A roundabout solution for Telegraph Hill

Source: The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.迷你倉出租Aug. 01--The developers of the Telegraph Hill residential subdivision in Fredericksburg have publicly released a conceptual design showing the proposed roundabout on Lafayette Boulevard across from the Lee Drive entrance into the battlefield park.The roundabout was suggested as a way to satisfy the National Park Service, the developers and the city while providing a long-term solution for an access point into Telegraph Hill.Current plans for the development include only a 79-home subdivision, but the developers envision eventually adding a mixed-use, town center-style community that could include multifamily residential, offices and retail.The proposal could also end a costly legal battle playing out between the developers and the city of Fredericksburg.Fredericksburg City Council in September rejected final plans for the development off the west side of Lafayette. The proposed entrance was across from the southern Lee Drive entrance into the battlefield park.The developers, a group of local investors led by managing member David Horstick, filed a lawsuit soon after the vote, calling the council's Sept. 18 decision "arbitrary and capricious" and asking a Circuit Court judge to reverse it. The developers proposed the roundabout to end the suit and come up with a solution.The rendering, provided by project engineer Welford Engineering, shows that part of the existing Lafayette would be incorporated into the NPS land as a buffer. The southern leg of the entrance into Lee Drive would become one-way, allowing only traffic to enter the park. The northern leg would remain two-directional.The roundabout would allow Lafayette traffic to continue along the corridor, access the NPS land or go into Telegraph Hill.The roundabout would end the need for a future traffic light at the entrance, and developers believe it would make people slow down on a stretch of road that has seen some serious and even fatal accidents.On儲存倉Wednesday, for example, a city woman was sent to the hospital with serious injuries after a crash that occurred just before 1 p.m. near Lee Drive. Police said the crash involved a northbound Ford Taurus that veered off the road, hit a tree and overturned.The roundabout plan has received initial support from the city, the developers and the NPS.The commercial developments on the east side of Lafayette and just down the hill from the NPS land?ncluding the Pohanka Collision Center and the complex where Penn�ar Floors is located?ould not be part of the roundabout, and traffic from there could still turn either way on Lafayette.The estimated price tag for the roundabout is $750,000. It would stretch across all of Lafayette and go well into the Telegraph Hill land. The developer would dedicate the land to the city for the roundabout, which would probably take six to eight months to build. Lafayette would remain open throughout construction.The developer has agreed to cover the costs of the roundabout if the city will rezone the portions of Telegraph Hill not including the 79 homes to a mixed-use classification. The remainder of the property comprises about 20 acres and stretches along Alum Spring Road down to the Blue and Gray Parkway.The initial subdivision plan that was voted down in September could come back before City Council in the coming months. If it is approved, the developer would drop the lawsuit and proceed on the site work for the 79 homes.The roundabout plan and city-initiated rezoning would likely come back before City Council following the vote on the subdivision plan. If it is approved, work could begin on the roundabout. If it isn't, the originally proposed entrance off Lafayette would be built.Bill Freehling: 540/374-5405bfreehling@freelancestar.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.) Visit The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.) at .fredericksburg.com/flshome Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉沙田