Planning commission recommends study of shared access to Highway 100; Parks Board told no decision yet

The Metro Planning Commission on Jan. 9 adopted an implementation plan for the Bellemeade Highlands Design and Mobility Study and recommended further technical analysis of potential shared access to State Route 100 for Cheekwood and Percy Warner Park, Metro Planning Department Director Lucy Kemp told the Metro Board of Parks and Recreation on Feb. (informational presentation).

The planning commission "recommended analyzing, not determining the access point. They did not mandate shared access. They did not say on park land. They did not say off park land," Joni Williams, assistant director of urban design, told the board. The planning department presented traffic and parking data, recommended performance benchmarks for a revised parking memorandum of understanding between Metro Parks and Cheekwood, and asked NDOT (the state Department of Transportation) to complete a technical evaluation of possible SR 100 access points.

Why it matters: planners say Cheekwood's continued use of Percy Warner Park for parking is unsustainable and that lack of arterial access puts heavy traffic pressure on residential streets. The study found multiple locations where daily traffic exceeds the recommended 1,000 cars per day for a residential street; Page Road, for example, was measured at about 2,930 cars per day in peak samples, and would drop by roughly 1,000 cars per day if Cheekwood traffic were diverted off neighborhood streets, the consultant data showed.

Public commenters and stakeholders who addressed the board urged caution. Several mountain-biking groups, neighborhood associations and Friends of Warner Parks speakers said a road through parkland would damage trails, habitat, and recreational opportunities. "Any roads will continue to become a long term management concern impacting the overall ecological health of this landscape," Terry Cook, an ecologist working with Friends of Warner Parks, said during public comment.

Cheekwood's leadership told the board it supports adopting the study's recommendations and is pursuing on-site parking and traffic-demand measures. Ronald Roberts, chair of Cheekwood's board, said his organization "is fully committed to developing and implementing parking on our property" and is working on fundraising, design and vendor notice.

Planning staff said the implementation plan proposes interim performance benchmarks for a revised MOU that would set prerequisites and quarterly reporting requirements to ensure Cheekwood moves toward a permanent parking solution off Metro Parkland. Metro Legal will draft a new MOU for the Parks Board to review before the March expiration date of the existing arrangement.

Next steps: NDOT will undertake a technical analysis of possible access alignments to SR 100, coordinate with Metro Legal about deed restrictions (including the Luke Lee deed), and factor in safety, multimodal access and environmental impacts. Planning staff emphasized the process will include stakeholder engagement and that the planning commission did not choose a specific alignment.

Board members and city stakeholders urged that the NDOT technical work be followed by public-facing engagement and that Metro Parks be centrally involved in evaluating impacts on park resources and operations. "We want to look holistically about the mobility needs in the whole neighborhood," Kemp said. The Parks Board will receive drafts of the new MOU and further technical findings before any formal decision about access or park land changes is requested of the board.