Despite an in-depth presentation on curb bump-outs at last week’s council meeting, the council once again saw a tie vote, meaning curb extensions will not be allowed at the Vive condominium site on Kingsley Street any time soon.
City redevelopment and planning director Don Sammet and iStar Financial vice president of land Brian Cheripka delivered the presentation this time, complete with a diagram of how bump-outs would look from above.
A bump-out is an extension of the curb at the corners of a city block, effectively eliminating the shoulder at the intersection. Bump-outs are said to slow vehicular traffic and lessen the time pedestrians are in the road.
“Bump-outs will not affect your view down the street any more than a parked car on the street would,” Sammet said at the Aug.1 council meeting. “The bump-outs are lower in scale and the same distance from the existing curb line than the back of a car would be.”
The city’s technical review committee and planning board have examined the bump-outs and “liked the idea and were in favor of them,” Sammet said. “From a planning standpoints, these are generally favored.”
Also, the fire department “has no issue” with bump-outs, Sammet said.
Mayor Ed Johnson voted against the bump-outs at the July 11 meeting because “I just like the way the avenues are,” he said. Now, he would like to see the speed of cars at corners controlled more, he said.
“I’m willing to give it a try and see how it goes,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to be afraid of progress.”
Councilwoman Sue Henderson “had the same concerns,” she said. “And I still do. I have concerns about the wideness of the street.”
If the bump-outs are installed, “it will be very difficult to remove them based on the storm sewers that will have to be installed,” Sammet said. “It costs more money to do it this way but when we look at the collective impact across the waterfront, this is an opportunity to add an acre to two acres of green space along the waterfront … When you look from the street, the street is going to feel no different.”
When it came time to vote on hte resolution authorizing the bump-outs, Councilman James Bruno and Henderson voted no; Councilman Kevin Sanders astained; and Deputy Mayor John G. Loffredo and Johnson voted yes. In the case of a tie vote, the resolution does not pass.
The council also voted two-to-two at the July 11 meeting on the resolution allowing bump-outs, meaning it did not pass. The vote was identical last week because Councilman Kevin Sanders — who was not present at the previous meeting — abstained from voting.
