Parks committee recommends keeping Harrison Street open in Riverview Park plan, asks for traffic study

The Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee on Oct. 31 recommended Concept C for Riverview Park, a plan that keeps Harrison Street open and uses an elevated speed table to slow vehicles approaching a new crosswalk. The committee voted to forward the recommendation to City Council and asked that traffic counts or a formal traffic study be included in design and permitting.

City staff presented two high‑level concepts for Riverview Park: the earlier master plan that closes Harrison Street and Concept C, which retains Harrison but adds an elevated speed table to slow east‑ and westbound traffic approaching the park. Staff said the city already has design funding in place after Council approved a Land and Water Conservation grant and matching funds to cover design and permitting work.

“Tonight, we are revisiting the conceptual plans for Riverview Park,” City staff member Mister Plakinshaw said during the presentation. He described Concept C as a 50,000‑foot view that keeps Harrison open while using an elevated speed table to get vehicles past the crosswalk more slowly and safely.

Several members of the public urged the committee to keep Harrison open. Michael Bustell, who gave his address to the committee, said he was concerned that forcing drivers to turn one way could create long backups in the park parking lot after events. “If you can only turn left, you have no choice to turn right. It is gonna be the biggest cluster trying to get on to US‑1,” Bustell said.

Monica Bustell, who identified herself as the owner of No Name Sports Bar and said she has operated in Sebastian for 33 years, told the committee she and nearby businesses could see a 20–25% reduction in weekly revenue if Harrison were closed. She asked the committee to recommend that City Council require an economic‑impact study and to coordinate vehicle counts during peak event periods. “Closing this portion of Harrison Street could reduce customer access, limit business operations, and inadvertently affect emergency response times,” she said.

Resident Damien Gilliams said he supported Concept C and urged the committee not to route regular traffic through the park parking lot on a daily basis.

Committee members asked whether traffic analysis would be required. Mister Plakinshaw said a traffic study or vehicle counts are likely to be required during the planning and permitting phase. “That element will be taken care of during design and permitting,” he said.

A committee member moved to recommend Concept C and another seconded the motion; the committee voted in favor. The chair requested that, if a formal traffic study is not required by permitting, staff return to the committee with traffic and emergency‑access analysis so the committee can advise Council.

What happens next: the committee’s recommendation will go to City Council as a starting point for final selection and for the project to proceed into detailed design and permitting, including traffic analysis and any required environmental or accessibility reviews.