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Infrastructure group urges long‑term MSD plan, parking and broadband conditions for new development
Summary
The Infrastructure Task Force told the Healthy Neighborhoods Committee that without a comprehensive plan for stormwater, sewer capacity, parking, pedestrian safety and broadband, increased housing density under Connected Communities may exacerbate existing problems. The group recommended short‑ and long‑term funding planning, on‑site stormwater
The Healthy Neighborhoods Committee received the Infrastructure Task Force’s recommendations on stormwater, sewer capacity, traffic and broadband, and the committee filed the group’s summary for the public record.
Co‑chair Brian Spitler said the infrastructure group’s work strongly overlapped with the environmental team’s recommendations but emphasized a need for a comprehensive, long‑term plan for sewer and stormwater capacity and funding. The infrastructure group asked the council to request Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and city staff to quantify how much additional density the current sewer system can support and to identify long‑term capital funding needs.
The task force discussed on‑site retention (holding tanks or cisterns) as a stopgap to keep stormwater out of combined sewers, but warned that such measures would not absolve a long‑term capacity shortfall if density increases substantially. Spitler said the group also found that funding is concentrated on downstream capture facilities while upstream lines and overland flooding remain underfunded.
On traffic and pedestrian safety, the task force urged mandatory traffic impact reviews for projects in constrained neighborhoods, measures to protect sightlines and emergency access on narrow streets, and strategies to reduce illegal sidewalk parking that blocks pedestrian access. The group recommended incorporating clear standards on when a street’s parking capacity is saturated and when development should be limited or required to provide off‑street parking.
The infrastructure group stressed broadband equity: the committee recommended that building permits in Connected Communities zones require owners to allow internet infrastructure providers to install fiber and wiring so residents have equitable access. Task force members said some providers reported building‑owner refusals that limit service expansion.
Spitler urged the city to coordinate with the county and MSD on funding and neighborhood task forces to address sewer capacity and that the committee craft a multiagency roadmap rather than only changing zoning.
The committee agreed to file the infrastructure summary to allow legal and administrative review and to return to the committee for follow up.
