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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence ODOT 6/13/2011 OF • • Cata !I! ° regon Department of Transportation z John A.Kitzhaber,MD,Governor 455 Airport Rd SE Bldg B Salem,OR 97301-5395 June 6, 2011 503-986-2600 FAX 503-986-2630 Mr. Damien Gilbert, PE Branch Engineering, Inc. 310 5th Street Springfield, OR 97477 Re: Your recent communication on the Boyles Mixed-use Development Mr. Gilbert, Thank you for taking the time to include me in your recent communication on the Boyles Mixed-use Development. It is very important that we consider your perspective and we appreciate the thoroughness of your message. As your letter indicates, and as a follow-up meeting has reflected, you feel that your professional credibility has been called into question. Please let me reassure you that this is not the case. If comments have left you with that impression, we need to work harder to improve the clarity of those comments. ODOT is proud of its lengthy and successful record of collaborating with diverse interests. Such a record can not be built without candid communication and dogged determination to resolve issues while keeping safety paramount in the pursuit of the final solution. As you are aware, the safety challenges associated with the OR 126B corridor call for special considerations. The area of the proposed development has a crash rate and a pedestrian fatality rate higher than the state average. Rightfully, the community has pressed many agencies to work together to make this road safer for all. ODOT has stepped-up with a large part of the solution in its commitment to fund and build signalized pedestrian crosswalks. Our commitment also mandates that we remain vigilant with all decisions affecting the corridor, including access requests. You are correct in discerning a higher level of scrutiny. At the same time, the community needs and expects opportunities for economic growth and affordable housing that your project offers. So we are tasked with balancing that need and expectation with the concurrent demand that there be no degradation of safety. I am encouraged that the most recent meeting of May 26, 2011 was a productive meeting between you and the ODOT team. The staff assures me of their recommitment to an open dialogue with you and a renewed determination to reach an understanding on the 3 zol, l ,ate Received: Ln! Planner: SH • • Boyles Mixed-Use Development on OR Hwy. 126 Page 2 issues. I hope the approval of the most recent extension request will provide ample time to collect the additional information required. Again, thank you for getting in touch with me and for your continued patience as we work toward resolution. Sincerely, Eryca McCartin Region 2 Manager Cc: Matt Garrett, ODOT Director Paul Mather, ODOT Highway Division Administrator Michael Liebler, City of Springfield Steve Hopkins, City of Springfield David Warren, ODOT District 5 Manager Gerry Jester, ODOT Access Management Coordinator