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Committee recommends closing small Mill Street slip lane, expanding green space on Bowen Street project
Summary
City engineers recommended closing a short section of Mill Street between Bowen and Wagyu and adding curb bump-outs and green space; the Transportation Committee voted to forward the design recommendation to the Common Council after discussion about driveway impacts and homeowner notice.
City engineering staff and consultant AECOM presented a proposed reconstruction plan for Bowen Street (Otter to East Parkway) that would close the short Mill Street slip lane between Bowen and Wagyu, add curb bump-outs to shorten pedestrian crossings and increase green space, and extend driveways for three adjacent parcels.
Steve, the project presenter, said traffic counts show about 86 vehicles per day use the slip lane and noted crash clusters and site-distance limitations at the intersection as reasons to remove the nonstandard slip movement. "We also took a look at a couple other things ... we did include the bump out locations at the corners," the presenter said, describing pedestrian-safety benefits and increased green space that neighborhood associations could maintain.
City staff said the parcel owners affected by extended driveways were noticed before Thanksgiving and again for this meeting but that no responses had been received. Staff said the expanded triangular right-of-way would remain city property; the city expects neighborhood groups to landscape and maintain plantings, while property owners would be responsible for driveway aprons from the sidewalk to the road edge. Staff estimated driveway apron extensions could be about 60 feet from the garage to the road edge, resulting in roughly a 40-foot extension from typical setbacks.
Committee members raised concerns about homeowner notice, snow removal responsibility, and potential inconvenience from additional driveway ingress/egress points on Bowen. Staff said driveway construction costs would be covered by a special assessment fund the council created previously; regular maintenance after installation would fall to the adjacent property owners and coordinating city departments.
Committee members asked staff to send an additional mailed packet or a meeting link and visual plan to the affected property owners; staff agreed to follow up. The committee then voted to forward the recommended closure and design details to the Common Council for consideration as part of the Bowen Street reconstruction.
Committee members described the change as a long-standing safety fix that presented an opportunity to resolve a confusing and crash-prone intersection. Staff noted alternative designs (including cul-de-sac options) but said those were less feasible given angles and parcel geometry.
