[Durham INC] Alston Ave. Widening--City Council Meeting Tonight

[John Martin]

Folks, 

People in Cleveland Holloway, East Durham, and Golden Belt need your help in 
persuading the City Council to rethink the Alston Ave. widening project. Please 
read the following letter from Natalie Spring to the City Council, and then 
contact the the City Council at Council at DurhamNC.Gov

Bad things done to one neighborhood will lead to bad things being done to other 
neighborhoods.

Good Morning Council,
> 
>I regret that I will not be able to speak to you tonight regarding the Alston 
>Avenue widening. Cleveland Holloway's monthly meeting takes place at almost 
the 
>same time. However, we have neighbors who will be attending the City Council 
>Meeting to voice their concerns.
> 
>I read somewhere that Mayor Bell was concerned that the Alston Ave widening 
>project was becoming a back and forth and that we needed to take action. While 
>I 
>disagree with the idea that it's becoming a back and forth, I agree we need to 
>take action. I have attended meetings on this subject since I was pregnant 
with 
>Madeline and many have attended meetings for far longer. At each step of the 
>way, I and others have asked for the same thing - please do not put another 
>highway through a disadvantaged community. We have pointed out that traffic on 
>Alston Ave is DECREASING. We have pointed out the environmental justice issue 
>of 
>removing the only grocery store in the area (one that delivers for free I 
might 
>add). We have pointed out that kids who attend Eastway Elementary should not 
>have to cross a highway to get to school. We have said that we need a 
>pedestrian 
>friendly design that will encourage more street level retail in an area with 
>small stores ( a la 9th St, a la Fayetteville St, a la Downtown). We want 
fewer 
>car lanes, more bikes and on street parking, and a comprehensive design that 
is 
>sensitive to the urban context in which it exists.
> 
>We have all also pointed out that the current design doesn't meet the NC DOTs 
>own standards for design sensitive to urban context. This road plan is older 
>than I am and mimics in many ways the NC DOT widening of Elizabeth St where 
>traffic counts were overstated and the city had to later pay to stripe bike 
>lanes and create on street parking after the NC DOT left us with an over sized 
>road bisecting neighborhoods. Clearly we've learned more about good urban 
>design 
>in the past 30 years that we can put into practise. 
> 
>We may choose now to accept the money and the widening, but what will the 
>future 
>cost of that be to the City of Durham? Sure, we'll have a road that can move 
>cars faster, but we'll also have cut off East Durham from all of the amazing 
>economic investment that is happening West of Alston Ave in Golden Belt, in 
>Cleveland Holloway, in Downtown Durham, and in Brightleaf. We will have 
>demolished buildings that can encourage pedestrian level retail. We will have 
>treated Alston Ave in a way that we would choose to treat no other road in the 
>City of Durham. In effect, we would choose to build a highway that we would 
>immediately have to begin trying to mitigate the economic devastation that was 
>wrought. We have the opportunity to be forward thinking and to stand up for 
>core 
>Durham values. We can stop this now. Demand better. If you won't demand, ask 
>really nicely please. You have the power to do something really amazing 
tonight 
>with your vote.
> 
>We do not need another freeway cutting through East Durham. 
> 
>Natalie Spring
>406 Oakwood Ave 


      
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