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Council tables contentious Kiwi Circle closure after public hearing, asks staff to study temporary options
Summary
After residents described daily cut-through speeding and one petition showed roughly 70% support for closing a portion of Kiwi Circle, council closed public comment and unanimously voted to table a final decision. Staff were directed to research the legality of temporary closures and return in two weeks.
The council heard a public hearing request to abandon a short section of Kiwi Circle after neighbors said the cul-de-sac and small-loop street had become a cut-through for motorists trying to avoid congestion on nearby arterials.
Applicant John Evans, who lives at 122 Kiwi Circle, told council the neighborhood has experienced regular speeding, damage to mailboxes and multiple crashes; he said he organized a petition among neighbors asking for closure. Resident Meer Helms supplied timed counts and said she had recorded up to 322 vehicles over a roughly three-hour span during peak periods. "That is a lot of cars through a neighborhood," Helms told council.
Opponents urged caution. Robert Rollins, who lives in the circle and said he would become more isolated if the Monroe Road entrance were closed, called abandonment "the death penalty" for connectivity and urged a temporary fix rather than permanently removing the right-of-way. Other residents raised concerns about emergency access, delivery and pedestrian connectivity.
After public comment, council directed staff to check legal options for temporary closures and return in two weeks with findings. Council unanimously voted to table the abandonment resolution rather than adopt it; the public hearing record remains complete and the item will return at a future meeting once staff research is complete.
The next procedural step: staff will report back with legal analysis of temporary closure authority and traffic-monitoring options so council can decide whether to proceed with abandonment, a temporary closure pilot, or alternative traffic-calming measures.
