They have walled off the trail... Unilateral decision by Cafritz. None of the surrounding towns (Riverdale, University Park, College Park) knew about this and even Stanley Martin was completely in the dark.
Apparently they were angry about the barrier that was between the townhomes being removed multiple times by folks who were annoyed by it. They stated some other reasons like that a car had used the path... but that would be resolved with a 20 dollar metal pole in the middle of the path so I am not seeing that as a legitimate concern.
The also stated safety as an issue on the current trail because it uses the alley behind Woodberry... but their proposed work around is routing folks to walk on a dark road that has active traffic on it (Albion Road) instead of down an ally with hardly any traffic whatsoever. Odds of getting run over on Albion Road are a multitude of times higher than the Woodberry alley where I have been hard pressed to go faster than 5 MPH.
They put out a document saying you should use the sidewalk all the way out on Route 1 instead.. But the sidewalk is not supposed to open until "on or about March 23rd"... From what we have seen based on other timelines provided "on or about March 23rd" probably means late April. Remember the playground was slated to open in the Fall of 2017 and the bridge would be open by the end of 2017. Both are still sitting 100% completed and have not been touched in at least 3 months but both are still not open, show no signs of opening and it's now March of 2018.
I predict this fence will last as long as all of the other barriers they have constructed. I give it one week tops before there is a giant hole in it, it is removed altogether or a path of equal size is created directly beside where the fence ends. I just hope my HOA dues are not paying for all of these barriers and I would love to talk to their lawyer about routing pedestrians down an active road with traffic for "their safety",
What I cannot understand is why they cannot just build a fence around the new construction that is going on.... which is currently only building 7 and the parking deck....
This is what is done in every other construction project in the entire world.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing this to everyone's attention. This makes me so angry, as this was a half hazard decision that was made in the dark as they knew it would upset a lot of people. I used this trail to reach most of the businesses and had planned on biking during the spring and summer months there. Now I won't be able to do that.
ReplyDeletePeople I think should reach out to Whole Foods, District Taco, Gold's Gym and the other businesses there to put pressure on the Cafritz to find another work around. Forcing pedestrians and cyclist to use Route 1 when people have literally died on that road is NOT an option and doesn't support the development's own goal of getting people off the road.
Well put! I'm also annoyed at the sign in front of my house that says the trail is closed because of "community concerns", implying that the occupants of said houses had demanded the closure of the trail, when nothing could be further from the truth.
ReplyDeleteI located one reliable example of this fact through this blog website. I am mosting likely to use such information now. Pull Up Squat Rack
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