If you are a pessimist and assume you have no bearing on change, stay home Monday night. If you are an optimist and think you have ideas worthy of consideration when it comes to safe passage for pedestrians and bicyclists along Napier Avenue, make plans to share them that night and hope you can make a difference.
The Napier Avenue Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan will present four options during a public meeting next Monday evening, May 21, 2018 for the public to choose which of those options should be applied to the corridor to improve walkability, bikeability, and overall safety of the roadway. It’s essentially your opportunity to play the role of City Planner for a night.
The long-debate plan is moving forward and is now ready to consider several options for how the roadway can be designed in the future. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) has been working with local partners including the Berrien County Road Department, St. Joseph Charter Township, Benton Charter Township, and several other local organizations since late 2017 to take a step back and re-imagine what Napier Avenue could look like in the future.
This is the second Public Open House Meeting, and will take place next Monday, May 21 from 4 pm – 7 pm at Napier Parkview Baptist Church located at 245 W. Napier Avenue to present four different options for Napier Avenue.
Jonathan Fisk is Chair of the St. Joseph Charter Township Planning Commission and a member of the Napier Steering Committee. He tells us, “Residents of St. Joseph Charter Township, Benton Charter Township and others who travel Napier Avenue between the St. Joseph river and the I-94 interchange will have a special opportunity to see the initial results of an engineering study for enhancing the Napier Avenue corridor.” He adds, “Participants will be able to share their ideas and preferences at this meeting.”
SWMPC, along with assistance from planning consultants AECOM and Williams & Works, has developed the four different options for consideration based upon public input received during the first phase of project.
Deb Boothby, Benton Charter Township Treasurer and also a member of the Napier Steering Committee, says, “Each of the four design selections will have a list of costs and benefits to help the local government and the residents understand the pros and cons of each option.” Boothby adds, “The steering committee has worked very hard to determine which option will be practicable for the very different sections along the corridor. We are excited to review these possibilities with the public.”
John Egelhaaf is Executive Director of the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission. He says, “We’re asking the public to engage with us on what they would like to see on this road. There are options for how the many users might be accommodated. That accommodation might be through sidewalks, bike lanes, a multi-use pathway. It might also be that they would prefer the current design should not be changed. Regardless, we want to hear their opinions.”
More information on the project can be found online by clicking this link: http://www.napieravenue.org
If you are unable to attend the public meeting, you are encouraged to give your input using the digital survey available from the page under the link titled “Give us your Input!” Future open house events will be announced once determined. Anticipated completion of the plan and final recommendations are expected this summer, in July of 2018.
The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) is one of fourteen state recognized regional planning governmental non-profit organizations in Michigan. The organization was enabled by state legislation and formally created in 1971 by the three counties it serves, Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren. They are a regional planning resource staffed with professional regional planners and are designed to be responsive to the planning needs of the region.
