Close to 200 people attended a February 27 forum on a controversial plan by the city of Saint Paul to reconstruct Summit Avenue with a one-way recreational trail on either side. The city’s Planning Commission has been inundated with more than 1,000 written comments on the trail submitted during a 30-day comment period that ended on February 28.
The plan for the 4.7-mile trail will be reviewed by the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Commission in a public hearing from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the Palace Community Center, 781 Palace Ave. The Planning Commission’s Transportation Committee will hold a public meeting on the Summit Avenue trail sometime after that date, and then make its recommendation to the City Council.
Members of Save Our Street (SOS) turned out in force at the February 27 forum, which was hosted by the Summit-University Planning Council and the Summit Hill Association. SOS objects to the trail’s impact on Summit’s historical character and on its tree canopy. They contend that the city ought to just improve the existing on-street bike lanes and otherwise leave Summit in its current configuration.
Many members of the Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition and Sustain Saint Paul also attended the forum to support the proposed trail. They contend that a recreational trail that is raised and separated from the traffic lanes is safer for cyclists and other users and would allow for better snow removal.
One flash point in the debate is the potential loss of trees. City forestry staff have examined Summit’s trees, and they believe that about 221 trees would be lost through the street reconstruction project. SOS contends that as many as 1,000 of Summit’s 1,500 trees could be lost, especially in areas where curb lines would have to be moved.
One flash point in the debate is the potential loss of trees. City forestry staff have examined Summit’s trees, and they believe that about 221 trees would be lost through the street reconstruction project.
SOS contends that as many as 1,000 of Summit’s 1,500 trees could be lost, especially in areas where curb lines would have to be moved. The group hired an arborist who confirmed those numbers. SOS has collected more than 2,400 signatures on a petition opposed to the trail plan. The group is also calling for the city to pass a tree protection ordinance before any more trail planning is done for Summit.
Questions and concerns at the forum needed to be submitted to city staff beforehand. Those in attendance were not allowed to testify. However, their comments were forwarded to city staff and posted on the district councils’ websites.
A raised and separated trail
The draft plan for the Summit Avenue trail is said to be 90 percent complete. Two one-way trails would be constructed along Summit’s entire length. The raised asphalt trail would be outside of the parking lanes wherever on-street parking is still provided. The trail would be 7 feet wide along some segments and 6 feet wide along others. A buffer of 1.5 to 3 feet would separate the trail and the adjacent parking or traffic lane.
The trail project involves the city’s departments of Public Works and Parks and Recreation. Parks and Rec would focus on the trail itself, and Public Works would focus on rebuilding the street, which is in poor condition in places.
Street reconstruction involves new sewers and water lines
According to Public Works director Sean Kershaw, whenever a street is reconstructed, there are impacts to tree roots and tree health. Summit has storm and septic sewers, water lines and other infrastructure that need to be replaced. Some sewer and water pipes may be more than a century old, and “they’re at great risk of failing,” Kershaw said. “We do work as carefully as we can, but sometimes crews dig up a street and find infrastructure where they didn’t expect it.”
Another concern is on-street parking. Parking would be eliminated on one side of Summit east of Lexington Parkway to allow room for the new trail. Mary Norton, a landscape architect with Parks and Recreation, said parking on Summit was studied as part of the planning process. Sections of Summit have low demand for on-street parking, she said. Other sections near schools or churches have higher demand.
Summit deemed the best route for regional trail
Several people at the February 27 forum wanted to know why Summit and not another street was being considered for the regional trail. City Parks and Rec director Andy Rodriguez cited Summit’s already lofty place in the regional trail system. It provides a direct route from downtown to the Mississippi River and connects to other regional trails. Other east-west streets were considered, including Jefferson and Marshall avenues, but they were rejected due to street width, grade changes or other issues, Norton said.
The Summit trail project would need to be approved by the City Council and regional parks officials. However, it has no funding and no timeline for its implementation. Kershaw said the city typically assesses adjacent property owners for a portion of the costs when a street is rebuilt.
Once a plan is approved, the city could apply for outside funding. The Summit Avenue trail is one of the projects included in Saint Paul’s request for an increase in the city’s sales tax from 0.5 to 1.5 percent. The tax request is pending before the Minnesota Legislature. If approved by the Legislature, the increase would be decided in a citywide referendum.
For a copy of the Summit Avenue Regional Trail’s 90% Draft Plan, visit tinyurl.com/525dx9dc.
— Jane McClure
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