West Main Streetscape

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West Main Streetscape

Project Underway

Project Overview

1. Preserve and enhance urban qualities
2. Improve pedestrian and vehicular circulation
Location Charlottesville
Sponsor Charlottesville, University of Virginia
Next meeting TBA

Status Update

Project to improve streetscape on West Main Street from JPA to Ridge/McIntire. It will include wider sidewalks, street trees, lighting and undergrounding of utilities. Funded portions will include $750,000 to match University of Virginia for portion from JPA to Roosevelt Brown Boulevard, and $300,000 to match developer for portion from Ridge to 4th Street. Kimley-Horn designing portion from JPA to Roosevelt Brown Boulevard.

Contact Alexander Ikefuna, Director, Neighborhood Development Services, Charlottesville

The West Main Streetscape is a coordinated plan to make West Main Street more welcoming to pedestrians and safer for bicycles. The city hired the firm Rhodeside & Harwell for $340,000 to oversee a series of different studies of the existing zoning and to inform the design of the street scape. The firm is now being paid to work on a schematic drawings to inform the final construction documents. Those will not be ready until the spring of 2018. [1]


On-street parking

There are approximately 90 on-street parking spaces on the road between JPA and Ridge-McIntire. [2] Dena Rhodeside identified the potential for as many as 4,000 new and existing parking spaces within 600 feet of West Main.

History

In November 2012, the PLACE Design Task Force was asked to weigh in on the project given that construction of the Marriott Residence Inn at 301 West Main was expected to begin in 2013, and that other student housing complexes were planned including the Flats at West Village. [3]

At a meeting in February 2013, Council agreed to spend up to $350,000 on the study. [4]

As the study continued throughout the summer of 2014, representatives of churches such as First Baptist Church wanted their need for on-street parking to be considered. [2] The process was slightly slowed down to make sure all stakeholders were heard.


The plan did not have the support of a majority of City Council as was revealed when Mayor Satyendra Huja revealed in January 2015 that he felt it was incoherent. [5]

Council approved the plan in March 2016. The Board of Architectural Review was briefed on progress towards the schematic drawings on October 10, 2016. [1]

The preliminary cost estimate to implement the streetscape is about $30 million, though that number could change as the construction documents are finalized.

Council has set aside $10 million for the project in the five-year capital improvement project and is applying for $18.3 million in funding through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart Scale process. [6]

Coordinates:Erioll world.svg.png 38°01′54″N 78°29′27″W / 38.031648°N 78.490813°W / 38.031648; -78.490813


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Web. Charlottesville architecture panel gets peek at West Main schematics, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, October 10, 2016, retrieved October 17, 2016.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Web. West Main church, businesses want their needs considered in study, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, May 6, 2014, retrieved October 27, 2014.
  3. Web. PLACE task force considers West Main and Belmont Bridge, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, November 9, 2012, retrieved November 12, 2012.
  4. Web. City to jumpstart West Main improvements, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, February 24, 2013, retrieved October 27, 2014.
  5. Web. http://www.cvilletomorrow.org/news/article/19990-west-main-critique/, Charlottesville Tomorrow, January 21, 2015, retrieved December 20, 2015.
  6. Web. MPO signs off on area transportation funding requests, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, September 28, 2016, retrieved October 17, 2016.

External links