Consider bikers, walkers in city planning

Three carwashes, one large grocery store, two convenience stores and two gas stations already exist between 19th Street and 42nd Street on Mount Vernon Road Southeast. There is no need in this 23-block stretch to justify rezoning or changing the city's future land use plan. Converting four median income homes, their respective yards and the Vernon Inn restaurant property into one large mass of asphalt under the guise of “a much-needed, 24-hour Kum and Go gas station” is not a precedent our city should set.

The light pollution alone for this business during the night and early morning hours will be enough to degrade the property values in the adjacent neighborhoods but it is pedestrian and bicycle safety that are most concerning to me.

At a time when the people of Cedar Rapids and Linn County are conveying through surveys, open houses and publications that they want a walkable, bikeable and safer and healthier community, the City Council and the City Planning Commission should listen and act accordingly.

After all, it is not just about automobile traffic anymore.

Deb Engmark

Cedar Rapids