QUINCY — A section of B Street Northeast currently under construction was the topic of a lengthy discussion at the Quincy City Council meeting Aug. 16.
It was the second meeting that the work on B Street Northeast prompted questions and concerns from residents of the section under construction, who have businesses there, or who use land along the street for commercial purposes.
Construction crews are rebuilding and repaving the street between Central Avenue North and Sixth Avenue Northeast. Speakers at the council meeting expressed concerns that some sections of the street, especially the block between Fifth and Sixth Avenue Northeast, will be too narrow for some uses.
Additionally, the street as it’s being constructed does not meet street width requirements and will require a variance; city officials did not go through the variance process before starting construction. Rob Soul, who owns Blue Skies Storage on B Street Northeast, asked about the variance process. Public Works Director Carl Worley said city officials should’ve applied for the variance, and hope to schedule a date for a public hearing at the Sept. 6 council meeting.
Soul said city officials have been willing to work with him since he raised his concerns.
The street is wider at its intersection with Sixth Street Northeast, then narrows down.
“The (traffic) lanes are 11 feet from curb-face to curb-face,” Worley wrote in answer to an emailed question from the Herald.
The work isn’t completed, but the curbs had been poured as of Aug. 16, and a sidewalk has been added on the north side. Parking has been added at O’Connell Park at the B Street-Third Avenue intersection.
“There is on-street parallel parking from Central to Third and a lesser amount from Fourth to Fifth,” Worley wrote.
There’s no on-street parking on Fifth Street Northeast.
In addition to the pedestrian accommodations, Worley said some of the design decisions were affected by the need to build a stormwater drainage system.
There are vacant lots near the Sixth Street Northeast intersection, and on Aug. 16 truckers were using those lots for parking. Quincy resident Jose Ramirez said he owns a truck and that the changes to B Street Northeast would make it more difficult to park there. Truck parking is already limited in Quincy, Ramirez said.
Rob Sole said at the Aug. 2 meeting that the changes to B Street would make it more difficult for people to use his business to store items like boats.
City officials are working on improving streets city-wide, Worley said, but it’s a project that must be done in phases.
An alley is planned for that area, Worley said, but added that B Street Northeast isn’t supposed to be a truck route.
“If you own a trucking business one should not count on-street parking for parking their fleet, which has become an expectation,” he wrote.
Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com. Readers can also find her work on the Columbia Basin Herald app – available on iOS and Android devices.
