Through a series of neighborhood meetings and discussions, a preliminary concept plan has been developed for addressing the issues on Thorp Drive. The concept plan can be viewed by clicking on the following link:  Concept Plan. The City Council will be considering the proposed plan at the January 25, 2010 meeting.  Comments on the plan are requested and encouraged.

The discussion to close Thorp Drive to vehicular traffic has been the subject of public debate and City Council decisions since 2000.  The Council tabled action on the petition submitted in 2008 and directed the Engineering Department to meet with members of the neighborhood and affected property owners to work out possible acceptable alternatives.

Debate over the years can be historically characterized as “close the road” – “don’t close the road” positions, with strong feelings on both sides.  The public meetings helped to narrow and frame the issues needing to be addressed 1) concern for pedestrian and bicycle safety; 2) need to maintain access for emergency vehicles (police & fire); 3) local residents desire for continued use of the road for access to the neighborhood.

Participants in the process encouraged the engineers to “think outside the box” and to come up with “innovative and creative” ideas.  With this encouragement, a preliminary design has been prepared by viewing Thorp Drive as a public space, with many user needs and desires.   The concept plan is intended to create a public space with intrigue, uncertainty, and humor based on the five criteria for a “Woonerf.”  The Dutch word describes an area, usually residential, where motorists and other users share the street without boundaries such as lanes and curbs.  The preliminary plan attempts to create “mental speed bumps” by incorporating a) raised entryways; b) use of colored and stamped concrete finishes; c) roadway width varying from 16’ to 20’; d) pedestrian scale lighting; e) no curb; f) pavement patterns not straight (curvilinear); g) landscaping rocks to narrow road, protect lights and create a vertical dimension; h) clear selected riverbank vegetation for view of the Chippewa River.

If the project is approved, the construction is tentatively planned to occur during the summer of 2010.  Suggested words to research on the internet are “woonerf” and “home zone” to gain a better understanding of the design concept.  Reading that may be of interest includes “Mental Speed Bumps” by David Engwicht, and “Traffic, Why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us)” by Tom Vanderbilt.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts about the proposed plan.