Planners, DOT split over 4 Corners design; committee seeks compromise on buffers and transit

A central transportation debate at the University Boulevard session focused on the 4 Corners area where many students and vulnerable users cross an arterial. Planning staff presented three alternatives: a phased planning‑board approach that would add bus lanes and widen ROW over time; Councilmember Mink's option that retains travel lanes but provides some sidewalk buffering; and the public hearing draft option that repurposes a travel lane to provide an 8‑ to 10‑foot buffer with a 10‑foot side path.

Planning and safety staff were blunt: a two‑foot buffer on a high‑use pedestrian corridor is unsafe. "A 2 foot buffer is really unsafe and we would not recommend it ... it doesn't allow a lot of room for error," planner Carrie Sanders said, urging a minimum 6‑ to 8‑foot buffer to support tree canopy and safe pedestrian movement. DOT acknowledged safety concerns but favored the lane‑retention option for preserving transit throughput; DOT staff said repurposing a lane could introduce transit delays and mixing that would affect riders.

The committee voted to advance the public‑hearing draft approach as its recommendation while directing staff to develop engineering mockups that might shift some side‑path width into the buffer where feasible, and to return with updated crash‑reduction and speed‑impact data. The exchange left the committee with a conditional preference for wider pedestrian buffers but a clear request for technical work to reconcile safety, transit performance and property/right‑of‑way constraints.