Residents urge council to mark historic district 'no‑sidewalk' as staff fields safety and liability questions

Dozens of Centerville residents used the meeting's open‑comment period to press the City Council to classify the old historic neighborhood as an area where sidewalks would not be required. "I think my neighbors meant to be neighbors that spent a year fighting with you guys about sidewalks," said a longtime homeowner who identified his surname as Hatch, adding, "And it looks extremely stupid" to force sidewalks through yards and mature trees.

Developer and resident Scott Care told the council the construction cost for new sidewalks can be "40 to $50 a lineal foot," and said imposing that obligation on owners where sidewalks were never built is unfair. Several speakers, including Richard Casper and Clark Richardson, said sidewalks would undermine the area's historic character and threaten large sycamore trees. "We would be absolutely okay and, in fact, would vote vigorously in favor of a no sidewalk zone," Clark Richardson said, arguing the change would preserve the neighborhood's charm.

Staff and several council members said they heard the public's concern but emphasized the map under review is intended to document where sidewalks are required versus where they would not be required — not to immediately build new sidewalks. Planning staff said some pedestrian corridors around schools and Main Street remain required under state guidance. Council members asked staff to gather additional safety and crash data, including Safe Routes to Schools maps, before taking ordinance action so the council could weigh pedestrian safety against historic preservation.