Jaime provided a good overview of the meeting. I am going to delve into some of the details.
First, this meeting was officially about the 700 feet in front of the Star Match building specifically from the "Emery Street ROW", now the VA Clinic driveway on the west to the other side of the Star Match building driveway on the east. Discussion of other parts was minimal and only based on questions asked. Therein lies one of the major problems in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure buildout in Portland. It is being done piecemeal which leaves major gaps on either side of the work. It also mostly gets done in conjunction with building development, but the developer is usually not pushed to add the missing pieces. This project is unusual in that there is no development related to it.
The project will entail the installation of a 5 foot sidewalk along the Star Match building, a 1 foot granite or similar curb (ie. stepdown), a 9 foot multi use path, an 8 foot parking lane (with three bump outs for Power/Comm poles), a 5 foot bike lane and 1 foot buffer, three 11 foot travel lanes (one lane is mostly a left turn lane for the bridge) and a 5 foot bike lane and 1 foot buffer on the water side of the street. [Not referenced at last nights meeting but showing on Google Maps is a "truck" parking lane along the water side fence. The diagram shows a "shoulder".] For reference the street ROW is mostly 80 feet wide. This is mostly matched by the VA Clinic plan (although I don't think they are going to have parking spaces).
I am attaching the plan presented last night.
Not shown on the diagram is a crosswalk being installed across the street at the right side of the VA Clinic driveway to a non existent sidewalk which Nell Donaldson described as needing "a small extension to link up with existing sidewalk". Google Maps show no sidewalks on the water side of the street. The only business on the water side is Portland Yacht Services with the crosswalk ending at their storefront. The only other building being contemplated on that side of the street is the cold storage facility which will not be a pedestrian friendly location.
One meeting participant asked for property renumbering to follow from Commercial Street. She has problems with deliveries and customers going to 83 Commercial Street instead of West Commercial Street.
Timeline: Bidding in Spring, Easement/takings issues resolved with possible construction in the Fall 2021/Spring 2022.
Cost about $400,000 funded from CIP several years ago.
Concerns:
Looking at Google Maps, it appears the 9 foot multi use path will just disappear on the East side of this project. Not sure whether there is much point in installing this multi use path for such a short stretch [West of VA Clinic 1,000 feet to East of Star Match building 700 feet].
There is a missing 700 foot link on the Westside of the VA Clinic between the former Benny's and the limit of the VA Clinic project. There is some sort of sewer system infrastructure so there probably will never be buildout of this area. Hen at the former Benny's is pavement from street to the building. There is work happening at Benny's to build a new Lobster eatery (begun this summer presumably for opening next summer).
Should the water side bike lane be between traffic and the truck parking or against the wall?
Discuss.
Steven Scharf