|
|
|
A quick, exciting announcement here at the top: On August 25th, Kirkwood for Everyone and architect-developer Steve Hoard of HOH will host an informational event on Accessory Dwelling Units in Kirkwood at the Kirkwood Public Library. The event will cover what ADUs are, how they work, and where in Kirkwood you're allowed to build them. It will also feature a Q&A at the end, as well as resources for homeowners looking to take the next steps. The event will begin at 7pm. Please share the event on Facebook to help spread the word, and make sure you sign Kirkwood for Everyone's petition in support of attainable housing if you haven't already done so; they're doing great work!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- A couple of interesting items from last week's Webster-Kirkwood Times:
- On pg. 1-A, there's a scary story about a Kirkwood couple that was struck by a vehicle that failed to yield while they were walking across Kirkwood Rd at Essex on July 4th. According to Safer Streets for Kirkwood, so far this month, four pedestrians have been struck by vehicles, including one earlier this week at Kirkwood Rd and Washington. A cyclist was also struck this week while biking down Adams. Praying for a quick recovery for all these folks, but a few quick reflections:
- First, I think this trend shows that while Kirkwood has made a lot of strides when it comes to walkability, it still has a ways to go and plenty of problem areas to address. Part of this is because, as people become more comfortable walking in Kirkwood and do so more often, there are simply more opportunities for reckless drivers to collide with pedestrians. The sheer number of problematic areas in Kirkwood is part of the reason why I am deeply skeptical of Kirkwood's decision to spend half of the Safer Streets for All (SS4A) grant money it has applied for on one half-mile stretch of Ann. For example, East of Kirkwood Rd, only one side of Essex has a sidewalk, thus requiring pedestrians to cross the street and expose themselves to traffic when they otherwise wouldn't have to. There are just a lot of more cost-effective interventions we could've achieved with that money
- Second, I think these incidents really make the case for red light/speed cameras. No matter how much money you pour into street safety, some people are going to break the law if they think they can get away with it. Let's make sure they can't.
- On pg.8-A, there's a nice write-up of the first two filers for next Spring's City Council race: Al Rheinnecker running for re-election and Sheila Burkett running as a challenger. What the article does not mention is that I don't think you could find more polar opposite housing policies from two candidates. Two years ago, CM Rheinnecker ran on a pledge to pause the construction of new housing in Downtown Kirkwood, and while he pledged to facilitate more housing elsewhere in Kirkwood, he has taken no steps to facilitate that goal. Mrs. Burkett, on the other hand, seems to have a better grasp on these issues than any candidate in recent memory. As I've stated before, the power of CM Rheinnecker's newsletter will be difficult to overcome, but I encourage you to give Burkett a long hard look (and encourage your friends and family to do so as well)
- A couple of observations regarding the City Council's July 10th Work Session minutes:
- First, I want to note that Andy Struckhoff, President of PGAV Planners (the group responsible for the Downtown Kirkwood Master Plan nd Attainable Housing Study) is listed as having been in attendance. That tells me that the Council is coming very close to making a decision on which RFP response to select for the former Public Works site.
- The only other thing listed in the agenda is a lengthy complaint from the Council that 1) the parking lot that the city has leased (or is it that they're considering leasing it?) for public use at 135 W Adams Ave was going under used and 2) Elsewhere in Downtown, folks were parking much longer than permitted in time-limited spaces. The Council agreed that the police should try to ramp up enforcement in these cases before opening the West Adams lot to the public. I just want to quickly say that enforcing "two hour parking" is incredibly difficult and no one has figured out a good way to do it. I'm skeptical Kirkwood is going to be the first. The obvious solution here —and the one for which Kirkwood is uniquely suited— is to implement paid parking throughout Downtown Kirkwood. I hope the Council will embrace demand-based paid parking as the most efficient, market-based solution available.
|
|
|
|
That's it for this week! The Southside Creole Playboys play the Making Music Concert Series in Lions Amphitheater in Kirkwood Park this Saturday from 7:30-9:30. Enjoy and have a great weekend, everyone!
|
|
|
|
|
