Trustees pause adoption of Complete Streets policy; request consultant and focus projects before county grant application

Board of Trustees members discussed a draft Complete Streets policy and accompanying design standards during their July 21 session and declined to adopt the policy that night, instead directing staff to hire a consultant to develop project-ready designs and identify funding.

The item originated as a draft policy and ranking chart adapted from a neighboring jurisdiction’s recent work. A staff member said the draft was largely copied from “Sleepy Hollows” with modifications for local use and was prepared in part to support an application to the county’s Complete Streets program.

Trustees and staff focused on a potential project on North Stone Avenue from Main Street to 9A — a corridor the staff member described as a candidate for conversion to one-way northbound with added angled parking, calming features, and a bike lane. The staff member said the county requires a professional project and conceptual design to be competitive for grant funding and warned that the town did not have a ready project that fit the grant model.

After discussing tradeoffs, including impacts on emergency vehicle routing, the staff member recommended against adopting the policy at this meeting to avoid “tying” the town to components it might not be able to deliver. The staff member said, “we don't adopt this tonight. Don't tie yourself to this,” and suggested instead contracting a consultant to evaluate streets, identify projects, and prepare a funding-ready design that could be presented to trustees in August or September.

Trustees raised additional practical concerns the staff member had flagged: the cost of sidewalks and supporting infrastructure, engineering constraints on some streets, and the need to prioritize sidewalks in school walking areas. The staff member noted an example figure of $200,000 as a ballpark for adding sidewalks and said other figures cited later in the discussion (“20” and “75”) were presented without specified units.

The board agreed to pursue a consultant-led process rather than submitting the county grant application under the current draft policy. The staff member recommended starting with a policy review and then focusing consultant work on school-route areas and candidate corridors such as North Stone.

Discussion only: Trustees debated the merits and consequences of adopting the draft policy now versus delaying to develop stronger project concepts.

Direction: Trustees agreed to have staff solicit or hire a consultant to prepare conceptual designs, identify funding sources, and return with recommended candidate projects before pursuing a county Complete Streets application.

Formal action: No motions or votes were recorded on the draft Complete Streets policy during the transcripted discussion.

Context: The staff member said the draft was adapted from another municipality’s recent policy and planning work and that the town’s planner had provided input. The staff member also referenced other funding sources to explore, including CDBG and Safe Streets to Schools programs, but did not commit to specific grant applications at this meeting.

Looking forward: Staff will seek a consultant and aim to present options to trustees in forthcoming meetings so the town can prepare a competitive project rather than rushing an application under the current draft policy.