EPRC explains its Prune Alley decision

— from Leith Templin for Eastsound Plan Review Committee —

In response to the many comments about the Prune Alley Street Project, the EPRC would like to clarify some misunderstandings that some community members have expressed in the past week. 

As Fred Klein explained, the street improvement project has been envisioned for thirty years and would make the formerly gravel Prune alley consistent with Main Street and North Beach Road. In its present form, it has been reviewed at two previous EPRC Town Hall meetings over the past year-and-a-half. Last Thursday’s advertised Zoom meeting was attended by 17 members of the public. All public testimony except for one supported the project. In talking with both residents and business owners in the village, Chair Leith Templin received overwhelmingly positive comments. EPRC strongly believes there is a need for sidewalks and lighting to provide for public safety, particularly for the early dark night months. 

County Public Works and the EPRC have worked carefully to ensure that the limited lighting proposed will comply with the guidelines of the International Dark Sky Association(IDSA) and will not be intrusive. 

• EPRC recommends fixtures under 16 feet and prefers 12-14’. Lamp posts will have no capacity for banners or other features
• The County will remove the remaining 25’ mercury vapor lights that still exist on Prune Alley

The project will also provide continuous and consistent curbs and sidewalks along Prune alley. This will prevent cars from parking along the current gravel path and provide a safe, ADA-compliant route for pedestrians, wheelchairs and cart users. Current code requires the property owners to provide sidewalks. That is why we now have mismatched sidewalks and it will only get worse without this project. Other benefits of the project include:

• Undergrounding utilities and removing power poles and overhead wires
• Installation of new fiber-optic for state-of-the-art internet access
• Installing a new stormwater system to benefit the aquatic health of Fishing Bay
• Protecting heritage plum trees in front of the Barnacle
• Adding street trees, benches and locally made public art (Public is invited to participate in design).

As Fred Klein pointed out the plan is not perfect. He agrees with the lighting and sidewalks. He believes the design he helped draw in the 1990s, which included angle parking, was superior. That design, however, required the donation of additional right-of-way by adjacent property owners. Current owners were unwilling to dedicate this additional frontage, and the County Council elected not to take the property through eminent domain and instructed the staff to design within the 50 ft. right-of-way. EPRC supports the council in that decision. EPRC and county staff will continue to work with property owners to try to acquire the additional right of way to accomplish those added features during the second and third years of the three-phase construction.

Finally, some have commented that the County should not be spending $4.5 million on this project. Much of the project funding is dedicated state transportation funding, which can only be used on street-improvement projects and cannot be diverted to other uses. 

In summary, the EPRC believes that the Prune Alley Project will provide needed and important improvements for safety, convenience and street appearance while maintaining a low-key, informal look appropriate to our small village. Eastsoundplanningreview@gmail.com