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WS Sidewalk Town Hall Meeting 2015
- 1. Sidewalk Town Hall Meeting
- 2. AGENDA Part 1 – Do We Want Sidewalks? Part 2 – Will the City Pay For Them? Part 3 – Considerations and Options Part 4 – Petitions and Funding
- 3. Part 1 Do We Want Sidewalks?
- 4. What We Did
- 5. • “my wife won’t walk to the park with our kids” • “It is hard to see you and this morning I was going 25 mph and saw you at the last second as I crested the hill” • “my wife had to literally DIVE, landing prone on the ground to avoid being struck by a RESIDENT middle age adult male that was both speeding and texting” • “I'm terrified to let my kids ride their bikes in the neighborhood” • “I almost hit a few walkers with a dog on Roxburgh this morning” • “It is also important to adhere to the 25 mph speed limit and even slower when the sight line is impaired.” • “This must be the most dangerous neighborhood we’ve ever lived in”
- 6. •“…this car passed a parked car coming close to hitting us head on…this car was flying. •“I was in the golf cart and it terrified me.” •“I have witnessed speeders in the neighborhood, but this was the worst case yet.”
- 7. Our Current Plan Is Not Effective • 3 speed humps on Ascot Lane • 6 in-street signs • 2 speed feedback signs • Public shaming • Hope • If an accident were to happen in Willow Springs today most of us would say, “it was just a matter of time”
- 9. Speed Study from May, 2014
- 10. Traffic Calming
- 18. •When a pedestrian is hit by a car traveling at 20MPH, they have a 95% chance of survival •At 40MPH, survival rate drops to 15%
- 22. What else is left? • “I think sidewalks are the safest solution. It doesn't matter what speed the cars are traveling at. People and fast, heavy moving objects are best separated in order to get along.” • “Ideally, sidewalks. Someone WILL eventually be seriously hurt & we're extremely fortunate that no one has yet.” • “We feel sidewalks would add real value to the neighborhood versus perceived value of the proposed name change.”
- 23. • “Sidewalks would be very helpful. Disruptive when going in, but after one growing season, they look like they've always been there. Plus, all newer neighborhoods are required to have sidewalks. The fact that we don't dates us and, potentially, lowers our property values.” • “SIDEWALKS ...PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!! Our neighborhood is OLD...we need to improve our ‘look’.”
- 24. • “I don't see it as a critical issue, our streets are safe. Do we have speeders, of course we do. The majority of the speeders live in our neighborhood.” • “Everyone driving 25 mph, which I don't even always (never) follow. Second best, 25 mph in front of my house, but I don't want any of the above crap in the street in front of my house. Impossible feat?” • “Go walk and bike on the trail system that is provided. Move to a neighborhood that has sidewalks and gated entrances and was designed and built with them.”
- 43. Maintenance Section 18.1.1 - Street Repair and Construction The City of Roswell Department of Transportation shall maintain and repair the streets and sidewalks under the jurisdiction of the city.
- 45. This sidewalk in Fairfax county VA was built after a young girl struck by a car and killed Sidewalks should not be monuments to dead people
- 47. Part 2 Will the City Pay For Sidewalks?
- 48. “The City is continuously evaluating sidewalk connections. The focus of investment centers on filling gaps and making sidewalk connections around City parks, schools, and corridors where transit service is located. The City normally will not add or connect sidewalks along a residential street unless the area has a documented safety concern (accident history)”
- 49. Section 18.1.7 - Installation of Sidewalks Sidewalks are not required in established communities originally permitted without sidewalks
- 51. There are over 100 sidewalk projects Roswell has identified Sidewalk Projects This year the city budget has allotted $250,000 to sidewalks projects
- 52. Answer? Currently, the City of Roswell will not pay for our sidewalks, at least not in our lifetimes.
- 53. Part 3 Considerations and Options
- 54. Right-of-Way Definition • Right-of-Way (R/W) is the city-owned strip of land from the edge of the street back about 3 to 10 feet. Its purpose is to allow the city to build and maintain the street, sidewalks, curb and gutter, storm sewers and possibly underground utilities. This land is the responsibility of the landowner but the city has the right to determine what takes place there. A right-of-way may include curbs, sidewalks and utilities.
- 56. Section 18.1.7 - Installation of Sidewalks The property owner shall be required to maintain the sidewalk along the entire lot frontage by maintaining the grass or landscaping installed between the sidewalk and the edge or curb of the roadway.
- 60. Part 4 Petitions and Funding
- 61. WHEREAS, Willow Springs is a neighborhood that consist of 694 homes, approximately 2,100 residents, of which approximately 440 are children under the age of 18 years old; and
- 62. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize a survey completed in 2012 with a 70% response rate indicates 80% of Willow Springs residents either walk, run or bike within Willow Springs; and
- 63. WHEREAS, it is a priority of the Willow Springs Homeowners to protect human health and safety; and
- 64. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize walking is important and viable mode of transportation and recreation; and
- 65. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize that from the Unified Development Code Article 11.4: Streets and Public Improvements, sidewalks are a required asset in new neighborhood permitted today in The City of Roswell; and
- 68. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize the City of Roswell adopted a complete streets policy to empower and direct decision makers to use a complete streets approach in design and construction of all future roadway projects to accommodate all users, regardless of age or ability; and
- 69. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize that there have been many documented street safety issues on our streets and acknowledge the high likelihood of a serious accident; and
- 70. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize that, while the City of Roswell’s Traffic Calming Program has contributed to slower vehicle speeds in specific proximity to traffic calming devices, the program does not address the broader safety issues involving pedestrians walking in the neighborhood streets because of the lack of sidewalks; and
- 71. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize the quantity and cost of traffic calming devices needed to be effective in Willow Springs is prohibitive and does not adequately address the safety issues of limited sight distance, increasing traffic volume and distracted driving; and
- 72. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize that from recent survey data, sidewalks are the ONLY street safety infrastructure that the majority of Willow Springs Homeowners support; and
- 73. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognizes that retrofit sidewalks in the city of Roswell’s residential neighborhoods are a lower priority than sidewalk installation on the City of Roswell’s main thoroughfares that connect to schools, parks, and business, etc.; and
- 74. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners are seeking commitment from The City of Roswell in a public/private partnership to construct a 5- foot wide sidewalk on the inside of Roxburgh Drive, the east side of Roxburgh Drive from Old Alabama Road to Roxburgh Drive, the west side of Ascot Lane and the west side of Haynes Crossing (through streets with average daily traffic >1,500) within the public right-of-way; and
- 76. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize a 2009 study titled “Walking the Walk, How Walkability Raises Home Values in U.S. Cities” that demonstrates greater neighborhood walkability translates directly to increases in home values; and
- 77. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners are willing to contribute up to $120 per year, not to exceed $2,400 total commitment, in a special assessment, through a method to be determined, to fully fund this project; approximately a $1,680,000 commitment from our community; and
- 80. WHERAS, the Willow Springs Homeowner request variances when necessary from the Roswell Code of Ordinance Section 18.1.7 - Installation of Sidewalks, to accommodate the least possible impact on affected homeowner’s lot to include but not limited to: meandering the sidewalk around existing trees and structures, temporary width reduction of 5-foot wide sidewalk to not less than 4-feet wide, and temporary reduction of planting strip to less than 2 feet; and
- 81. WHEREAS, the Willow Springs Homeowners recognize the City of Roswell retains adequate public right-of-way to accommodate sidewalks within Willow Springs; and
- 82. WHEREAS, A City of Roswell requirement of 100% approval from affected homeowners is NOT reasonable or acceptable. Public right-of-way should be used for public good; and
- 83. WHEREAS, the signatories of this resolution agree that the terms of this resolution should be inferred upon ALL residents of Willow Springs.
- 84. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE HOMEOWNERS OF WILLOW SPRINGS, pledges in cooperation with The City of Roswell to participate and support this campaign. Adopted this 23rd day of June, 2015. ATTEST: Name/Address
- 85. Next Steps • Talk to your neighbors • Vote in upcoming city election • Explore assessment collection options • Finalize Cost Estimate
Editor's Notes
- Hello Thank you for your interest in sidewalks in willow Springs. This presentation is the same one on I gave on June 23rd at the town hall meeting held at the Country club of Roswell. There was probably about 10% of the neighborhood homeowners in attendance that evening. We had many people who are interested in project but were unable to attend. We know many of you care deeply about this but have other commitments so we figured the best way to expand our reach would be through this video series Jeff Jablonski I can start by telling you who I’m Not. I’m not a public speaker, not a Power Point pro, so I apologize for the poor quality of this video in advance. 10 years ago I saw my life as working, family, moving Then we found Willow springs and CCR I love it here and now I question my life’s plan of leaving someday I’m fortunate occupation affords me some free time. I could Annoy my wife, golf game, play with kids I made a conscious decision to be part of this great community and help to shape the future for my growing family. With that 2 years ago I ran for the board, was elected and my life hasn't been the same since. Almost shortest term ever after seeing the passion I almost quit. I persevered As the new guy I was assigned the role of risk management, Now I would be in charge of irritating half the neighborhoods with the latest traffic calming flavor of the week. No desire to irritate or annoy my potential lifelong neighbors Vowed to only act with consensus of the neighborhood Even though I was not initially excited about my HOA Board assignment, I still believe if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Pause I’ve learned that statistically, The risk of using our streets is more than risk posed of a violent crime or errant golf ball, or coyote. My views on improving walkability caught the attention of some in City Hall and I was appointed to the Roswell Planning Commission earlier this year. Tonight I will discuss: 1. What we want, why, and how we came to these conclusions 2. The challenges to implement our conclusion, sidewalks-money, land and politics. 3. Innovative plan on how we can overcome these challenges and accomplish something that has never been done before in our city
- At the HOA meeting this past winter I presented the reasons why we are perusing sidewalks first half of this will look familiar The second half will show our progress since the meeting And our plan going forward
- Do we want sidewalks? From survey data we are fairly confident most of us do how bad??
- Not wanting this to be Jeff’s ideas I started a traffic calming committee – Sidewalks were not even discussed as an option at this point. Volunteers include many longtime and a few short-time residents Some never walk, but scared of hitting someone while driving Many have raised children here Some are grandparents who have children and even grandchildren in the neighborhood Steve Soldavani was raised in this neighborhood and now is raising a family of his own in Willow Springs Thank Volunteers Chris Burns, Jim Schlotzhower Kevin Murphy Ron Cagle Rory Robichaux Stan Dalby Shawn Fiker All of the WS HOA board for their support I would also like to thank former city councilman David Tolleson and Karen Handle for their guidance and advice. This has truly been a team effort. As a committee we had many perceptions as to what the problem is and lots of opinions as to what the solutions should be. At our first meeting we decided their would be no hidden agendas or even discussion of possible solutions. First step was to identify the problem and define success using fact based research.
- What is the problem? From the 2012 HOA survey with 70% response rate, street safety is #1 HOA to work on. 80% walk, bike, jog in the neighborhood 20% of us are under the age of 18 If each home has an average of 3 people in it that is 440 kids in WS In short, many of our residents don’t feel safe using our streets. Driving or walking. This is the problem and any solutions must be able to fix that problem As you can see here, speeding is not the only issue, just part of it. Here someone almost hit someone while going 25.
- Excerpts from a recent incident People are terrified on our streets It’s not getting any better. There is no reason it should.
- Speed humps are shorter and less effective since Ascot was repaved. Studies show drivers just speed faster to make up for lost time when in a rush. The in-street signs slow cars down in the in close proximity and protect the golfers, but are likely risk neutral as cars are seen driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid waiting for pedestrians to pass (or not waiting). They’ve all been hit and look worn. Pedestrians feel squeezed It appears that drivers have become complacent to the feedback signs according to the most recent speed study. We try to shame speeders and even walkers on the web forum. We hope that no one gets hurt If an accident were to happen in Willow Springs today most of us would say, “it was just a matter of time”, what would it take for us to say, “how could this have happened?”
- My neighbor’s mailbox was hit This happens multiple times every year around the neighborhood If someone can hit a brightly colored rose bush and almost a fire hydrant, Is it unreasonable to think that a person can not be hit as well?
- Most recent Speed Study Speeds uphill vs downhill 1 MPH. Perhaps hills not issue. volume up 20% since 2011. Where will we be in 3 more years? One location over 40 drivers each day are going at speeds of greater than 55 MPH, that’s 5 MPH higher than twice the speed limit. Clearly vehicles need to slow down. But how?
- First step is we went to DOT and said our neighborhood safety concerns, we would like their help to address “Every neighborhood has problems” Traffic Calming Manual that details how traffic calming devices can be procured. Traffic calming consists of physical designs to slow cars down In short, speeding vehicles must first be confirmed through a speed study. We qualify. 65% of residents must approve of these permanent devices. Cost is split 50/50 between HOA and City. With the size of our neighborhood and number of devices required-this could be a 10s of thousands of dollars According to the Director of DOT, very difficult to enact for a reason. It punishes those that don’t speed. Has never been done in Roswell. If Traffic Calming guaranteed slower traffic this may be worth pursuing. However we learned that studies have shown that drivers tend to speed faster in between devices. We could anticipate a 10% drop in average speeds, or roughly 3mph. Would it be worth it? What if we could get 65% vote, come up with the money, but people still didn’t feel safe? We feel that even with Traffic Calming devices residents would still have concerns because the devices could further exacerbate the problem and put pedestrians in even more danger. Traffic calming only address vehicle speeds.
- Would you walk around this curve against traffic? At night? Why not? There is a traffic calming device right before and after this curve. Does the speed of the oncoming vehicle really matter when you are walking feet away from an SUV baby, spouse, dog, or elderly person?
- Going through this area walking against traffic is scary with cars going any speed.
- There is a sidewalk that ends at the traffic signal. Would you walk here? Vehicle speeds add to just one of the risks of using our streets. Even with traffic calming devices we would still have: Limited sight distance around hills and curves Texting drivers Impaired drivers Reckless driving High volume of vehicles Inexperienced drivers Very experienced drivers
- It is appears unlikely we could come close to the required 65% approval for a device.
- We’ve been told the police will not give ticket for going 34 MPH in the neighborhood. Adding “enforced as posted” would give them better ability to ticket. This ideas was hated the most. This tells us that we want to still have the ability to speed when we see fit. Speed Feedback sign has the most chance of passing a vote, but not by much.
- Cut-through-we need real data. Heard 50%, how do you know? What we did 10% of 1500=150 Gate=Privatize HOA would be responsible for maintaining our streets (resurfacing, street sweeping, etc). A tremendous capital expense entrusted to our volunteer board. Access would still need to be granted to: The multitude of lawn care providers that serve our neighborhood, Country Club Members, Country Club guests, Our guests, Fedex, UPS, Pest control services, Tree service providers, Maids, Baby-sitters, Home repairman.
- Would not fix the problem of our residents don’t feel safe using our streets. Survey results show you agree.
- From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Something to keep in mind.
- This is a chart we use at work to evaluate risks. I feel it works in our situation as well. Everything we do involves risk Risks can be quantified based on severity and likelihood of an accident This is how we determine risks are worth taking and which ones require risk mitigation. We do this all the time without knowing but still use our cars and use hair dryers, swim in the ocean. We’ve determined that the risks of using these is acceptable and reasonable. We mitigate by wearing seatbelts, not standing in water when hairdrying not swimming where someone is chumming What are the consequences of accident in Willow Springs? What would happen if someone where struck by a car? Serious injury or death?
- How likely is an accident to happen? Possible? Even Likely?
- If something can kill you and it might happen It deserves some major attention Clearly something needs to be done. Our goal is manage or reduce risks to acceptable level. We can focus on reducing the consequences of an accident- which is very hard to do when we are talking about people and heavy metal objects running into people Or Reduce the likelihood of an accident using reasonable means It’s not reasonable to expect people to never go for a walk or walk home from a neighbor's house after dinner in the dark. It’s not reasonable to remove the hills and curves in our streets that cause limited site distance We can’t expect every driver to never be distracted our in a Rush impaired We can’t fix a lack of moral and values.
- What else is left? How’s about sidewalks? These are quotes from a survey done last year. We feel this is the only reasonable mitigation that would significantly, reduce the likelihood of an accident to an acceptable level Sidewalks also has many other benefits which I will discuss.
- More comments in support of sidewalks Pause
- Not everyone thinks this is a good idea. Pause
- We can’t please everyone, but we should try to please the majority.
- We asked the neighborhood how to proceed. Sidewalks over TC
- Do you want sidewalks? It appears likely the majority of us agree. Close to 70%
- It appears likely that most willing to accommodate a sidewalk on their lot. Close to 70%
- It appears most of us feel walkability will increase our property values.
- In case you are still not sold Maybe the aesthetics will convince you. Here is a young girl walking in the gutter in WS
- Pictures from a neighborhood in Roswell Built with sidewalks in the 90s Only on one side of the street Only on their main thoroughfare Don’t look at the houses. This is a much different and newer neighborhood. Just look at the streetscape. Note mailboxes and utility boxes They are the same distance to the curb as our neighborhood.
- Note walker in grass Google caught a few walkers excersing in both neighborhoods All female Guys need to step it up.
- Note the utility boxes on the left
- Note the utility boxes on the left sidewalk is right in front of it.
- Blind curve on Ascot
- Similar blind curve Note the mailboxes are in the same place as ours Sidewalk right behind it.
- A lot of our street landscaping is “well established”
- Note the landscaping around the mailbox No reason a new sidewalk can’t meander around this
- Lone Willow Spring Willow Tree “Drive 25 Sign” may not do a lot of good Here is why…
- Google driver going how fast?
- If the safety and aesthetics don’t convince you… Research indicates that sidewalks are linked to more social connections, a stronger sense of community, Likely higher property values increased walkability.
- I will not pander to you and tell you your values will go up, although it appears very likely, This study looked at 90,000 real-estate transactions-shows there is a cost to having a less walkable neighborhood. Many studies show that well maintained sidewalks Have either no effect or positive effect on property values.
- Good news-In Roswell the city would be responsible for maintenance Not homeowners.
- Recent AJC article sighting today’s buyer’s are demanding more walkable neighborhoods The city or Roswell now requires sidewalks in all new neighborhoods on both sides of the streets on all streets Therefor we may want to considered retrofit sidewalks a safety mechanism and means of freshening up.
- If the fact that it will keep us safer, it looks better, and will likely increase property value.. How’s about simply compassion We’ve heard many say “it is just a matter of time before some gets killed” We’ve seen reckless behavior so many times without any adverse consequences, This may have lead some of us to neglect the issue with the assumption that an accident will not occur. One approach to safety is wait until an accident happens and then address it A far way better to approach safety concerns is to identify risks, which we clearly have, and address them before an accident happens This sidewalk in Fairfax county VA was built after a young girl struck by a car and killed Sidewalks should not be monuments to dead people We looked at everything with an unbiased eye and we strongly feel it is this or nothing.
- We’ve identified the Problem-We don’t feel safe on our streets We’ve identified the Solution-Sidewalks Survey results show likely overwhelming consensus. Our efforts since the annual HOA meeting has concentrated on understanding how this can be done. We’ve promised to communicate via a HOA special meeting to review the options for installation of sidewalks and to gain input and support from the community on those plans. We’re doing that now. Next video we will discuss what we learned through discussion with the city.
- We started from the bottom up Armed with out survey results showing likely neighborhood consensus We went to DOT and asked them to build sidewalks and start tomorrow and pay for it with funds from our city tax dollars They laughed We told them TC has little chance of passing and likely wouldn’t fix our problems
- We heard: “Do you know how hard this is? “Why don’t we just use more of the in-street signs?” This is from the Roswell DOT website, It shows our city does not focus on residential areas for sidewalks unless near a school, park, OR an accident happens first-That is it. Bad policy in my opinion Other local cities such as Dunwoody, have clear and reasonable framework on how sidewalks can be installed in residential neighborhood, not affiliated with a school, park or commercial corridor. We feel our city owes us the same.
- From city ordinances The city does not have to build sidewalks in our community.
- So, where does that leave us? Determination is only an asset if your goal is actually achievable. Reaching our goal is clearly going to be a challenge Thinking this is achievable at 7PM after a glass of wine seems so reasonable Staring at the ceiling at 2AM-not so much. We’ve heard-”Good luck, but it can’t be done” We believe - Just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it’s not right. Our challenges center around these 3 issues: Money, land, politics
- The city has identified over 100 sidewalk projects Slowly chip away- we are not on the list They have never retrofitted sidewalks in a subdivision Focus in on areas near schools and park and major thorofairs. $65 million worth of sidewalk identified, city budget has allotted $250,000. Maybe in a few hundred years we will qualify We asked: What if we, hypothetically pay for it? Then could we be at the top of the list? That would eliminate the money problem They said well “what about land? Do you have approval from affected homeowners.” We think most would support but don’t think ALL would. “That won’t work, would need 100%. We are a sensitive city we would not force this on an objector” This is likely where this has failed in the past. So we don’t have so much a money problem-we have a land problem What we are proposing, I will show shortly, affects 110 lots, although we think most agree, it is not reasonable to think all would. Therefor we think it is incredibly insensitive to not support this if a majority want it, and are hypothetically willing to fund it, especially in the name of public safety.
- So, will the city pay for our sidewalks? The city will not be offering this to us anytime soon.
- How do we overcome the challenges of Land, Money, and Politics
- Land The City actually owns ROW on all of our lots. Want to make this pain free as possible on sidewalk hosts To include re-landscaping and moving irrigation systems if necessary. Those costs are almost inconsequential to the total costs. Lets not let that be what holds this up. However, at the end of the day this is city owned land that affected homeowners have the benefit of using and maintaining, but the city ultimately controls what takes place there. So land is really not the problem. It is a political will problem.
- my house I hope it will be affected. Ascot has 60’ R/W- so does Roxburgh Note street is about 30’ wide 15’ of my yard is city owned, this is where utilities are buried and street signs are placed I don’t pay taxes on this land I can not build any permanent structures without a permit I can not install irrigation without a permit I am also in violation of this. Shhh.
- It’s not my land-but I still have to maintain it.
- Original subdivision plats from 1973 Ascot Lane Note 60’ R/W 29’/pavement
- Here is Roxburgh and Malvern Place It’s the same all around Roxburgh. Same thing 60’ ROW We asked DOT, “IF we came up with the money and had support from the majority of homeowners would you really reject this if someone wasn’t willing to host even though this is city owned land?” DOT said “yes”! You need 100% approval from affected homeowners. So we don’t have as much of a land problem or money problem, we have a political problem Of course if is very easy to reject hypotheticals, Do we really think they would reject such an offer if it was factual? What politician would irritate the majority of such a large voting bloc to appease the minority, especially in the name of keeping people safe. This is where are focus will be going forward -influence the politics
- How do we address our political problem? We started from the bottom up and an tried to convince DOT to build and fund a project that is not a priority. It didn’t work, it is too easy to reject hypotheticals It is time to show some real meat to our support With your support we would now like to work from the Top Down We are proposing and asking you to support a Resolution from the homeowners of Willow Springs to our city leaders. Willow Springs is a significant voting bloc and this is an important issue to us-therefor it should be an important issue to our city leaders. They too should support this resolution or risk being unpopular with the likely majority of us who are sidewalk advocates.
- We are confident most of us want sidewalks Now the question is- how badly? Our plan now is to make a case so compelling a city leader would be foolish to say “no.”
- In the future, once the message is out, and we’ve all had time to discuss this with our neighbors who couldn’t attend tonight, We will be asking each homeowner if they support this resolution, thereby showing your agreement to the following statements A majority who are in agreement will send a strong message to City Hall It is 18 bullet points that tell a story of how we got here and what we want. I will quickly go though the each line item now. And wrap this up This point covers who we are.
- From earlier survey we know 80% walk on our streets
- I hope this is not up for discussion pause
- Hopefully we can agree that walking is a viable mode of transportation.
- Sidewalks are now required in all new neighborhoods in Roswell.
- The Unified Development Code was adopted last year by our city It is the bible for how development will take place in Roswell. Here is a picture of how our neighborhood streets would have to be built today.
- ROW of 50’ Street Width of 28’ 5’ Sidewalks on both sides 5’ planting strip 2’ curb and gutter Trees required every 40’ The city recognizes sidewalks are good for new neighborhoods, well what about established ones?
- The city passed a resolution in 2009 supporting a “Complete Streets Policy” All future road projects will be made to support all users: Cars, Trucks, Pedestrians Cyclist Emergency responders Again, if it’s good for new neighborhoods, what about established ones?
- In the earlier video I’ve shown just a few of the examples of some street safety concerns of our residents.
- The Traffic Calming Program is not one size fits all Every neighborhood is unique We feel it would never pass the 65% required vote as we’ve demonstrated from survey Even if it did we do not feel it will adequately address our street safety concerns.
- Traffic Calming does not address: Limited site distance Increasing traffic volume Distracted or impaired drivers Reckless driving
- As shown earlier, it appears this sidewalks are the only thing we can agree on.
- Not being critical Just want everyone to know that we can’t sit and wait for the city to approach us They have other prioirites
- Pause Now I will tell you how we came up with these locations.
- These are the only roads that don’t end in a cul-de-sac. Every car in, out, or cutting through, must touch one of these streets. Roxburgh is 2.8 miles. We chose the inside because: It’s shorter, less affected homes, less fire hydrants, flatter, there are 89 affected lots on Roxburgh Dr. East side of Roxburgh from OA-less homes, more club land, commercial land is on that side so no streets to cross to access club or commercial area on the east side West side of Ascot is .5 miles: We chose the West side because. Less fire hydrants, commercial area on this side. 20 affected lots. I live there, I can’t ask for you to support something I wouldn’t do to my self West side of Haynes Crossing. A few feet long. 1 affected lot. We chose this side because, This is the same side as the school and Greenway. These are the major streets of our neighborhood. This plan would connect all 3 entrances to another sidewalk. 110 affected lots.
- We truly feel that a personal investment will likely show a financial and emotional return.
- Pause We feel paying an assessment over time is a very pain free method to fund local infrastructure improvements. This method is used in other cities across the U.S. and GA. The city of Dunwoody uses this method. We’re fairly confident most of us want sidewalks. How bad? Let’s put some meat to our offer and offer to pay for it. Let’s not wait for the government to fix our problems.; a most conservative principal. Other cities have used a 50/50 split. I don’t think 50/50 is going to happen, but we should try. For now, Let’s show that we are willing to fully fund this. After all us paying 100% is not much of a partnership. How did we come up with these numbers?
- DOT will not fund a full blown cost analysis for a project that has not been approved. However, they did a cost analysis for 1200’ on a stretch of Roxburgh It includes: $14,000 for removing some dirt $25,000 for concrete
- $10,500 for mulch $5,000 for survey A few for erosion control A few for sod A few for fertilizer 30% contingency $96,000 With design work it came to $111,000 for 1,200 feet Or $92/foot The best we can do is to extrapolate that. We are proposing 17,000 feet $1.6 million At this point who collects the assessment is not important. We simply want to show that we want this bad enough that we are willing to pay for it.
- We truly want to this to be as pain free and convenient for the 110 affected homeowners. Therefor we request variances from the city on: Width requirement of 5 feet to 4 to save a tree, shrub or structure. Planting strip width reduction to save a tree, shrub or structure We want the city to allow the sidewalk to meander around existing plants and structures when possible. Next, we will begin reaching out to affected homeowners, we want to hear their concerns and try to address them.
- We recognize that the city has adequate ROW to complete this project.
- We know it is unlikely that 100% of 110 people will agree to host We want to this to be as pain free as possible to those affected. As a community we should always do what is best for the majority of our residents. We can’t let the objections of a few hold up something that the majority want and are hopefully willing to pay for in the name of public safety. The city ultimately determines what takes place on the land. This resolution is to lobby the city to utilize this land for the public good. If the majority of us are offering to fully to fund this, the leadership will have a choice to make. Hopefully the numbers will speak for themselves.
- We feel that if most of us support this resolution the assessment should be inferred on every homeowner as all would benefit. This is exactly how the club just assessed its membership for this renovation. Not all approved, most did, all were assessed and all benefited from the investment.
- Fancy language that make it look like I know what I’m doing
- Spread the word gather support for plan. Once the plan is communicated, survey to see if supported. Present results to our city leaders. Vote- Influence city elections- Candidates can run for office on keeping Roswell the same, or they can run on empowering communities to fix their problems. I will work with our HOA Civic Affairs liaison, Diane Prindle to create a scorecard for all political candidates that will clearly show their view on this type of proposal. We need to explore who can collect this assessment, At this point it is not important who collects, we just want to show the city we are willing to fund. We need a more accurate cost estimate. I will end with this. This plan is not perfect-there are still some answers we need. But demonstrating that we want it, we are willing to pay for it, and we will vote accordingly, should get the ball rolling in our direction. In fact, this is already getting some attention at City Hall We've seen so much evidence of close calls NOTHING else is being done, this problem will not fix itself, it will only get worse. So when the accident happens, whether it's next week, next year, 10 years or 100 years, what side of history do you want to be on? The one that saved the 40 year old shrub? saved $2/week? or the one that made their community a better place to live? Maybe saved a person’s life? We could be the one’s that recognized a problem and fixed it -once and for all I know what side of history I'm on... Pause If you don’t mind I would like your feedback on this proposal On the way out please write “yes” or “no” as to weather you would support the resolution If the answer is “no” please phrase as a “Yes, If”