Appleton committee approves design for Badger, Sixth, Eighth and Rankin reconstruction after public concerns

The Municipal Services Committee voted 4–1 on Sept. 22 to approve design plans for a scheduled reconstruction project covering Badger Avenue (College Avenue to Memorial Drive), West Sixth Street (Memorial Drive to State Street), Eighth Street (Pierce Avenue to Badger Avenue) and Rankin Street (Commercial Street to Wisconsin Avenue).

The vote moves the design forward to the full council for final authorization. Denise Fenton, alder from District 6 and chair of the committee, presided over the meeting and introduced the design-approval item after a brief public-comment period that drew neighborhood residents and business owners concerned about sidewalk width, parking, tree loss, stormwater runoff and snow maintenance.

Neighbors described the proposed 10-foot sidepaths on both sides of West Sixth Street as “over-designed” for a residential block and asked the city to confirm the design would not be extended further down Sixth Street. Brian DeGroot, identifying himself as the former Third Ward president, said residents “do not see that type of traffic on the sidewalks” and opposed the larger sidewalks and added concrete footprint. David Baer, owner of 217 South Badger Avenue, said his building has six units that front Eighth Street and expressed concern that removing on-street parking on Eighth could create congestion for tenants.

City traffic engineer Lam and Deputy Director Neuberger responded to questions from the committee and the public. Lam said the design team, including consultant Alta Planning and Design, recommended shared-use sidepaths because the corridor’s narrow right-of-way (about 66 feet) left insufficient space to install separated bike lanes and protected on-street facilities. Lam said the corridor currently carries “well over 10,000 cars a day” and that the plan reduces roadway width from four lanes to three to slow traffic and reallocate space to pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Lam also cited several regional plans that identified the Badger corridor as a priority for bike and pedestrian improvements, including the 2023 Outagamie County bike and pedestrian plan and the City of Appleton trails master plan.

On stormwater and impervious-surface concerns, staff said the plan’s terrace or amenity strip (the area between the sidepath and the curb) is shown as decorative concrete to match downtown streetscape guidance but could be changed to grass. Staff cautioned that narrow grass strips often perform poorly in areas heavily salted in winter. Deputy Director Neuberger also provided pavement-condition context: the first block east of State Street carries a city pavement rating of 38 on a 0–100 scale used by the city, meaning the pavement is not in immediate failure but could be scheduled for reconstruction in the medium term.

Director Youngworth addressed maintenance questions, stating that current practice makes public works responsible for clearing sidepaths and park pathways, and that staffing and maintenance capacity will be reassessed as the city takes on more sidepath mileage.

Several alderpersons spoke in favor of moving the design forward, saying the design team had evaluated alternatives and that building safe bike and pedestrian connections at this intersection would reduce conflicts on Memorial Drive and create multimodal connections to State Street. Alder Adrian Stanson Martin said he did not support advancing the design and unsuccessfully moved to hold the item until the next meeting. The committee rejected the hold motion and then approved the design 4–1, with Stanson Martin recorded as opposed.

The committee also discussed tree impacts: staff said the block currently has three trees (possibly a fourth dead ash) and that the concept design would likely require removal but that staff will look for opportunities to retain or replace trees during detailed design.

What happens next: because the committee approved the design, staff said the next steps are final design, procurement and bidding; staff asked the committee to identify any specific alternatives to pursue if members wanted changes, because holding the item would delay the project schedule and bidding. The committee did not provide additional direction beyond public comments and the discussion.

Votes at a glance: Design approval for Badger Avenue, West Sixth Street (Memorial to State), Eighth Street (Pierce to Badger) and Rankin Street (Commercial to Wisconsin): motion to approve carried, outcome approved, tally yes 4, no 1 (Alder Adrian Stanson Martin opposed). Mover/second not specified on the record.

The committee briefly noted public interest in additional bicycle connectivity on Rankin Street and reminded attendees that the city forester will present at a public session the following Thursday.