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Green Bay council approves alley vacation for North Broadway/Alma Street; neighbors ask for traffic study
Summary
The Green Bay Common Council on June 24 approved vacating an alley between North Broadway and Alma Street tied to a development agreement involving NEW Community Shelter Inc.; neighbors urged a traffic impact study and city staff said DPW and the Wisconsin DOT approvals are required under the agreement.
The Green Bay Common Council on June 24 approved a request to vacate an alley between North Broadway and Alma Street as part of a development agreement involving NEW Community Shelter Inc., with the agreement requiring the developer to obtain approval of a traffic impact analysis from the city, the Redevelopment Authority and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The measure matters to nearby residents because the alley vacation is tied to a redevelopment project that will alter local access and traffic patterns. At least one neighbor who registered to speak warned the council the change could significantly increase traffic on an already-congested block near Preble High School.
Alder Galvin moved to open the floor for comments on the redevelopment authority report and pulled item 1 for discussion. Cindy Schwalbe, who said she lives at 232 North Danz Avenue, told the council she bought her home 40 years ago and that the planned changes would add traffic to a stretch of road where drivers already speed, school traffic creates congestion and mailboxes are frequently struck. “I don't know if there's been a traffic study or safety study,” Schwalbe said. “You're looking at adding 40 more households dumping into the the street.”
After public comment, the council debated whether a traffic study would be required before the item could proceed. Alder Prophet asked Director Raniere Wig whether the development agreement's Section E, number 3 — which requires approval of a traffic impact analysis by the city, the RDA and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation — would cover the neighbor’s concern about a traffic study being done before approval. "I think that would depend on if DPW would require that traffic study based on the volume," Director Raniere Wig replied. When asked for technical follow-up, Director Justin said, "I would need to talk to our traffic engineer about that." Those comments described staff roles and did not commit the Department of Public Works to a specific study timetable.
The council then voted on the item; a voice vote was called and the chair declared, "The ayes have it, and that item has been approved." The record shows the public hearing on the alley vacation earlier in the meeting had no registrants, but the item was later pulled from the Redevelopment Authority report for discussion and public testimony before approval.
What happens next is procedural: the development agreement text references the traffic-impact-approval requirement by the city, the RDA and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and council members said whether a separate traffic study is required will be determined by DPW and, if warranted, by the city's traffic engineer. The timeline for any additional studies or DOT approvals was not specified at the meeting.
