–by Michael Riordan–
A storm of protest has arisen in reaction to County plans for an urban-style concrete sidewalk along the east side of Haven Road in Eastsound, adversely impacting the rural character of the Madrona Point neighborhood and probably diminishing on-street parking available to users of the Odd Fellows hall.
Dubbed the “sidewalk to nowhere” by former Eastsound Planning Review Committee (EPRC) member and architect Fred Klein, such a “pedestrian facility” would have to be 4 to 5 feet wide to comply with provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to County Engineer Colin Huntemer. But with the County right-of-way only 30 to 40 feet wide and steep rock faces occupying much of the eastern edge of it, plus the desire to maintain two-way traffic and emergency- vehicle access, parking spaces would inevitably be sacrificed. And the “magical” rural character of the lane would be compromised, according to local residents.
The problem began in December 2015 when the County Council approved Ordinance 21-2015 extending Eastsound street standards from the core commercial village area into Madrona Point. In his remarks before the May 3 EPRC meeting, Klein called that decision “a mistake which resulted in unintended consequences.”
That plan required sidewalks on both sides of Haven Road, Huntemer told me. He has attempted to address this problem by formulating the revised plan. In his March 16 memo to the Council, he stated that these standards “were prepared in consultation with various members of the Eastsound community and concerned citizens.”
But he apparently did not hear the parking concerns of the Odd Fellows, or pay them sufficient heed. According to hall manager Jay Kimball, the hall has hosted nearly 400 weddings over the past 15 years, typically with over 100 attendees each. While many of them walk there from Eastsound lodgings, many others drive and thus have to park nearby. Automobiles are lined up on both sides of Haven Road from beginning to end during these events.
The wedding revenues help Odd Fellows maintain and upgrade the hall and subsidize rental rates for the diverse groups that use it on weekdays and in the off-season. “A typical week has over 30 classes, birthday parties, fundraisers, dances, and memorial services,” said Kimball in an email to Council member Rick Hughes, citing examples like the Artisans’ Faire, Orcas Lit Fest, a Montessori fundraiser, karate and pilates classes, as well as Zumba, ballet, tap and other dance classes. Plus the beloved Odd Fellows’ Halloween party and Thanksgiving dinner. These classes and events require plentiful nearby parking.
The hall is an invaluable community resource. It “helps the teachers make a living, helps the community stay fit, practice their arts and passions, and celebrate important life events,” Kimball observed. “As you can imagine, it all depends on convenient parking.” But these concerns do not appear to have had much impact on the revised Haven Road plans.
These plans were stimulated by a Haven Road townhouse project designed by John Campbell now under construction by John Miller, who agreed to install a sidewalk in the County right-of-way adjacent to the development. Otherwise, the planning process might have remained an abstract exercise with few immediate consequences. Thus the County is now in a rush to get revised plans approved so Miller can build an ADA-compliant sidewalk.
By the time of the EPRC meeting, nearly 300 concerned citizens and business owners had signed petitions urging the County to preserve convenient, plentiful parking in its decisions about Haven Road, scheduled to be made at a Council meeting in the Eastsound Fire Hall on Tuesday, May 8. As they had been circulating for only several days, hundreds more will have signed these petitions by then.
At the EPRC meeting, Huntemer and Hughes led off with an explanation of the revised plans, emphasizing that they were trying to address concerns expressed by community members, consistent with state law and ADA compliance. As they noted, places where people now park are technically illegal because parked cars are in the roadway. Hughes claimed that there would be absolutely no loss of such parking space, while Huntemer was more equivocal.
In his verbal testimony, Klein noted that this was the first attempt to address standards for streets outside the commercial core of Eastsound, so it was important to take the time to get it right. He questioned the need for a “pedestrian facility” on Haven Road, which triggers the requirement for a wide, ADA-compliant concrete sidewalk. “Let’s keep it the way it is,” he argued. “Let’s use compacted gravel shoulders to meet the needs of pedestrians.”
Kimball followed, noting that the hall has been a community gathering place since it was built in 1891. Few people were requesting a concrete walkway, he said, but many are asking about sufficient parking spaces. This confirmed what I’d heard from Miller just before the meeting, that many local residents were asking him why he couldn’t install gravel walkways instead of a concrete sidewalk.
Joe Symons closed out the public testimony, saying that “what I’m really concerned about is the lack of a ‘conversational space’ to address this complicated problem.” The EPRC is being asked to endorse the County plans despite serious reservations being expressed by the very community to be impacted. He specifically suggested that the option of a gravel walkway on the west side of the street had not been seriously considered.
After long deliberation and two failed motions, including one by Chair Paul Kamin to endorse the County plans, the EPRC endorsed a motion by Jeff Otis that they decline to endorse the proposed design and instead initiate a 30-day period in which the County should accept more public input into the streetscape design for Haven Road before making a recommendation.
Several members, including Otis, expressed their personal inclination to see “softer” designs like a “rustic gravel path” be considered. That would be much more in keeping with the established rural character of Haven Road and Madrona Point. After the meeting, Hughes and Huntemer expressed their appreciation for the views of Orcas Islanders and showed a willingness to work together with them to maintain the natural charm of Haven Road and Madrona Point.
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Good parking on Haven Road is essential to the wellbeing of our historic hall AND the community it serves. The hall is host to over 30 events per week, including 14 different classes, and things like community Thanksgiving dinner, Artisans Faire, senior dinner and prom, Halloween dances, fundraisers, memorial services, the farmers market in the fall, movie nights, birthday parties, and so much more. Access to convenient parking is essential to the many hundreds of islanders who visit the hall each week.
What is good for the hall has been GREAT for the local economy. In the past 15 years, the hall has hosted almost 400 weddings, which collectively have brought in an estimated $32 million in beneficial side-effect revenue to the local economy – for lodging, dining, entertainment, catering, flowers, hair styling, shopping, etc. That works out to be a bit over $2 million per year – good for jobs, and the local economy.
While there are very few people asking for a sidewalk to Madrona point, we hear from hundreds of islanders and visitors, as well as local business, who are concerned about the adequacy of parking on Haven Road. We estimate that each of the approximately 68 parking spaces on Haven Road generates $30,000 per year of Eastsound business activity, just from weekend wedding activity at the Odd Fellows Hall. Add into that the value of Haven Road parking for visitors and islanders who can’t find parking on downtown streets, and you can understand why Rick Hughes has committed to not eliminating any parking on Haven Road. That parking is invaluable.
As a resident of Haven Road for over 30 years I’ve never had a family member , guest or friend express the need for a sidewalk . When my father was alive he happily negotiated his wheelchair to both the dock and the village .
Haven Road is a magical , rural lane and part of sacred Lummi Indian land . It was not part of the village plan until recently and should remain a natural protected part of Madrona Point .Please keep the cement away from our sweet country road which
should be preserved not urbanized to meet a 2015 ordinance that should never have been passed !
Rick has wisely maintained that Haven Road should remain a two way street…and the over 400 petition-signers show that on-street parking is a much higher priority than a sidewalk. With a usable right of way limited to 30 feet, a functional two-way street plus casual parking alongside sucks up the available width…At the EPRC meeting, several persons who walk Haven Road stated that they’ve never felt unsafe.
So what can we do for pedestrians?
As our signs along our main roads say, “SHARE THE ROAD” while displaying symbols of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
Surely a concept acceptable along Orcas Island’s main road with a 40 mph speed limit…would be workable on a short, dead end, local road with low traffic volume, low pedestrian usage, and a very low posted speed limit…?…
Our online petition titled “Preserve on-street Parking along Haven Road in Eastsound” currently has 192 signatures and many inspiring comments.
Read and sign the petition at https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/preserve-on-street-parking-along-haven-road-in-eastsound.html)
As acknowledged by SJC Authorities, the
street-scape Ordnance 21-2015 is ill-advised.
Judging from the comments I have received while collecting more than 213 petition signatures from business owners, business patrons and local residents, it’s is obvious that the proposed street-scape design and possible loss of parking on Haven Rd is not welcome. One business owner expressed the Haven Rd parking issue as, “This is an answer in search of a problem. I see no problem. We desperately need parking and Haven Rd provides some of what we need”
Despite an outpouring of public opposition to the Madrona Point street standards and the recommendation of the EPRC to pursue a 30-day delay to incorporate more input from the community on the Haven Road design, the County Council voted unanimously today to approve the standards put forth by County Engineer Colin Huntemer. After saying at first that he was not ready to put the matter to a vote, Rick Hughes offered a motion to accept the standards with the proviso that the County consider alternative options besides concrete (e.g., gravel) for the sidewalk surface behind the curb. The motion passed 3-0.
“We have to be looking forward to what’s happening in the future,” said Lopez Council member Jamie Stephens, adding that we still have to make sure there is no reduction in parking.
The overriding concern seemed to be safety of pedestrians, given the likely future development of Madrona Point, especially Haven Road. But the vote was also an endorsement of the ability of developers to maximize their returns from properties on the Point, with concerns for maintaining the semi-rural character of the area given secondary importance. In wrapping up the morning session, Hughes said, “I apologize for my wishy-washiness, but in my heart of hearts I think this is the right thing to do.”
Jay Kimball is right! Listen to him!
What if we limited the road to a one-way traffic, AND had the sidewalks? Isn’t there a road that connects a loop and could funnel traffic back to Orcas rd? Seems like it would solve both problems, and allow for the quaint ‘small village’ feel everyone seems to want to keep.
What a heartbreaking decision by the County Council. Essentially throwing our culture and community under the bus in favor of a march toward development and building standards that don’t fit our environment.
When has Council ever sided with the people and the environment? They always side with the developers. This “decision” was already made up, like all the others. When has community participation ever made a difference for us to sway council and commissioners to do the RIGHT ethical thing? Moneyed interests threaten lawsuits; now we’re talking billionaire money, not just millionaire moneys. Face it – we have been betrayed so many times and in so many ways. Now the people are waking up and finally seeing what has been going on for YEARS.
What kind of intimidation must the County Council by under to totally ignore the public? Perhaps we should do something about this…
The Council made a courageous decision in the face of a vociferous opposition. When Colin Huntermer and Rick Hughes say that street parking on Haven Road will not be reduced, they are right. Cars that park on the east side of the street park three feet away from the embankment. How else would their passengers get out of the car? So an additional two feet for a sidewalk is going to wipe out any parking possibilities on the west side of the street? Give me a break!
At one point along Haven Road just opposite the townhouse development there is effectively only 30 feet between a steep rock face on the east side and a steep drop-off on the west side of the road. I know, I measured it. If a sidewalk is to be installed there, John Miller & Co. would have to cut into that rock face by 3-4 feet, taking out a large Madrona tree just above and probably destabilizing the hillside in that vicinity. Or the sidewalk would have to extend out into the roadway, decreasing the portion available to traffic and parking down by the same 3-4 feet. In fact, that arrangement (with no cut into the rock face) was depicted in artist’s renderings being circulated at the EPRC meeting. It’s difficult to imagine two lanes of traffic and parking on both sides in such a scenario. Haven Road would inevitably lose parking spaces in that case — the only question being how many.
Michael, the Madrona tree is Campbell’s; he can do as he pleases with it. Also, it is Campbell and Miller’s responsibility to build the 5′ sidewalk to the edge of their property. That leaves 35′ of right of way. If the County can’t fit in two way traffic with parking on each side, it is the County’s responsibility to rectify that by building a retaining wall at the steep drop-off.
But will the county accept that responsibility, Dan, and act upon it? That’s the $64,000 question — about what such a retaining wall would cost. Especially when there are a lot more pressing needs for that money. Far more likely is that no such retaining wall will ever be built and Haven Road will lose parking space along that stretch as well as elsewhere.