ORANGE : Council OKs Revised Public Works Plan

A massive public works project that would widen about four miles of local streets received City Council approval Tuesday, but only after the most controversial elements were dropped for further study.

After a two-hour hearing during which 46 speakers opposed elements of the project, the council voted to uphold a Planning Commission recommendation to study the impacts of widening residential La Veta Avenue east of Glassell Street and Glassell north of Chapman Avenue.

Then, responding to community demand, the council ordered further review of a proposal to widen a section of Main Street north of Chapman to Orangewood Avenue; that portion of the widening project has been dropped from the proposal at least until the review is completed.

The project, one of the most divisive the council has considered recently, has drawn hundreds of residents to four public hearings since December. The $22-million plan--the largest public works project ever undertaken by the city--calls for widening portions of La Veta, Glassell, Chapman and Main and has been in the works for decades, according to city staff.

Community members of the Old Towne area persuasively argued to amend the plan, contending that widening their local streets from four to six lanes would destroy the highly prized historical neighborhood.

In addition, parents of students at Sycamore Elementary School, which partially faces a portion of Main Street scheduled for widening, said the project was unnecessary and would endanger their children. About a dozen parents picketed City Hall Tuesday afternoon and some threatened a recall drive if the the council voted to widen Main Street near the school.

Despite the deletion of portions of the plan, city traffic engineer Bernie Dennis said the elements most important to meeting the city’s immediate traffic needs remain intact.

The project will be carried out in eight segments over 10 to 15 years. Groundbreaking should begin within about two years, Dennis said.

The original proposal would have resulted in the demolition or relocation of 31 businesses and 42 homes, including historical structures. Dennis said he has not adjusted the amount of property the city will need to seize for the project since the council deleted portions of the proposal.

The historic Don Clark service station, a landmark since 1927 at 305 S. Main St., will be among the buildings to be moved.

“We’ll do whatever (is) necessary to relocate it and other buildings and businesses to somewhere hospitable,” Dennis said. “We have absolutely no intention of taking photos of these buildings, then tearing them down and putting the photo in a library someplace.”