Diving into the Issues: Connectivity
At the 8/19/2020 Council workshop, Council discussed the resident workshops that were held to formulate a 2020 connectivity plan.
A total of about 40 residents participated in the six sessions held by the city. The city also sought information on residents’ wants and needs via the city website and 253 residents responded. In an effort to get feedback from those who might not otherwise participate, the city also sought in-person feedback at a recent Farmer’s Market.
The results of the city’s surveys meshed with what I have heard in socially-distanced meetings with residents as I have campaigned for Council.
The three ways of obtaining resident feedback led to similar findings that supported the overall staff conclusions regarding connectivity in Hudson. There were many consistent themes, including (pulled from the document linked below):
Middleton Road was mentioned most frequently. Residents requested sidewalks along Middleton to connect neighborhoods to the rest of the community, especially the more isolated neighborhoods.
Other frequently mentioned locations were arterial streets like SR 91, SR 303, Stow Road and Hines Hill Road.
Connect downtown to the regional trail network along the rail corridor.
Prioritize off-road trails/sidewalks over on-road bike lanes.
Other key themes were biking, safety, and accessibility to downtown (one example is enhancing pedestrian crosswalks). These were often discussed in the same context, referring to the desire for family members to safely bike from their neighborhood along main roads to downtown.
Safety was also mentioned frequently in the context of increasing the number of multi-purpose trails, installing additional crosswalks or modifying existing crosswalks, and installing more signs to highlight pedestrian or bike amenities to drivers. Safety was also discussed in the context of maintenance needs (pavement condition, tree trimming, pavement markings, obstructions).
Staff and Council have discussed focusing on a larger scale implementation to create a stronger network in a shorter timeframe. This needs to be a multi-year vision for accomplishing these projects. I know the idea of having a sidewalk put in your neighborhood seems simple and easy, but it may not be possible right away. The City and our Council need to set reasonable expectations for completing the work and offer residents explanations of why they are prioritizing certain projects and not others, and how everything is being funded.
When considering what to complete and when, the idea of finishing and connecting areas that could quickly and easily be connected would be a way to make more connections between neighborhoods and the downtown area or parks in the short-term. However, taking on a bigger project like Middleton Road would be more high-impact and benefit so many residents who have needed this and been asking for it for a very long time. There are benefits to both, and personally, I would like to see Middleton Road expedited, but I also do not see why we cannot work on some of the smaller projects simultaneously that would help link neighborhoods quickly and affordably.
An argument against the Middleton Road improvement project is the idea that it would not benefit ALL residents in Hudson. I do not like this argument. This idea of “infrastructure equity” that some parrot as a talking point diminishes the very real needs of some residents that cannot be ignored. In general, Council should not use the criteria of “benefitting everyone” as a means to determine whether or not a project should move forward. It is likely that I personally will not see any benefit from the Middleton Road improvement project, but I believe it should be done and prioritized for a multitude of reasons, one of which is safety.
Connectivity projects are paid for out of the General Fund and the primary source of funding comes from income taxes, with some of the projects being paid for out of the Parks Fund or partially paid for with grants. For some of the bigger projects, the city will need to borrow funds and that debt would likely be repaid out of the Parks Fund. Once Council determines which projects they want to proceed with, then they can begin to decide on funding.
The idea of improving connectivity in Hudson ties back into the idea of economic development in that the funding for projects like this primarily comes from income taxes. Unless the city wants to borrow/take on debt, the best way to finance connectivity projects is to increase the income taxes Hudson receives by attracting more businesses to Hudson. While many have criticized the city and Council for implementing Velocity Broadband for business, the reality is that VBB has been an important economic development tool that has attracted businesses, and therefore income taxes, to Hudson, making some of these projects possible.
The next steps for completing the 2020 Connectivity Plan are:
September 16: Connectivity Plan Workshop #2
Presentation of draft ranking system
Discussion for financing strategies
October 21: Connectivity Plan Workshop #3
Presentation of formal plan draft
Have questions? Want to share with me your thoughts on connectivity in Hudson? As always, I would love to have a conversation! Email me directly at nicole@kowalski4hudson.com.
Read the Connectivity Report here.
