Planning and zoning reviews Water Street proposal

Although no action was taken, the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission got its first look at the Downtown Redevelopment Corp.'s proposal for Water Street at its monthly meeting Wednesday night.

The primary hang-up among certain members of the commission was the transformation of Main Street between Broadway and Merriwether Street to two-way traffic for the first time in almost 50 years.

According to city planner Kent Bratton, the entire concept stems from the Water Street floodwall mural project that is currently underway. Under the current proposal for the project, Water Street would be limited to southbound traffic to coincide with the southward chronological progression of the mural. To eliminate traffic confusion downtown, the proposal provides that the stretch of Main Street in question be opened to two-way traffic. This idea met with mixed reaction from the commission.

"I see no reason for and would be opposed to making Main Street two-way," said commissioner R.J. McKinney.

McKinney voiced his concern that problems would arise from trucks stopping in the middle of that street to supply downtown businesses. He said if the traffic were two-way, it would create a "major" traffic hazard by eliminating the adjacent, same-way lane that allows vehicles behind those trucks to pass without incident.

However downtown developer John Wyman rebuffed McKinney, arguing that a one-way Main Street not only makes it confusing for visiting traffic coming off both Broadway and Highway 74, but it is also a deterrent for merchants along that stretch.

"One-way traffic moves faster and discourages pedestrian traffic," Wyman later explained. He said that studies have shown a 40 percent vacancy rate in downtown Cape Girardeau. He cited this as just one of the reasons.

The rest of the picture

Under the current proposal, the sidewalk on the east side of Water Street, along the railroad tracks, would be expanded to 6 feet wide to accommodate heavier foot traffic from people viewing the mural. In order to limit the loss of parking due to that walkway expansion, the design provides for 43 diagonal parking spaces -- two of which would be handicap accessible -- on the east side of the road. That would leave room for only one stream of traffic on Water Street.

To allow Main Street to be two-way, the plans also provide for the clock currently in the middle of the Main Street/Themis intersection to be moved west on Themis. It would then be placed on an island on the west side of Spanish Street, directly in front of the courthouse steps.

Also included in the project would be continuing the wider sidewalk on the east side of Water Street north of Broadway into a proposed green space of grass and trees located east of the north Main Street parking lot.

The commission agreed to revisit the proposal, once more data has been obtained and examined.

In other business, the commission also viewed preliminary design concepts from the Smith and Co. designing firm for the second phase of the Fountain Street project, which would extend Fountain Street from Morgan Oak to William Street.

At this meeting, the commission discussed options in installing roundabouts at Fountain Street's intersections with Morgan Oak, Good Hope and William streets. The commission resolved to let the firm go ahead and make a final proposal utilizing a standard design for all three roundabouts. All three would be 130 feet in diameter from the inscribed circle and built with paving stones, to continue the look used on the first phase of the project.

The commission's resolution came at a 7-2 vote, with commissioners Raymond Buhs and Scott Rhodes voting against. Rhodes expressed his displeasure with the higher cost of using paving stones. According to the designers, the stones would bump up the overall cost of the project 20 percent higher than if standard concrete were used.

trehagen@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137