Live blogging context sensitive streets subcommittee

[fieldafm]

My shirt is the darkest blue... Therefore superior to my peers.  If I were a reptile, the women folk in the Council Chambers would all be handing me their hotel keys. 

[fieldafm]

we are all waiting with baited breath for Doyle Carter to speak

Finally he makes his entrance, thought he was a mute for a moment.

doesnt understand some of the guides Boyer has submitted for review.  if he has a 10 acre property, why should he put a sidewalk in the front of his property?

[fieldafm]

he is now thrilling us with a personal, folksy account of his family's property.  No one is following him.  His deep southern twang makes me thirsty for sweet iced tea.

[fieldafm]

calvin burney speaks...   boyer wants a designated neighborhood zoning overlay in areas that were laid out under traditional neighborhood concepts but could be a different context (san marco is sort of ubran but not necessarily laid out that way).  Calvin agrees with this suggestion.

[fieldafm]

about to leave to attend to a leaking faucet at a rental property. 

Thank God for apple pie, baseball and Lori Boyer. 

[dougskiles]

My shirt is the darkest blue... Therefore superior to my peers.  If I were a reptile, the women folk in the Council Chambers would all be handing me their hotel keys.

However ... I am the only one wearing a tie, which tastefully matches my blue shirt and khaki slacks.  You can have your hotel full of women.  I won't challenge you there.

[dougskiles]

These live blogs are a great service.  Even though I was at the meeting, I couldn't pull myself away from the commentary.

I was most concerned by the comments that utility conflicts make urban redevelopmemt not worth the cost.  This is completely ignoring the other cost factors associated with development, like existing police, fire, drainage, schools, increased vehicle miles, etc.

[dougskiles]

Having missed the last two Context Sensitive Streets subcommittee meetings, I decided to sit in on yesterday's.  For the remainder of this post I will use "CSS" - which most often means designing a road for bicycle, pedestrian and transit considerations and not only the fast travel for cars.

I am encouraged by what I saw.

Bill Joyce (city engineer) and Jim Robinson (public works director) talked about the typical design and review process.  There was a commitment on their part to start projects with CSS in mind instead of it being an afterthought.  Every project, no matter how small, would take this approach.  Robinson remarked that we aren't building anymore 4-lane roads anytime soon, so we are talking mostly about drainage projects that would require rebuilding a road section and resurfacing projects.

Lori Boyer (chairwoman of the subcommittee) explained that we need to move from a "we will include CSS facilities if we can afford it" mentality toward a "we won't move forward with a project until we can afford to include CSS" mentality.

The other council members in the room (Carter and Redman) seemed to agree.  Anderson and Daniels were absent (excused).

Redman reiterated his stance that we should have a full-time bike/ped coordinator reviewing every project for consistency with CSS.

James Reed (who serves as a part-time bike/ped coordinator) talked about the need to apply CSS standards to every project based on the Mobility Zone it is located within, and not simply on what is surrounding the area.  To only look at current conditions fails to recognize the future development that will occur as allowed by the future land use plans.

James also made the great point that we need to think of CSS the same way we look at ADA.  ADA compliance (handicap accessibility), isn't something we do only when we can afford it.  It is part of every project, and in many instances is a major influence in the design.  CSS should be considered in the same light.

Calvin Burney (planning director) spoke about a CSS checklist, using the guide that was provided by Steve Lovett and in use in Seattle (where Steve splits his time).  Calvin likes the checklist and intends to create one specific to Jacksonville that will involve the Planning Department, Public Works and JTA.

Calvin also talked about the sidewalk fund - which is money collected when a developer is unable (usually due to physical constraints) to put in a sidewalk fronting his property.  He was clear to state that it is always their priority for the sidewalk to be constructed.  However, in those rare circumstance when it is not possible, the developer pays into a fund similar to how the tree mitigation fund works.  Once the money is deposited, it leaves the control of the planning department and there was some uncertainty as to how it has been spent in the past.  Boyer suggested that perhaps once found, the money could be used to start working on some of the projects in the Mobiltiy Zones.

Doyle Carter spoke about the priority for sidewalks constructed in school zones.  Boyer refered him to the Safe Routes to School program headed by Chris Ledew of FDOT.  The program consistently spends less than is budgeted each year, due mostly to a lack of requests.

Again, I am very encouraged by the actions of this subcommittee.  They need our continued public support for the work they are doing as they begin to put some teeth in Context Sensitive Streets!