UDC recommends Morey Street streetscape with conditions on crossings, lane configuration and tree plan

The Urban Design Committee on Sept. 11 recommended approval, with conditions, for the Morey Street (Maury Street) Streetscape Phase 2 project that will add sidewalks, street trees and a raised pedestrian crossing between Commerce Road and Fifth Street in the Manchester neighborhood.

Staff described the project as a VDOT SmartScale locally administered improvement intended to provide a continuous sidewalk on the south side of Maury Street, narrow some vehicle impacts, and add pedestrian and gateway amenities where the corridor is transitioning from industrial to residential use. Capital Projects Administrator Lamar Benjamin and design team representatives said the project is currently at roughly 60% design and that the team coordinated a public hearing Aug. 26; the applicant reported limited public turnout and generally supportive comments.

The committee voted to recommend approval but required the applicant to study a set of modifications to better protect pedestrians and balance vehicular flow: examine a raised (transverse) crosswalk with bollards at Sixth Street (the proposed pedestrian hybrid beacon), study adding raised east–west crosswalks at Seventh Street, avoid extending a two-lane westbound section east of Seventh Street (limit the left-turn storage lane so it does not continue the full three-block length), add marked pedestrian crosswalks at each intersection where feasible, revise the Fifth Street crossing to be perpendicular, and explore alternatives to poured concrete for the raised crossing (for example, stamped asphalt) to preserve pedestrian visibility and future maintainability. The committee also asked the team to refine a street-tree and landscape plan (including native species or meadow plantings in areas where a full lawn is not practicable) and to coordinate lighting and undergrounding of utilities with future development.

Design team representatives explained typical cross-sections: a 6.5-foot tree buffer with utilities and a 6-foot sidewalk proposed for much of the south side; in one block the applicant proposes a wider 8.5-foot buffer and 7-foot sidewalk to match an adjacent development already under construction. The team said permeable concrete sidewalks over underground aggregate storage will be used for stormwater management and that nutrient credits will be purchased for water quality where needed. Schedule items noted right-of-way acquisition beginning in spring (next year) and construction projected for 2029 subject to VDOT timelines.

The committee’s formal motion included the design refinements above and an added request to explore more consistent street-tree spacing and native species selection for durability and visual coherence. The motion passed unanimously and will be transmitted with staff recommendations.