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One of the alternatives proposed by the
Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary’s master plan is to close North
Wingate Street from North Avenue/Stadium
Road to well below South Avenue/Durham
Road.
A new two-lane street would
be constructed from the intersection of
Rock Spring Road along the west side of
the campus extension that will include
the future Patterson Hall down to Durham
Road and across it to South Wingate
Street just north of the ball fields at
Forrest Park.
If that plan is followed,
traffic would flow in a one-way,
counter-clockwise loop around the
campus.
The second alternative for
traffic is a two-way loop around the
campus with roundabouts at
intersections.
The third alternative would
leave North Wingate open and be a
one-way, counter-clockwise loop with
directional islands at North Main
Street/North Avenue and Front
Street/Roosevelt Avenue (the underpass)
as well as roundabouts.
Planning board and town
board members have the proposed master
plan and the analysis by planner Lisa
Potts to review in advance of the public
hearing Feb. 6. In the meantime, though,
it is hush-hush, do not discuss with
anyone because it will be a special use
hearing which must be decided on
specific points of evidence.
As part of the review, Potts
suggested three changes to improve
safety and movement where North Avenue,
North Wingate Street and Stadium Drive
meet:
-
Move the stop bar (white line in the
street) for northbound North Wingate
Street traffic about 20 feet to the
north.
-
Channelize the eastbound traffic on
Stadium Road that is turning right.
-
Reconstruct the south curb line on
North Avenue.
The campus plan is basically
for changes for the area west of the
original campus and behind the Ledford
Center (once Gore Gym).
The present drive to Stealy
Hall would be extended west to the
future Patterson Hall. There would be
parking behind Patterson Hall and a
two-part campus quad in front.
The seminary is sketching in
three future buildings besides Patterson
Hall. One will be a campus center on the
site of the demolished cafeteria and
Ruby Reid Daycare Center along North
Wingate Street. Two classroom buildings
will flank Patterson Hall.
The seminary also plans a
parking deck on the site of the unused
tennis courts.
In other parts of Tuesday’s
planning board meeting, the board
approved new requirements for off-street
parking, scheduled a work session for 7
p.m. on Feb. 6 before the regular
planning board meeting and approved the
pedestrian plan.
The goal of the pedestrian
plan is a more walkable community and it
was developed by Greenways Inc. with the
help of a grant from the state
Department of Transportation.
Planner Ann Ayers said the
final comments from DOT had been
incorporated in the final plan. “DOT was
very complimentary about the quality of
the final product. They were so pleased
that we became of the first communities
that they turned around and gave a
bicycle planning grant to.”
The DOT grant will reimburse
the town $24,150 or 70 percent of the
cost of preparing the plan.
Planning Director Chip
Russell announced the first meeting for
the new community (land use) plan will
be 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23, in town
hall with the 11-member steering
committee, the town board and the
planning board invited along with town
residents.
Also, the second meeting for
the Northeast plan will be held Monday,
Jan. 29, at the DuBois Center at either
7 or 7:30 p.m. The time will be decided
later. |
