St. James council tables ordinance to rename 6th Avenue West to Cunningham Lane

The St. James City Council on Oct. 1 considered the second reading of Ordinance 025, a proposal to rename a short section currently identified as 6th Avenue West in the Shoes Wiers subdivision to Cunningham Lane. Brianna Sanders, a city staff member, said the change was proposed because the road is not a through street and renaming would better reflect its status and help assign addresses for a new fourplex development.

"The reason behind renaming it was ... we wanted to move it from — it's not a through street — so we wanted to move it from an avenue to a lane or a court," Brianna Sanders said during the presentation. She also noted the land was donated by Robert Cunningham in 2007 and that the city's Economic Development Authority recommended the change, while the Planning Commission recommended retaining the numerical name.

Council members voiced two practical concerns. A member of the Planning Commission and Councilmember Hannah argued keeping the numeric name improves wayfinding and emergency response because avenues imply through streets; another councilmember said phone mapping services are not always up to date and changing the name could confuse newcomers and emergency personnel.

Councilmember Hannah moved to table the ordinance "until we can ... look at a map," supplying a staff‑requested map before the next meeting; the motion to table carried on a voice vote. Councilmember Paul had offered a motion to keep the current 6th Avenue West designation but that motion was superseded when the motion to table passed.

The ordinance will remain on the docket and staff said they will provide a memo and maps to the council before the next meeting.