Jeff Humphrey, Media Manager, 509.625.6308
Friday, November 22, 2019 at 2:11 p.m.
If you live, work or drive through the neighborhood around 29th Avenue and Grand Boulevard, the City of Spokane wants to hear from you about some possible changes in the area.
Employees of the Planning Services Department are reaching out to the public for their ideas about traffic and pedestrian safety.
“Think about what if you were four feet tall and ten years old. Think about if you were four feet tall and 84 years old,” Melissa Wittstruck, a city planner, asked as she led a recent tour of the area.
Studies show a lot of collisions in the area of 29th and Grand involving both cars and pedestrians.
It takes a pair of adult crossing guards to safely usher students from nearby schools across Grand Boulevard at 33rd Avenue.
During a recent open house, people told planners they would like more separation between cars and pedestrians.
“What made me come is, I wanted to make suggestions on the crosswalk and also, honestly, beautifying Grand Boulevard,” advised nearby resident Adrienne Schneider.
Schneider will be glad to know building regulations require that new developments along Grand Boulevard install landscaping and wider sidewalks during construction.
The city is also trying to make the area more transit friendly while keeping commuter traffic flowing.
At the same time, business want more turn lanes, but do not want to give up parking spots for their customers.
So now, the Planning Services Department is trying come up with growth guidelines that will help balance everyone’s needs in the future.
Planners believe your input can help them come up with the right answers.
For more information, visit the Grand Boulevard Transportation and Zoning Anaylysis project page.
