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The proposal to paint a crosswalk at Cedar Lane and Mountain Home Road returns to the Town Council in Woodside tonight (Dec. 9) for further discussion and possible action.
A Cedar Lane crosswalk would be a component of the town’s continuing effort to create safer walking and biking routes to and from Woodside Elementary School at 3195 Woodside Road.
The regular council meeting starts at 7:30 p.m., but it is preceded this week by a council study session on whether the town needs to establish policies and practices for historic preservation and if so, what the ordinance should say. The study session starts at 6 p.m. in Independence Hall at 2955 Woodside Road.
When the council last discussed the Cedar Lane crosswalk, in September, opinion in the community was divided as to the character of the crosswalk — low- or high-visibility striping — and whether it should cross Mountain Home Road at the northern or southern corner of the intersection.
At the time, the council approved two crosswalks on Canada Road — at Glenwood Avenue and at Romero Road — but put off a decision on Cedar Lane pending further comment from the community.
Parisi Transportation Consulting, the traffic engineering firm hired to study the crosswalk location, favors the northern crossing because the southern corner has line-of-sight issues, according to a staff report. In community discussions, the town’s Circulation Committee favors the northern corner while the Trails Committee favors the southern corner, the report says.
Staff is recommending a simple crosswalk at the northern corner of the intersection, along with pavement markings and signs on Mountain Home Road to warn drivers that a crosswalk is ahead.
Historic preservation
The state already requires structures in line for a major remodel and that are at least 50 years old to be examined for their potential as historic resources.
The question before the Town Council is whether to create an ordinance for Woodside. The benefits include protection of historic resources, a better informed public, and predictable procedures in Town Hall.
Historic value of a structure can be found in its architecture, its occupants, events that have happened there, and its style.
So far, structures in Woodside judged to have historic potential have been a tiny minority. If a site is deemed to have such potential, a study would follow, which would likely incur an expense for the owner.
Among the discussion points for tonight’s study session: Is 50 years an appropriate benchmark? Should a structure be listed as a historic resource and should the owner have a say in that? What alterations are allowed? What incentives might the town adopt to encourage preservation?