Residents press council to pause Bunce Road multi-use path; Complete Streets ordinance deferred for more work

Dozens of residents and multiple council members debated a proposed multi-use path on Bunce Road at the May 5 City Council meeting, with speakers and petition organizers urging the city to pause or reroute the plan.

Public commenters said the proposed 10-foot-wide asphalt path along Bunce Road would introduce hundreds of conflict points with driveways and intersections, remove mature street trees, and create safety risks near high-traffic driveways and two gas stations. Amy Herberger, a Bunce Road resident, told council the proposal "is unsafe, wasteful, environmentally damaging, and lacks transparency." She and others said staff—s outreach did not clearly present the multi-use alignment to many residents and that a significant petition opposing the alignment has been circulated.

Multiple speakers cited guidance from the city—s Active Transportation Plan and asked whether available federal and regional funding (NOACA) required the path to be built on Bunce. Shannon Mortland, a petitioner, read replies from NOACA staff indicating the regionally committed dollars were for resurfacing Bunce Road and would not themselves fund a separately aligned multi-use trail; NOACA—s project manager told petitioners that the agency—s Surface Transportation Block Grant funds were committed to resurfacing Bunce and that location changes would be a municipal decision.

Speakers and several council members urged the city to revisit alignment alternatives such as lower-traffic parallel streets and asked for additional traffic and safety studies. "The public was initially told the project was under discussion only later to learn it was approved before the comment period ended," one speaker said. Residents also sought clarity on tree impacts and long-term maintenance and plowing obligations for the proposed shared path.

Council President Keppel and other members emphasized process: the Complete Streets ordinance and related measures remain in committee and were not passed at the meeting. Keppel said the ordinance was referred to the Committee of the Whole and a joint session with the Planning Commission had taken place; the matter will return for further committee review and additional joint meetings with the Planning Commission before any final council vote.

Council members encouraged continued public input, reiterated that no construction contract has been authorized and said staff would bring additional analyses back to committee. Several speakers said they would return if the plan moves forward or if the city makes changes that affect Bunce Road residents directly.