Notes from 2/4/14 Frank Street Neighborhood Meeting to Discuss 202-204 Arsenal Street Development Plans

Comments on Traffic Impacts
· Development on Arsenal, near Beachwood, will increase traffic on Frank Street for drivers who think it can be used as a shortcut.

o Frank Street already has seen increased traffic by drivers who use it as a bypass road, resulting in speeding down the short road and loitering late at night due to the dimly lit area.

o Construction/contractor trucks often use Frank Street as a quiet place to idle during breaks. This should be a precondition in any contracts that workers NOT be able to use residential streets for this purpose.

o What can be done to address this?

§ Increased police patrolling

§ Traffic counts on street to monitor flow

§ Increased lighting on street

§ Speed bumps?

· The traffic study associated with this project does not go far enough

o Study needs to be comprehensive and include Pleasant Street development, Greenough upgrades, etc. to have a comprehensive look at traffic patterns in/out of the Square.

o With 300+ units and one entrance/exit, traffic impacts will be especially high during commuting times.

· Irving Street is too narrow already to handle any increased traffic – what improvements can realistically be made to that area?

Comments on Plan and Community Impacts
· The development plan as it is now only encourages the disconnect between neighborhoods north and south of Arsenal Street. This could be a great opportunity to better connect these neighborhoods and integrate the new development, if there were more access points.

· The parcel should be more open, more accessible, and less like a fortress. It needs to benefit all residents, not just those living in the development.

· Noise impacts during construction – what is the expected length of construction? What are the expected hours of construction work daily? Noise should be minimized in evening hours and on weekends.

· Entrance of development is not welcoming to the surrounding neighborhood. Need more green space that is easily accessible and more open space closer to Arsenal Street so the development is not “on top” of the neighborhood but allows some breathing room and transition space.

· Surface parking lot seems to have a large footprint – what parking can be underground to minimize spaces here?

Summary: Would like to see less density, more open space, and improved traffic conditions by multiple access points and better flow.