| B | Future Agenda Item Request (F.A.I.R.) A Citizens' Petition requesting that Navajo Road between Hopi Drive and Fort Valley Road have a sidewalk on the south side of the street with a standard 90 degree curb, while the north side of the street see replacement of roll curb in the exact location it is, with no sidewalk at all on the north side of the street. Further, the sidewalk on the south side will shift north to the greatest extent possible to preserve existing landscape and driveway parking to maintain the city-proposed road narrowing and on-street parking on both sides of the street. | ||||||||
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Tom Martin addressed Council requesting that only one side of Navajo Road have sidewalks installed. He expressed concern about the lack of clarity in the questionnaire that was sent out to homeowners asking about sidewalk installation. He expressed concern about homeowners loosing portions of their lawn and off street parking options with the installation of a sidewalk. David Sanders addressed Council in support of the petition noting that sidewalks have a minimal impact on safety. Rick Lopez addressed Council in support of the petition noting that sidewalks are not being installed in other areas of Flagstaff. The installation of sidewalks impacts parking and places a burden on many elderly homeowners to shovel their sidewalks. Mayor Evans asked what if it is the city’s engineering standards that are driving the need for sidewalks. Mr. Folke explained that there are street standards for sidewalks and there are conditions all over Flagstaff that do not meet those standards. The Road Repair and Street Safety funding is to be used to repair existing infrastructure which includes bringing things to the appropriate standards. The schools in this area also impact the decision to install sidewalks as children are walking to school through the neighborhoods. Vice Mayor Shimoni stated that sidewalks are needed on residential streets and with this being so close to schools, he believes it makes sense to have sidewalks installed as part of the project. Councilmember Whelan asked if there was a community process for the project. City Engineer Rick Barrett stated that there were two public meetings held at Marshall School. The first was at a 30% design level with a survey and then another meeting was held at the 60% design stage. Generally speaking, the open houses were well attended. Citizens have been expressing concern about why their streets are not in accordance with engineering standards. Mayor Evans noted that there are design and engineering standards for a reason and picking and choosing street by street which standards to adhere to is not appropriate. The city has evolved over time which is why there are neighborhoods without sidewalks and as those streets are updated and repaired it is necessary to bring them up to the current standards. She is not supportive of moving the matter forward for further discussion. Councilmember Aslan stated that he supports all residential streets having sidewalks. It is not the Council’s job to micromanage the design of each street, the system must operate with consistency. There was not the necessary support to move the item forward to a future agenda. |
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| Moved by Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, seconded by Mayor Coral Evans to continue the agenda in accordance with the City Council Rules of Procedure. | |||||||||
| Vote: 6 - 1 | |||||||||
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