and Penn. ._..__..Alternative A Alternative A as of June 2003 would enter Saint Joseph County via Oak Road. The proposed path replaces Oak Road until just north of Quinn Road where it curves to the east and follows the New Jersey, Indiana, and Illinois railway line into Greene Township. The curve in the highway just misses the boundary of Potato Creek Park and Worster Lake. After passing Potato Creek Park, this proposed route follows the railway line corridor until it connects with US 20 west of the US23/US20 junction. This alternative will affect a few historic structures and landscape elements directly, yet not as many as other proposed routes. Many of these structures are of significant historic value to the local area and to St. Joseph County and could be considered for local historic landmark status. These include: a circa 1880 Italianate farmhouse at 68651 Oak Road 3; a century old gabled bank barn at 23900 Riley Road 4; Fair Cemetery; the cemetery on the northeast corner of Riley and Oak Roads; and possibly a notable Stick vernacular farmhouse, 23871 Stanton Road that dates to circa 1895 and has a ranking of Significant/ 125; 23256 New Road, a vernacular farmhouse from the stick style that dates to the circa 18906, and a contributing vernacular residence dating to circa 1895 at 60711 Mayflower Road. II T" .' 141.120D1--3421141.342.90049. The survey records on this house rank it as notable112 or significant►12. 4 Old survey Number 11060, Rating: S/ 11. s Old survey number 11065. 6 Old Survey number 11038.