May City Council Message
By: Todd Steinbrink, Contact this Councilmember
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COMING TO TERMS WITH AN ISSUE OF GROWTH
By now you’ve read articles, or seen Forest Glen residents along the sides of Montgomery Road, expressing frustration over the proposed Twin Lakes residential project. I’m sympathetic to keeping our trees and limiting traffic on Montgomery Road – so is everyone else in our community. But, as our homes in Montgomery have risen in value, so has the value of the undeveloped land in our city. So here are a few things everyone needs to keep in mind.
City Council in the mid-80’s had numerous struggles over the eventual “over-development” of Montgomery Road, and implemented important steps to improve the corridor. Specifically, they developed criteria for access onto Montgomery Road and installed a treed median north of Schoolhouse Road to transition traffic into the residential areas north of the business district.
The undeveloped property to the east of Montgomery Road between Clossons and the Safety Center is comprised of seven separate parcels belonging to multiple owners. For many years, this property has been zoned for multi-family development which would permit condominiums, landominiums, or apartment development. While it is always desirable to preserve green space, the city has no right to “take” the lots from their owners because we don’t want to see them change. Further, it is every land owner’s right, and the city’s obligation to provide access to the road upon which they front.
Now that Twin Lakes has submitted plans to develop a portion of this property, we are facing the reality, that change is going to occur to the view we’ve been graced with over the years. Planning Commission placed several conditions on Twin Lakes to mitigate the project’s impact on Montgomery Road and the neighboring properties near it. Several were aesthetic, such as building further from the road and requiring more landscaping than would be normal for other residential developments. The other subject of the five month debate was the point of access for the development. The intersection offered by Twin Lakes’ builder, studied by a third-party engineering firm, consistent with the 1988 codes regarding access, and approved by Planning Commission is aligned with the Forest Glen entrance. The last piece of the puzzle is granting an easement on a very small corner of unused Safety Center land to best construct and properly align the intersection. This is the current focus of the debate.
“So does the city of Montgomery have to grant an easement for them to proceed?” The short answer is “yes” and “no”. Yes, in order to proceed with an approvable intersection, the city must allow a small radial curve of asphalt to cut across the southwest corner of the Safety Center lot, so that northbound cars would have proper exit onto Montgomery Road and the two outlets would be properly aligned. No, because without the easement the development can still proceed with an alternate access point to Montgomery Road that may or may not be in as desirable situation from a safety or aesthetic standpoint as what is currently under consideration.
Some residents would like the answer to be “no” - so that the left turn out of Forest Glen will avoid the potential conflict of 13 other Montgomery residences using the same intersection. Unfortunately, there aren’t any good options. We could eliminate left hand turns out of one or both neighborhoods to avoid conflict – an option that would require a large number of U-turns in other intersections. That would be a far worse safety issue than the possibility of two Montgomery neighbors looking out for each other, both hoping to turn across a busy road, much like we do everyday along the business corridor. Planning Commission and others reviewed the rules, exhausted the options, and made a tough choice. Council now faces a similar difficult choice.
Back in 1975, I frequently rode my bike on Montgomery Road – times have certainly changed. I would like to see a Montgomery Road with fewer cars - maybe someday we will. Until then, we all have to manage to work within our means to create solutions that are a compromise for everyone involved. There is a process. Everyone’s concerns do get heard. It is also important that we all listen and work together to meet the needs of our entire community.