Bring Back Broad info from the Lagniappe...
The Real Deal
By Sharman Egan
Lagniappe columnist
Back in the day, Broad Street was a thriving corridor lined with elegant homes and small businesses serving residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. In the late 1950s, the northeast corner of Broad and Government held an A&P Supermarket (not much larger than a typical convenience store today), the Albright and Woods Drug Store, a hardware store, meat market, fruit stand and the Electrik Maid Bakeshop. Across the street to the south was the Middleton estate where the Save-a-Lot sits today.
That was before new development and the exodus to West Mobile cut a swath through downtown and midtown Mobile in the 1970s. Back then it was all about urban renewal. The goal of well-meaning bureaucrats was to clear sub-standard housing and replace it with decent housing for the poor. The result was a five-lane mini-freeway along Broad and Canal Streets, without a whole lot of cars to fill those lanes.
Nowadays the buzz in urban development is about new urbanism, pedestrian-friendly streets and traffic calming. Cities are spending mega-millions to undo what they spent a few million dollars to do 30 or 40 years ago. Pretty ironic, huh?
Mobile’s Bring Back Broad Initiative is a prime example of this change. The city has been working on Bring Back Broad for several years. The project, proposed for the stretch of Broad Street between Baltimore Street just north of I-10 to Water Street just south of I-165, aims to recapture the character of that once-thriving corridor.
"We want to bring back the livability of Broad Street," said Barbara Drummond, executive director of Mobile’s Administrative Services Department. "We want to make the street more pedestrian-friendly, more walkable. And the project is not just about Broad Street. It will impact the entire area."
"The objective is to connect the neighborhoods on either side of Broad Street and to stimulate the development of businesses to serve those neighborhoods," said John Crawford, director of the city’s Architectural Engineering Department.
After several years of planning and lobbying for funds, Bring Back Broad is finally becoming a reality. The Federal Highway Administration and the Small Business Administration have each committed $1 million. That won’t even begin to cover the cost of the entire project – it’s expected to cost at least $20 million. But the city believes it’s enough to do the section from Canal Street to Texas Street and possibly as far south as Virginia Street. Construction is expected to begin in the fall and take about six months to complete.
So what changes can we expect to see along Broad Street?
Last week the city held a widely publicized and well-attended Public Involvement Meeting to unveil the plans and gather public input. About 100 people showed up to vet the city’s plans.
Those plans are still at the conceptual stage, and they could change based on public input or budgetary constraints. There’s no telling exactly how much of the plan $2 million will buy until the project is put out to bid.
Based on the current plans, the most dramatic change will be the removal of traffic lanes. Although the width of Broad Street won’t change, the traffic lanes will be reduced from five (two lanes in each direction plus a turn lane) to just two lanes. A 12-foot landscaped median will be added, along with 6-foot bicycle lanes on each side. The sidewalks will remain as they are (with some repairs), and new streetlights will be added. Street crossings will be enhanced with stamped concrete or pavers, as funding allows.
The result of all these changes: a streetscape that is not only more attractive but also more neighborhood-friendly. Pedestrians will be able to cross the street more easily and safely, and bicyclists will find the area more attractive for biking.
Update on Broad Street Brouhaha
Speaking of Broad Street, back in November I reported on an uproar in Oakleigh about a proposed commercial development at South Broad and Elmira Streets. The project, which would include a Texaco service station and convenience store with a small strip center, had neighbors up in arms.
According to Justin Smith, an agent with Saad & Vallas Realty Group, developer Marvin Hewitt Enterprises of Lawrenceville, Ga. has decided to put the project on hold after a meeting with William Carroll, the city council representative for the area. The developer is planning to meet with representatives of the surrounding neighborhoods before making a final decision on the project. Carroll is working on organizing that meeting.
The company is planning several other similar projects in Mobile, including one on Spring Hill Avenue at Catherine Street in the Old Dauphin Way Historic District. That project has been approved by the Mobile Planning Commission. It still needs approval from the city’s Architectural Review Board and the Mobile City Council.
Want to weigh on these projects? Here’s how:
Bring Back Broad: E-mail comments to
[email protected] or fax to 251-208-5871. Comments must be submitted by 1/21/07.
The proposed commercial developments in the Oakleigh and Old Dauphin Way historic districts: Contact William Carroll at 251-404-4107 or e-mail
[email protected].
Sharman Egan is Lagniappe lagniappe columnist. Contact her at
[email protected].
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