JEO outlined a master plan for the uptown streetscape project for Mount Vernon.
Jeremy Kaemmer of JEO Consulting said that the goals for the streetscape were to improve public safety, preserve the community identity, have a sustainable design and parking and mobility solutions.
“One of the things we heard from Mount Vernon residents was they wanted the charm and historic nature of uptown Mount Vernon maintained,” Kaemmer said.
One of the main concerns for the project as well was the slopes that stretch through Mount Vernon’s uptown.
Improvements that need to be made include addressing old utilities and service connections to the water main that is to the west portion of First Street as part of the project.
Kaemmer explained that the designers had put in bio retentions at corners and throughout the streetscape in areas where people may cross the roads. Those serve two purposes – trying to retain some of the water that flows during a storm and keeping motorist mindful of people possibly crossing near these areas. Bump outs in the middle of the blocks, like at Hilltop Park and the north alley along West First Street also serve as a spot to slow the traffic down.
“Creating a spot in the middle of the street with these bump outs draws a visual for drivers to be mindful of pedestrians crossing here,” Kaemmer said.
Council member Scott Rose asked how many spots were lost in uptown because of this. Kaemmer said a total of five spots maximum were lost because of these changes.
The width of First Street’s driving lanes is now 11 feet each, compared to the 12 to 14 feet at the moment. The city picks up those additional feet in the sidewalks and walkways for pedestrians, and maintains the same space for angled parking.
The sidewalk along First Street near Mount Vernon Pharmacy, Fuel and Mount Vernon Family Medicine provided challenges to the streetscape. The sidewalk there currently is much shallower in width, and makes walking that stretch of sidewalk harder, Kaemmer said.
The solution JEO proposed was to change parking along that block in front of those businesses to be parallel compared to angled parking. While there are parking spots lost, it also allows more handicap accessibility at critical businesses.
The project will be tackled in three separate phases. Phase 1 will be First Street West from Highway 1 to Third Avenue. The cost for that phase will be roughly $2.5 million, though with an unknown water main that may need to be addressed, that could prove costly.
Phase 2 includes the blocks of First Street East from Hwy. 1 to B Avenue. The cost for that phase will be potentially lower, as there aren’t as many water main improvements.
Phase 3 will be addressing the parking lots in the north alley of First Street West, as well as improvements along Second Avenue North and South.
Rose asked if there was an ability to break the project into addressing the north half and south half of First Street during that project to try and minimize businesses impacted.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said with all the service connections that will likely be addressed and tackling a project in economy of scale, it would be better for that phase to happen all at once.
Nosbisch said that by utilizing splitting the project into east and west in phases, it would allow some festivals still to be held in a portion of uptown.
Nosbisch also said that the phased approach gives the city time to work with business owners about the impact. The city will also be able to draw on several grants for the project.
And the first phase of the project is still roughly three years out, and will follow the completion of the Highway 1 improvements planned by the Iowa Department of Transportation.