MERRIAM, Kan. — A strategy intended to transfer downtown Merriam forward is driving business enterprise house owners to start off a petition in opposition to the proposal.
The metropolis of Merriam would like to revitalize its downtown.
Close by small business house owners commend the effort and hard work, but they really don’t concur with all the things in the approach, like narrowing Merriam Travel from Johnson Push to the farmers market place from three lanes to two.
Several business enterprise house owners in close proximity to Merriam and Johnson drives consider narrowing the road ideal exterior their doors is a negative plan.
“It will be detrimental to all of our organizations all-around here,” Guitar Lamp proprietor Dan Leap mentioned.
He explained there is a petition whole of signatures to confirm their point.
The house owners of KC Strings, Correct Vehicle and several other firms have signed the petition and agreed: The middle switch lane along Merriam requires to stay.
“Especially appropriate by the farmers industry, throughout from it. There’s a motor vehicle dealer that has a truck that delivers automobiles and parks in the middle land and unloads it,” Leap stated. “So we want the center lane for that, too.”
Arrive hurry hour, Leap claimed keeping remaining and suitable flip lanes at the intersection of Merriam Drive and Johnson Travel is imperative for site visitors flow.
“That’s mainly because we really do not want site visitors backed up all the way back there,” Leap reported.
Taran Bulmer claimed that’s currently a difficulty now.
She’s a hair stylist at Studio L across the street. They’re also not in favor of slicing down lanes in the area.
“I assume it is going to backfire horribly,” Bulmer stated, “because this highway, even however it may well not look active at instances, is particularly active.”
Bulmer mentioned their main struggle right now is parking.
The city’s prepare seems to consider and make improvements to that spot with some new parking spaces, utilizing the lane that would get taken away.
Leap claimed Merriam can master from its neighbors to the west.
Shawnee introduced a pilot challenge narrowing roads, near Nieman Road and Johnson Push. But right after grievances from inhabitants and organizations, plus team analysis, the Shawnee Town Council returned the roads to their original layout.
“It’s rather a lot the same as what we have likely on Johnson Generate in excess of there at Nieman in Shawnee,” Leap said. “So we just really do not want Merriam to make the similar error.”
On its site, the town claims construction on the downtown job is expected to commence in spring 2023.
Leap stated a councilmember advised him a component of the undertaking is still in dialogue, however, it’s not shown in the agenda posted on the web for the future metropolis council meeting on January 9.
The metropolis declined to communicate with FOX4 on camera Thursday, but Ward 2 Councilwoman Whitney Yadrich did reply to questions and provided this response:
“I consider this feedback critically, and I generally hear to the worries of the business entrepreneurs I depict. Downtown progress and revitalization is a major precedence for our citizens, according to our most a short while ago community study, and I have listened to some of these exact same enterprise owners say they want far more parking and foot visitors possibilities, which this system provides,” Yadrich said.
“The proposed road redesign is the consequence of a multi-yr procedure that weighed closely on community enter and is supported by details from site visitors engineers and design experts. Our undertaking companions confident us that even with these updates, downtown enterprises can continue on to operate as they do now.”
