Before the city can implement the lane reconfiguration, officials with OTIS want to see City Council approve changes to parking and loading regulations that would more encourage turnover of parked vehicles, Carroll said. In order for the repaving to happen this summer, the legislation would need to make it through council before the end of its spring term in late June.
The portion of Washington Avenue being narrowed crosses the districts of both Councilmembers Kenyatta Jonnson and Mark Squilla.
Vincent Thompson, a spokesperson for Johnson, said his office has not seen OTIS’ proposed parking and loading regulations, and cannot yet commit to supporting them. Anne Kelly King, a spokesperson for Squilla, said her office has not seen the proposed legislation either, but plans to start with OTIS’ draft and “amend as necessary.”
OTIS will hold an open house about the design decision Tuesday evening. The lane configuration is not up for debate, but officials hope to explain their reasoning to residents and hear ideas for additional traffic calming strategies or other improvements that could be made several years from now.
“Not so much from the perspective that we’re going to jump right in and do it, but it gives us some material to work with so that we can keep that conversation going,” Carroll said. “We can’t just settle with the fact that there’s this polarization, that there’s this stark difference of opinion between businesses and long-term residents and folks who feel like they’re being progressive around transportation and are focused on safety. We have to get the best ideas from everybody together at some point.”
The open house will begin at 6:30 pm at the Christian Street YMCA on Christian Street. The event will also be livestreamed on OTIS’s Facebook page.