Plans to implement a roundabout traffic pattern near downtown Mount Airy could be headed toward a dead end, due to concerns by officials — including one that roundabouts aren’t “Mayberry”-like.
“I’d like to think of Mount Airy as still a little bit of Mayberry,” Commissioner Dean Brown said during a meeting last Thursday night when the roundabout issue was aired.
“I’ve never seen a roundabout on ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ and I’ve seen every one of them (episodes) about six times.”
As a result of such concerns, city officials have decided to remove the word “roundabout” from a list of local traffic projects to be studied by the N.C. Department of Transportation, and simply ask the DOT to evaluate possible intersection improvements in an “open-ended” manner.
This could indeed result in a roundabout — in which traffic flows into a circulation pattern to reach destinations instead of the traditional perpendicular arrangement — or some solution that is less-revolutionary.
“It could a $20 sign,” Brown said.
Even if a roundabout plan is recommended, it wouldn’t be constructed until sometime in the next decade, officials say.
City ‘held hostage?’
The roundabout proposal came about in connection with the Westside Redevelopment Plan for the former Spencer’s Inc. property now owned by the municipality. Supporters of that plan say intersection changes would be needed to accommodate extra traffic generated by a four-star hotel, entertainment complex and apartment project now proposed for the former industrial property.
Two intersections leading into that area are being considered for roundabouts, the one at West Pine Street/North South Street and the N.C. 89/East Independence Boulevard intersection.
However, a sticking point is that a roundabout at Pine and South streets in particular could require the use of private property due to the land needed to accommodate the size of the roundabout.
This private property aspect has fueled a huge conflict between supporters of a redevelopment plan that includes only the Spencer’s site and others who favor a broader plan also encompassing private property including several businesses in the Pine Street area.
Fred Jones, a local restaurateur who is part of one of the three development groups seeking to revitalize the Spencer’s site, told officials at the meeting that the roundabout concept will be vital to the projects’ success. Egress into the area targeted will be a key, Jones said, adding that he backs the full redevelopment plan.
And he told the commissioners during the meeting that all three business groups share that sentiment, saying if they can’t have everything in place to make the redevelopment successful, they are not going to launch the process. In response to a board question, Jones said he was speaking as an agent on behalf of all three.
“Give me everything I need to be successful or turn me down,” he said.
That prompted a stern reaction from Commissioner Jim Armbrister.
“I’m not going to be held hostage by anybody,” Armbrister said of the suggestion that the redevelopment plan will hinge on the roundabout concept.
Armbrister said he believes more marketing of the Spencer’s property should occur, so the city will have other options if the three developers with proposals now on the table fall by the wayside.
Commissioner Jon Cawley said he thought Jones was out of order when he rose to comment on the roundabout proposal when the city council was considering a motion related to it, but that he appreciated what Jones had to say.
“I certainly don’t want to be caught in the middle of controversy,” Jones had said during his time at the podium. “I am really putting myself in a precarious position by even taking a side on this,” the local restaurant owner mentioned regarding the redevelopment plan and concerns for his core business.
He said the new endeavor he is spearheading, an entertainment complex aimed at drawing big-name performers, is “not about the money for me — it’s about the growth of the area.”
Roundabout pros, cons
Much of the meeting discussion centered on whether the roundabout traffic concept would be appropriate for Mount Airy.
Roundabouts are regaled among some motorists and reviled by others, according to that discussion.
Commissioner Shirley Brinkley said research indicates that roundabouts are popular in Europe, but less so closer to home, based on comments from drivers about a roundabout configuration at Pilot Mountain.
“They will go out of their way to avoid the roundabout,” said Brinkley, who added that she had gotten numerous calls from people “who said they absolutely did not like roundabouts.”
She also referred to how roundabout construction could infringe on the rights of private property owners in the area and be a costly option for taxpayers in general.
“Right now the DOT doesn’t know what is best there,” city planner Andy Goodall said of the intersection of Pine and South streets.
“At this point, the engineers don’t know if a full-scale roundabout would be good at that location.”
Brown also expressed concern about the city’s aging population who might be confused by the roundabout arrangement.
“They can hardly make it on a straight street,” he said. “What are they going to do with a roundabout?”
Brown also believes the integrity of Pine Street should be preserved, since it has historical significance as one of the oldest routes through town.
“That’s the main reason people gave for constructing Independence Boulevard,” said Brown, who has authored books on Mount Airy history.
Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.
