City Council signs off on Marion streetscape work

MARION - The Uptown Streetscape Plan that won City Council approval Thursday represents an investment in Marion's future, according to one council member.

“It is a fragile business economy today, but this isn't a decision for today,” Nick Glew said. “This is a decision we make for the next 20 to 30 years. We have to make sure to take the businesses that are here today with us and make sure they are successful.”

He said the project is helping to build excitement downtown.

The plan calls for shifting some traffic from Seventh Avenue, right through the heart of downtown, off to the largely residential Sixth Avenue. Along the east edge of City Square Park, the proposal would also open 11th Street - now blocked off from Seventh Avenue - to through traffic between Sixth and Eighth avenues.

Mayor Paul Rehn and council members Craig Adamson, Joe Spinks and Nick Glew voted for the project. Kay Lammers opposed it after moving to table the vote because two other members, Lou Stark and Steve Sprague, were not present.

City Planning and Development Director Tom Treharne said the first phase of the project would be the work on Sixth Avenue. He said the traffic study is complete and the engineering survey is taking place.

But questions remain about the project's cost and overall time frame.

“A lot of it is funding-driven,” Treharne said. “Some of it is local-option sales tax (revenue), and that's going to drive a lot of this.

“We'd like to see the next few phases get done in the next five or 10 years.”