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Residents urge board to press city for traffic study after proposed Edwards Road development near Hyde Park School
Summary
Speakers at the April 7 public comment session asked the board to seek traffic and pedestrian-safety studies before the city votes on a development on Edwards Road, which they said is a half-block from Hyde Park School; a neighborhood survey found overwhelming safety concerns.
Speakers at the board’s public comment period told trustees April 7 they are concerned about a proposed development on Edwards Road, half a block from Hyde Park School, and asked the board to press city council and the developer for a transportation-impact study and a pedestrian-safety mitigation plan before a city vote.
Diane Rosenberg (Hyde Park resident) and John Zinsser (Save Hyde Park Square) described neighborhood alarm about construction and its effect on children who walk to school. Zinsser cited a parent survey his organization conducted: 92% of responding families said there is a current pedestrian-safety issue at Hyde Park School; 94% said construction would increase safety concerns; 96% asked that an action plan with parent input be created and studies completed before a city vote.
Zinsser specifically requested the board use its joint meeting with city council (scheduled for April 16) to press for an MOT (methods of traffic) study and a thorough transportation-impact study (TIS) so the city will not vote on the project without that information. He asked the board to request the city delay its vote until the studies and community input are completed.
District staff said they had shared information with the development group and the school principal; board members asked superintendent’s staff to designate a CPS representative to meet with developers and the community to focus on student safety. The board did not take an action vote; several trustees noted the matter will be discussed in the upcoming joint city-council session.
