The planning of new developments and future construction was once again a main priority for the City Council at the April 19 meeting.
During Committee of the Whole, council members discussed 191 College, a development set to shoot up on the southwestern corner of North College Street and West Glenn Avenue. There will be another entrance on Wright Street.
The 75-foot development will border downtown, providing housing for students and leased retail space on the ground floor.
Underground parking will be provided for residents, said Forrest Cotten, planning director. 191 College would house 127 units, providing students with 465 more beds to consider while apartment shopping.
City Manager Charles Duggan prefaced the conversation outlining what was being proposed by the development company.
"What we are looking at is, this is requested of the developer and the things that we think just cannot be done, we say no," Duggan said. "But, things that we could maybe massage and make work, they then end up in the development agreement."
Problematic elements of the current plan included the closure of sidewalks on Wright Street and Glenn Avenue, 1-foot lane decreases on Glenn and the time length of these closures.
After extensive conversation between council members, the decision was made to re-evaluate the business plan and their concerns before going forward. The Council will reconvene May 17 to address the revised plan.
Beth Witten, Ward 3 councilwoman, reiterated her support for the new development while expressing her concerns with added construction in a high-traffic area.
"Let me first say that this is a great project, and I'm excited to see it come," Witten said. "However, this isn't being done in a silo. There's a lot of things happening in a short proximity of a very busy section of town."
The development is private and shouldn't hinder citizens from their daily commute and lives, Witten said.
Concerning the sidewalk closures, council members discussed the possibility of providing scaffolding to ensure the accessibility of sidewalks for students and citizens throughout the construction process.
Miles Hill, 191 College developer, was present and said some of the time estimations cited at the meeting were incorrect and will be re-evaluated.
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