Residents oppose emergency exit; aldermen ask Cochran for narrower easement survey

Westlake subdivision residents told the Board of Aldermen on Sept. 2 they oppose a proposed emergency exit and the engineering work tied to it, saying the opening would bring nonemergency traffic and large trucks through neighborhood streets. The concerns culminated at the meeting with aldermen rejecting a proposal that had included survey and easement-preparation language tied to the Westlake connection and directing the city’s public works office to ask Cochran Engineering for a narrower proposal addressing only the turning radius up to Hawthorne Drive. Neighbors voiced safety and property-value concerns in a string of public comments. “We don't want additional traffic. We don't want trucks,” said Sandy Frazier of 1696 Westlake Circle, who said she and others had collected signatures opposing the exit. Kelsey Sheldon of 1625 Lake Mead Drive said trucks already damage curbs and mailboxes and worried a new exit would increase large-vehicle traffic at the back of the neighborhood. Why it matters: Aldermen described the Cochran proposal as a first step in documenting where rights of way and utilities sit so the city could draft legal easement documents. Opponents said the city should first demonstrate a credible emergency need before spending money on design or survey work. At the meeting, Public Works Commissioner Bergman and city staff clarified the immediate purpose of the Cochran work was a boundary and survey exercise, not construction. The packet language had referred to a larger engineering scope and an incorrect figure of $27,750; the staff said the proposal under consideration for survey/easement preparation was $7,500. Alderman Cleave said he wanted a cleaner, narrowly scoped proposal and moved to reject the broader item; that motion failed. The board then approved a motion directing staff to get a resubmitted proposal limited to improving the turning radius toward Hawthorne Drive; that motion carried. Details and context: Multiple residents said they had circulated a petition; Kyle Lawson, a Westlake resident and neighborhood board member, presented about 121 signatures and said roughly half of the homes along Lake Mead oppose the exit. Alderman Stewart explained part of the engineering work Cochran had proposed would address turning radii needed so emergency vehicles and tractor-trailers can use an existing Hawthorne opening, noting a utility pole and narrow right-of-way currently limit truck turning. Staff cautioned Ameren (the electric utility) has not authorized changes on portions of the corridor because it does not own or control that segment of land; the utility expects the landowner to initiate changes. Hackman Lumber and other adjoining owners had been contacted recently, and property interests are still under review. What the board voted: The initial approval motion for the broader Cochran proposal failed on a voice vote. A follow-up motion — to ask Cochran to submit a new easement-preparation proposal limited to the Hawthorne turning-radius work — passed on an aye vote. The board did not authorize construction funding; aldermen said further design and right-of-way steps will return for review. What to watch: Staff will return with the revised Cochran scope limited to the Hawthorne turning-radius work and with clearer cost estimates. Any later request for construction funding or permanent access changes will require additional public notice and formal votes.