The Land Use Control Board voted overwhelmingly this morning to reject a proposal by the Midland Goodwyn Neighborhood Association to close off Goodwyn Street to vehicular traffic.
About 30 or 40 residents of Midtown neighborhoods surrounding Goodwyn Street were present to oppose the closure. Most cited concerns of diverting traffic to other neighborhood streets, such as Haynes and Greer. They were also concerned about hindering fire department response times.
Midland Goodwyn Neighborhood Association members filed an application in August proposing a brick masonry wall with a wrought-iron gate that would seal the 27-home street away from through-traffic.
Currently, drivers use Goodwyn as an artery to travel from Southern to Central. Association members claim vehicles often speed down Goodwyn, posing a safety risk to kids and pedestrians. Goodwyn does not have sidewalks.
Lawrence Wade has lived in the Glen Eagles on Southern Avenue, a condo complex about 200 feet west of Goodwyn, for 17 years. He drives down Goodwyn to access Central on a daily basis. Wade presented the board with a petition from neighbors opposing the street closure.
“On Haynes, kids regularly play in the street. If Goodwyn is closed off, Haynes would be used as an alternate,” said Wade. “That could result in children being seriously hurt or even killed [by speeding traffic].”
Another neighbor pointed out that the large homes on Goodwyn arebset further back from the street than the more modest homes on Haynes, and therefore pose less of a safety risk for children since they’re not as likely to play in the street on Goodwyn.
The Office of Planning and Development had already recommended rejection of this proposal, citing diverted traffic issues and slower fire response times. They also said closing off the street would create an illegal cul-de-sac because the new dead-end street length would exceed what is currently allowed.
For more background, read Mary Cashiola’s “In the Bluff” column in this week’s Flyer.