New 20th Street plan includes wide sidewalks, two-lane road

By Meghan Erkkinen

The city of Fife has taken another step toward its vision for 20th Street. City staff have developed a preliminary standard for the street’s design, which would incorporate a two-lane roadway, wide sidewalks and on-street parking.

The design standards are an attempt to align future development of the street with the city council’s vision, to create a downtown area for a variety of activities including shopping, civic, cultural and recreational activities.

“They (the council) have consistently supported the idea of a more pedestrian-oriented area for our city,” said Carl Smith, community development director for the city. “This idea is a further step to try to implement these goals.”

One of the biggest challenges in designing the street was balancing the council’s vision for a walkable city center with commuters’ needs. A study commissioned by the city reveals that a two-lane road, with on-street parking, would slow traffic down two- to three-and-a-half miles per hour during peak commuting times. The study also concluded that the proposed design would add, on average, about a three- to six-second delay for drivers along 20th Street.

Smith does not feel those numbers pose a significant hindrance to commuters.

“It’s not a great distance for the benefit of the street,” he said.

The three top priorities for the city in developing the proposed standards are pedestrian safety, comfort and interest.

The staff’s proposed design includes a 10-food-wide parking area, which would also accommodate bike travel. According to Smith, the barrier of parked cars between pedestrians and moving vehicles provides a greater perception of safety.

Sidewalks are proposed to be 10 feet wide and would include street trees, which would also provide the illusion of increased safety. The sidewalks might also include decorative lights, notice boards, benches and trash cans.

The design includes two travel lanes, each 15 feet wide, which are wide enough to make room for emergency vehicles to pass through. At intersections, the parking lanes would disappear and a middle turn lane, called a “turn pocket,” would be created in their place.

Also to increase pedestrian safety would be “bulb-outs” at intersections, where sidewalks would expand, creating the illusion of a narrower road, which would cause drivers to slow down. The bulb-outs would also create a shorter distance for pedestrians to cross the street, also increasing safety.

Not only would this design increase safety, according to Smith, it would make 20th Street an attractive area for prospective developers and businesses.

“We want to help 20th Street revitalize,” Smith said. “If we can get this in place it would will really unify the look and I think it will really promote development.”

Not everyone is so thrilled with the plan, however. Councilmember Dick Godwin questioned whether the plan really took into account commuters’ needs.

The city has also met with affected property owners and the Fife School District, who have expressed some

concern.

To address these and other resident concerns, the city is holding a public meeting to explain the design and answer questions. The meeting will be held May 21 from 6-8 p.m. at the Fife Community Center. Residents’ comments will then be taken to the city council, which will vote on the standards and perhaps suggest changes based on resident comments.

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