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Home My WebLink Aboutarticle january 21 15LR board delays vote on multiuse streets policy CHELSEA BOOZER the roadway is designed for were also at the meeting. repaving or rehabilitation. ant property owners, devel- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT -GAZETTE all possible users. That in- A vote to adopt the com- A second ordinance, opers, real estate interests The Little Rock Board of cludes motorists, pedestrians, plete streets policy and to which amends the city's bike and others in our communi- Directors deferred voting bicyclists, public transporta- amend the Master Street Plan plan, would require private ty" having knowledge of it. on a complete streets policy tion users, freight -haulers and was put off until the April 21 developefs to build certain While he said the policy Tuesday after some city di- people with disabilities. meeting at the request of types of bike lanes when they was well -intended, he added rectors said it contradicts the Residents from Ward 2 Ward 5 City Director Lance are required to make street that there are questions left city's Master Street Plan and also used Tuesday's board Hines. improvements during devel- unanswered. complained that private de- meeting to express frustra- The proposed policy opment. "Who will pay for addi- velopers weren't informed of tions with their city director, would require the Public Attorney Bill Spivey wrote tional right-of-way necessary the new burdens that would Ken Richardson, who was ar- Works Department to incor- to the city after talking with to comply with the Com- be placed on them under an rested recently and charged porate a complete streets de- developers, saying he was plete Streets policy? Who amendment to that plan. with driving while intoxicat- sign for all new construction, concerned that the proposal will maintain additional A "complete street" means ed. Supporters of Richardson reconstruction, retrofitting, progressed without "import- See STREETS, Page 8B streets + Continued from Page 1 B street improvements made in the name of accomplishing Complete Streets objectives?" Spivey's letter asked. He goes on to write that the policy doesn't clarify who will bear the cost of bike paths and that because they benefit the entire city, the city should pay to create and maintain them. Hines said he made the motion to defer voting on the policy for 90 days so the city could answer some of those questions. Planning and De- velopment Director Tony Bozynski had previously told the board that the only cost private developers would have under the amended street plan was to add strip- ing to streets for bike lanes. "I just do not believe that there's no cost associated with this," Hines said. "We haven't even answered the question of who bears the cost. We barely have enough money to do the capital im-, provements we've got with- out adding a whole other lay- er of improvements." Ward 7 City Director B.J. Wyrick agreed and said the city needs to look at how the complete streets policy would affect its long-term budget for street improvements. City Di- rector at large Joan Adcock asked that developers be brought into the conversation before the policy comes back to the board for a vote. Richardson, Ward 3 City Director Kathy Webb and Ward 4 City Director Brad Cazort voted against the deferral, saying they felt the questions could be resolved in a shorter time period. After the vote Tuesday, people approached the board to express grievances. At least 30 people signed up to speak either against Richardson or in support of him. Richardson faces charges of driving while intoxicated, driving on a suspended li- cense, and careless and pro- hibited driving after being arrested by Little Rock police Jan. 10. An officer said he ob- served Richardson speeding and swerving down South University Avenue and that his blood alcohol content was more than twice the le- gal limit. Mayor Mark Stodola told each group at Tuesday's meeting thitt they could have that he wouldn't resign from only one representative speak his post. for three minutes. After the meeting, Rich - Rohn Muse spoke for a ardson's mother got into a group of primarily south-cen- heated exchange with KTHV tral Little Rock residents, who TV, Channel 11 reporter Kevin are in Ward 2, in asking for TI ager when Richardson left Richardson's resignation. without giving Trager an in - "We support you in the process of healing, and we know it will be a long and difficult journey. Meanwhile, the business of the city moves forward and we need a sober representative, with presence of mind, who is attentive to the needs of all for Ward 2, seated in the position you now hold," Muse read from a prepared statement. - The Rev. Benny Johnson with Arkansas Stop the Vi- olence countered that state- ment with support for the city director, who has issued a letter of apology. "Director Richardson — he's not going anywhere. This man has been instrumental not only to Ward 2, but in this whole city," Johnson said, as at least 20 supporters stood around him. Richardson responded to the comments, apologizing again for his actions and say- ing that he would take time with his family to recover but terview. 88 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 • A&ansas Democrat OAZefte