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Residents protest $6.5M 46th Avenue plan; county defends swale-and-pipe design
Summary
Residents told commissioners they expected full curb-and-gutter reconstruction but were shown plans for a swale-and-pipe solution for 46th Avenue North. Public Works noted constrained right-of-way and stormwater/regulatory limits; the board approved the contract unanimously.
A resident speaker and neighborhood advocates pressed commissioners on Aug. 13 about the design for 46th Avenue North — a roughly $6.5 million American Rescue Plan-funded project — arguing the design is essentially ditches rather than a full curb‑and‑gutter rebuild.
David Lee, representing a CRA neighborhood, urged the county to install curb and gutter instead of the proposed shallow swale with an underlying pipe, arguing that swales are difficult to maintain and will cause blight. Lee said, "We're actually not getting a new road. We're getting ditches," and asked that his comments and supporting documents be preserved in the record.
Kelly Hammer Levy, Public Works Director, responded that the project area has a 60‑foot right‑of‑way and that the design — a pipe with a shallow swale and sidewalks (5‑foot on one side, 8‑foot on the other with a 2‑foot structural shoulder) — is chosen to fit multiple needs (drainage quantity and some quality) given physical constraints. She said converting to curb and gutter would trigger a much larger regional detention requirement and substantially increase project costs.
Commissioners discussed maintenance burdens, whether CRA funds should be used for ongoing upkeep, and the limits the county faces under stormwater rules. The motion to approve the contract moved forward and passed unanimously.
Outlook: Staff agreed to include David Lee's submitted documents in the record and to follow up with additional design and maintenance details post‑award.
