As C-VILLE speculated it would in last week’s edition, City Council moved ahead by a vote of 3-2 with granting easements for the Virginia Department of Transportation to begin construction of the city’s portion of the Meadowcreek Parkway. Despite the pleas of a dozen public speakers, David Brown, Satyendra Huja and Julian Taliaferro all voiced support for what is officially known as McIntire Road Extended.
“I do think that for where we are now, that this is an important road,” said Brown. “I think we’re going to continue to be car dependent, we’re going to see Albemarle Place built. We’re going to see 29 get more congested. We’re going to need a vibrant Downtown.”
In many aspects, the public hearing was discussed by councilors as a done deal, a minor tweak of an October 2007 resolution. The difference this time is that there are no longer any conditions—the project will go to bid and construction can begin, perhaps as soon as October. The end of City Council’s resolution rattles on about various “expectations” of Albemarle County, such as increased funding for public transit and extensive improvements in the urban ring, but those won’t keep the project from going to bid.
One public speaker suffered a double loss. In his comments, Park Hill resident Daniel Bluestone said that he had a betting pool back home that the vote would be 5-0. “I think you people have stopped listening,” said Bluestone. “You’re not thinking any longer, you’re just committed to voting five votes yes, and that’s where we go. There’s not going to be any debate about this.”
While there wasn’t much debate, David Norris and Holly Edwards voted against it.
“I hope you didn’t bet too much money,” said Norris.
The various projects that make up the Meadowcreek Parkway