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Planning commission backs Market Street vacation to advance Jackson Street redevelopment; some residents urge more design detail
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended vacating a portion of Market Street and an alley to advance phase two of the Jackson Street project and riverfront redevelopment. Public commenters asked for clearer final designs and raised traffic and parking concerns; the motion passed with four votes in favor, one opposed and one abstention.
The Wisconsin Rapids Planning Commission voted to recommend vacating a portion of Market Street (from East Jackson Street to Baker Street) and an adjacent alley to enable phase two of the Jackson Street reconstruction and riverfront redevelopment. Commissioners framed the action as consistent with the citys recently adopted downtown master plan.
Staff said the action is intended to allow extension of Second Street, construction of new roundabouts and a reconfigured parking layout so the county courthouse and employees can access a safer and more consolidated parking area. Staff noted the design shown to the commission is not necessarily final and that the citys engineering department and a third-party roundabout designer performed traffic analysis.
At the public hearing, Tom Rome of 1220 22nd Street North pressed for more time and clearer final designs, asking how many roundabouts would be constructed, where the county parking-lot entrances would be after the Market Street closure and whether commissioners had adequate time to review the maps. "I really question if you, having just seen this, have had enough time to absorb what the request is," Rome said, urging fuller review of traffic and access implications.
Staff and commissioners responded that the street vacation is part of a multi-year downtown master plan and that previous public engagement and traffic counts had informed the project. Commissioners said the design can be refined and that vacating the street is the procedural step needed to enable right-of-way changes and the broader redevelopment.
A motion to vacate Market Street was made and seconded. For the record the chair noted one commissioner recused themself from voting and later recorded one abstention by Mr. Tal; the chair announced the motion passed with four votes in favor, one opposed and one abstention.
The record indicates the city will continue engineering design and traffic analysis as the Jackson Street project proceeds; the vacation recommendation moves the proposal to the Common Council for final action.
