At their last meeting on November 17, 2015, the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) primarily discussed the median and sidewalk design at two intersections and they reviewed the Draft Streetscape Design Plan.
Sidewalks along the west side of two intersections along Boones Ferry (Firwood Road and Oakridge Road) are currently shown with a narrower 5 foot wide sidewalk rather than the preferred 9 foot wide sidewalk due to abutting site constraints. A proposal was brought to the PAC asking if they would like to request a design exception from the Oregon Department of Transportation to widen the sidewalk on the west side of the roadway at these two intersections. The change would create a tighter U-turn radius and reduce the size of the median at the intersections to accommodate the additional sidewalk area. The PAC discussed the issue and agreed that the additional sidewalk width would be desirable to allow for the inclusion of street lights and landscaping. The final design of these areas will come back to the PAC for additional review in 2016.
The remainder of the meeting was spent reviewing the Draft Streetscape Design Plan created by the project design team. The Draft Plan represents the accumulation of streetscape ideas including furnishings, landscaping, lighting, and sidewalk materials and colors, generated by the PAC and the public over the last year. At the next meeting in December, the PAC will review a Final Streetscape Plan and then the first half of 2016 will be used to refine the designs, identifying specific materials and plantings for the design.
The PAC will continue their monthly schedule of meetings through the next year.
The next meeting of the PAC is scheduled for December 15, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.