University of Virginia Library

Search this document 

Commission Defeats Proposals
To Widen University Avenue

By ROSS HETRICK

The City Planning
Commission Tuesday night
defeated the proposals to
widen University Avenue
beyond Jefferson Park Avenue
and to change it to a three-lane
road by eliminating on-street
parking.

However, the proposed
widening of W Main St. from
Ridge St. to Jefferson Park Ave
was unanimously approved by
the Planning
Commission.

The commission's
recommendations will be
presented to a City Council
meeting Monday

The seven-member
commission voted four to two,
with University Planner Werner
K. Sensbach abstaining, to
defeat Plan A which would
widen the street by moving the
wall across from the Corner
back eight or nine feet.

In a previous vote, Plan B.
which would eliminate
on-street parking to make
room for a third lane, was
defeated by a three to three
vote with Mr. Sensbach again
abstaining.

The defeat of the two
proposals was due primarily to
Vice Chairman Sandy Lambert,
who was the only member
against both.

Mr. Lambert voted against
the alternative to widening
University Avenue because he
said it would be "saying that
28,000 cars that travel on the
four lanes before Jefferson
Park Avenue should travel on
three lanes through the
University." He said such a
proposal would "be of
questionable planning."

"Unless the planning
commission is willing to
indicate the need for a study
for an additional thoroughfare
around the University or in the
University area. I could not
vote for the three-lane
proposal," he said.

However, Mr. Lambert
cautioned advocates of Plan A
not to "jump for joy" because
he was also against widening
the road.

He said the same 28,000
cars will be on the four lane
road, and "If we don't provide
for some relief for this, it will
probably be carrying in excess
to that amount in due time."

Referring to planned
downtown pedestrian areas
Mr. Lambert found it
"inconsistent to plan for a
pedestrian area in one dense
portion of the city and plan to
eliminate it on the other end."

The two members voting for
the widening of the road were
Leroy A. Bruton and James N.
Fleming.

Mr. Bruton said a future
"university with 20,000
students will need arterial
streets for movement."
According to him, University
Avenue is such a street and
needs widening to facilitate the
flow of traffic.

"Slowing down traffic with
traffic jams and students
jumping in and out between
cars is not my idea of a good
planning system for controlling
the environment of an area."

"People are not going to
stop buying automobiles. It's
the convenient way to
travel. It's fast, quick, easy
access, warm. As long as they
have automobiles, they're
going to drive them in these
places," said Mr. Bruton.

He discounted the
detrimental effect the road
would have on Corner
merchants by saying, "I do not
think we have had a majority
of the Corner merchants come
down and protest at our
hearings."

Mr. Fleming opposed the
three-lane alternative because