All -
After an extremely well-attended and expertly led meeting by Bill Reger-Nash about our Open Streets endeavor last night, I attended the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting with Bill Kawecki to hear information about the new Sheetz at South University & Foundry. There was little opposition to the development other than James Giuliani, who spoke eloquently and enthusiastically against it. I did speak under the assumption the development is inevitable, focusing more on what the impact will be on pedestrian flow and safety, noting (as Jimmie mentioned recently) the wonderful
underpass to the trail for those afraid of the surface road traffic (which will only increase).
The City Planner, Chris Fletcher, did speak to my concerns, noting some widening of sidewalks and refuge areas. I left at about 10:30 with the meeting still going on, and the lead engineer/permit manager from Sheetz (Robert Franks) tracked me down to ask what Sheetz could do to improve the area as he was unaware of the underpass for pedestrians and cyclists. I noted that the development in that location is unpopular so anything he could do to help their image
would benefit their business. I focused on asking for signage to alert people about the alternate route, upgrading existing sidewalks on their property, and improving lighting to the underpass and in the underpass to improve safety. I hope I represented our concerns well. Mr. Franks seemed genuinely interested and he engaged Bill Kawecki in a discussion about making pedestrian improvements. I will follow-up with him as well.
Thanks
Christiaan
Walk more, safely
Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Christiaan Abildso, Chair
Bill Reger-Nash, Vice Chair