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Council reviews Complete Streets proposals for South Broadway, hears safety and parking concerns
Summary
City staff and community volunteers presented short‑, medium‑ and long‑term Complete Streets ideas for South Broadway — from lowering the speed limit and parklets to lane narrowing, pedestrian refuges and expanded tree canopy — while councilors pressed for traffic and parking studies and warned against shifting traffic into neighborhoods.
City staff and volunteer members of the Complete Streets strategy group outlined a set of short‑, medium‑ and long‑term projects intended to make South Broadway safer and more walkable. City Capital Projects Engineer Devin Keener and community member Noah Kaplan presented measures that ranged from low‑cost pilot actions — lowering the posted speed limit and installing parklets in front of businesses — to medium‑term lane narrowing and pedestrian refuge islands and long‑term wider sidewalks and expanded tree canopy.
The group said the ideas respond to community survey results showing concerns about safety, cleanliness and a car‑dominated corridor. Keener told the council that short‑term items could be done within a year with little cost; medium‑term projects were estimated in the $100,000–$500,000 range and “long term” at roughly $500,000–$1 million.
Council members supported several concepts in principle but pressed staff for data and cautioned about unintended consequences. Member Ward asked staff to study impacts on adjacent jurisdictions and commuter traffic because Broadway is a regional thoroughfare shared with Denver and Littleton; staff said the city traffic engineer would coordinate with neighboring agencies. Member Wright and others asked for collision data between Hampton and Bellevue; members stressed the need to avoid shifting congestion onto neighborhood streets. Member Russell said she opposed parklets placed directly in the street unless safety could be guaranteed and asked that any pilot preserve on‑street parking.
Councilors also discussed tree canopy as an important long‑term improvement; community members pushed for earlier tree planting where feasible. Staff said some lighting improvements are already funded in a recently approved construction project and that other investments should be considered holistically with lane widths, sidewalks and parklets. Multiple council members asked that staff coordinate with Planning and Zoning and document impacts on parking before advancing capital projects.
Staff asked the council for directional guidance to continue studying and refining the Complete Streets recommendations; council members generally supported continued study and exploring low‑cost pilots (lowering speeds and parklets) while reserving judgment on higher‑cost items pending traffic and parking analysis.
