Dear Greyhound Pass Residents,
We share with you again that The Village Farms neighborhood has been presented with a unique opportunity to work with the City of Westfield on a plan to improve pedestrian safety along Greyhound Pass. Since 2015 the City has been working with us to determine how these improvements might best be accomplished.
Late last year the City informed us that Greyhound Pass between Oak Ridge Road and the Monon Trail is scheduled for a major road reconstruction project in 2024. It includes removing and replacing the curb as well as the gutters and finishing with a complete road surface . Greyhound Pass from Oak Ridge Road to Spring Mill Road will be reconstructed in 2025. We have been informed that the reconstruction project is already in the City’s budget. The City has suggested that this would be an ideal time to add a pedestrian infrastructure / safety enhancement component to the project. The City will apply for available Federal and State grant funding to cover the additional costs of the project beyond what is already budgeted. There will be no cost to The Village Farms.
The City requested input and ideas from our residents regarding their hopes for improving pedestrian safety. A small focus group comprised of both Greyhound Pass and neighborhood residents met in November of 2021 to discuss ideas for the proposed City project. The concerns identified and expressed at that meeting included: improving pedestrian safety, slowing traffic, improving access to amenities (pool, clubhouse, playgrounds, volleyball court, and tennis courts), maintaining mature landscaping and trees, and maintaining access to parking. These concerns were taken back to the City officials who created three proposed plans for the project.
A somewhat larger group, also made up of Greyhound Pass residents and neighborhood residents, met in April to review and discuss the City’s proposed options. The most popular choice of the group was the option that would use the front 3 feet of the yards along Greyhound Pass and extend the grass footprint 7 feet into the roadway, thus narrowing the existing asphalt roadway along Greyhound Pass.
This meeting also included discussion around the idea that although all Village Farms Residents would benefit from such a project, the opinions of those residents living along Greyhound Pass should have a stronger voice in any suggestions we might make to the City since it is their front yards that abut the City right of way, and the project will affect them more directly than other neighborhood residents.
Last month The Village Farms HOA Board conducted a general survey of the entire neighborhood to gather opinions relative to pedestrian safety. This survey was done in order to confirm that the concerns identified by the resident groups were representative of the concerns of all Village Farms residents. This survey had 325 respondents, of which 106 were Greyhound Pass residents and 219 were non-Greyhound Pass residents. Of these respondents, 126 reported feeling mostly unsafe or not at all safe when using Greyhound Pass to walk or bike. 50% of all respondents, including 40% of Greyhound Pass respondents, reported that they would be more likely to use Greyhound Pass if a sidewalk were to be constructed. Respondents identified the following concerns as “very important’, ranked from most to least:
- Amenity access (“very important” by 57% of all respondents and 54% of Greyhound
Pass respondents) - Preservation of mature landscaping (“very important” to 51% of all respondents and 50%
of Greyhound Pass respondents) - Speed reduction (“very important to 47% of all respondents and 50% of Greyhound Pass
respondents) - Parking (“very important” to 13% of all respondents and 33% of Greyhound Pass
respondents)
Building a sidewalk will provide residents with safe access to amenities, and the proposal to use only 3 feet of city right-of-way and narrowing the roadway by 7 feet on each side accomplishes both the goal of preserving mature landscaping as well as lowering speed. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) lanes 10-12ft wide have been shown to increase driver attentiveness and reduce speed.
Move the slider left and right to see current condition and proposed changes side-by-side.
It is important that we hold the city accountable to their commitment to enhancing the safety of our residents along Greyhound Pass. As such, we are requesting your input on whether or not the proposed plan sufficiently addresses pedestrian safety. There will be an informational meeting on Wednesday, August 31at 7pm at the Village Farms clubhouse, 453 E. Greyhound Pass, Carmel, IN 46032, to discuss the proposal of the city. City officials will be in attendance to answer specific questions about this project. A physical letter is being mailed to Greyhound Pass residents with an insert and vote slip as to whether or not you are in favor of this project. Please take the time to complete this and return to the HOA either by mail to: The Village Farms, PO Box 717, Westfield, IN 46074, or in person at the meeting on Wednesday, August 31. There will be one vote per Greyhound Pass household.
Please also note that while we are making every effort to ensure that the voices of our residents are being heard, at the end of the day this is a major city road reconstruction project on city-owned land. As such, all collected data including these votes, survey data, and emailed opinions on this project will be aggregated and presented back to the city.
The meeting invite with details on how to join is here.
Sincerely,
The Village Farms Board of Directors
FAQ
Q: Who will be accountable for maintenance of the sidewalks when they crack/settle? If it’s homeowners does that need to be an awareness for homeowner insurance policies?
A: Generally the contractor will have to warranty the work for a period of three years. Once that warranty has expired, the sidewalk maintenance are the responsibility of the City. The homeowner will be responsible for snow shoveling the sidewalk and cutting the grass in the grass buffer. However, if there are settlement issues or cracking which brings the sidewalk outside of ADA Compliance, then the City will take corrective actions at no cost to the homeowner. (Chad Mills, Project manager)
Q: What is the plan to replace/fix driveways after the sidewalks are built? Given that it’s a mix of asphalt and concrete how will the city complete the drive that they rip up to ensure a nice aesthetic/finished product? A second note in this area: the city/our tax dollars pay for all new mailboxes and posts, correct?
A: Sidewalk will be concrete, driveway approaches will be replaced in kind, and existing mailboxes will be removed and reset by the Contractor. (Chad Mills, Project manager)
Q: Do we have studies showing that narrower lanes reduce speeds?
A: Please see the attached link from NACTO street design guide https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/lane-width/ This states there is a reduction in speed when roads are 12 feet or less. There is a note in this study that states that reducing roads from 12′ to 10′ or 11′ does not significantly change speeds, however the city was asked about this as an option, as this would reduce how far we would need to come into yards down to 1′ or 2′, respectively. The current stripe to stripe measurement is 11′. The city says the 11′ option is definitely an option, and they will further investigate the 10′ option if this is something that we would like.
Q: In winter will there be fines to ensure everyone is clearing snow to maintain safe usability of the sidewalks?
A: The City does not assess fines for this. (Chad Mills, Project Manager)
Q: What is the current scope: just Greyhound to the Monon or all the way to Springmill?
A: We are looking at Greyhound Pass from Spring Mill Road to Corral Court, just West of the Monon. (Chad Mills, Project Manager)
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