Guest Column: Streetscape Plans for Fern Street Extension

 — from Fred Klein —

Pictured  is the sketch prepared under the auspices of Eastsound Planning Review Committee (EPRC) concerning the future use of the increasingly famous 50 foot wide lot originally acquired by Public Works to extend Fern Street to N. Beach Road.

Prepared as part of the Prune Alley Streetscape Plan in 2011, a plan which had 100% support by the property owners of Prune Alley and the EPRC, this plan is the result of a two year effort involving several hundred hours of volunteer effort. Note that it compliments our streetscape vocabulary (landscaping elements, curbs, sidewalks, and on-street parking) which presently exists on Main Street and N. Beach Rd.

Note that it provides SEVENTEEN parking spaces WITHOUT using up the 50 foot wide lot as a street w/ the very limited parallel parking possible with such a narrow right of way.

Note also that these angled parking places serve both a public need in addition to solving the problem of providing required parking for future development of the two abutting vacant lots. To provide this parking requires these landowners to agree to significant easements; to their credit, they have done so and fully support this plan. (The Tex Beemer lot is now owned by Robin Woodward.)

Please note that the use of the land is described as a “Pedestrian Link & Plaza with Community Gardens (to be designed)”. The potential of it becoming a civic space, a landscaped garden, and the configuration of the path was purposely left for a future discussion by our entire community.

In my opinion, there are numerous issues which need to be addressed before this parcel is designated for a more specific use such as the proposed “Transportation Hub”, a subject upon which EPRC deliberated for about five minutes, and I continue to believe that to so designate it is premature at this time.