Petition for a Walkable 100 College Street Development

WHEREAS, we applaud the developer's decision to incorporate a slightly wider sidewalk corridor surrounding the proposed 100 College Street development and the Air Rights Garage area;

WHEREAS, as of the time of the initial approval of the development agreement in June 2012, sections of sidewalk proposed for the area around 100 College Street and its parking garage were still limited in width, with in some cases as few as 7 feet between the building edge and several lanes of fast-moving traffic, and in most other cases less than 12 feet;

WHEREAS, the Developer has agreed to continue to study ways to improve the sidewalk plan;

WHEREAS, 12 to 15 foot wide sidewalks are a standard in many urban areas, including within the proposed new zoning for the entire Downtown Crossing area;

WHEREAS, per Section 138.1 of the San Francisco City Planning Code, all commercial, mixed-use streets, and multi-use boulevards in San Francisco are required to have an absolute minimum width of 12 feet, with a recommended width of 15 feet; and with greater widths set in many of that city's "key" downtown projects;

WHEREAS, meeting the public health and walkability goals of New Haven are paramount to the success of Downtown Crossing and its connections to the nearby Dwight, West River, and Hill neighborhoods. Walking conditions near many areas of Route 34 and Downtown New Haven are currently very poor due to sidewalk corridors that are poorly designed or too narrow. Wider sidewalks with planted buffers almost always improve both perceived and real walking conditions and incorporate Universal Design features, and therefore improve mobility for people who are transportation disadvantaged;

WHEREAS, the 100 College Street development is part of a TIGER II funded project which is supposed to incorporate the US DOT's "Livability" principles;

WHEREAS, air pollution is a major concern in the neighborhoods near Route 34 and according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s 2012 ranking of “Asthma Capitals,” New Haven is the second-most challenging metropolitan area in the United States for people with asthma;

WHEREAS, the 100 College Street development is located in the City Medical District a place where many elderly and disabled people visit;

WHEREAS, According to the 2012 Safe Routes to School guide, "wider sidewalks allow pedestrians to avoid the splash zone (area adjacent to a motor vehicle travel lane into which water spray created by a motor vehicle traveling through water on the roadway enters), provide a snow storage area, and create a more comfortable separation between moving vehicles and pedestrians";

WHEREAS, According to the Federal Highway Administration's Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access guide, "Narrow sidewalk corridors are unsatisfactory because they limit the number of pedestrians that can use the area, require pedestrians to travel single file, and force pedestrians to travel uncomfortably close to buildings and/or automobile traffic. Access is easily compromised on narrow sidewalk corridors by objects, such as utility poles, that create even narrower spaces. Sometimes, narrow sidewalks do not provide enough clear space for people who use walking aids or wheelchairs to travel down the length of the sidewalk. In addition, narrow sidewalk corridors often have driveway crossings with steep cross slopes and curb ramps with insufficient landings and/or steep ramp grades. Sidewalk corridor width is determined during the planning stage of a project. To develop a successful pedestrian network, that includes wide sidewalk corridors, the needs of pedestrians should be institutionalized into the project planning process";

WHEREAS, If the 100 College Street project is built with its current limitations, it will permanently reduce the level of walkability in our city center, set a poor precedent for future development, and be an embarrassment to the city's and state's award winning Complete Streets policies;

WHEREAS, the 100 College Street project is bounded by three city streets, which are equally important paths for pedestrian movement;

WHEREAS, the 100 College Street development is promoted as the pace-setter project for a district meant to attract high quality businesses and revitalize the center city;