Noblesville Deputy Mayor
Among the many long-range planning efforts undertaken by Noblesville, perhaps none is more crucial today than the Pleasant Street project to improve east-west connectivity through the city’s central core.
And I’m happy to report on our progress with much more to come.
In December 2016, Noblesville took its first definitive step to strengthen east-west mobility when it narrowed the list of route alternatives from four to one. Informed by decades of studying and re-examining the alternatives, the chosen route at Pleasant Street reduces the most traffic from Conner Street at the most effective cost – while improving already existing capacity problems from 8th Street to State Route 37.
On Jan. 24, 2017, based on the previous studies and updated data, the Noblesville Common Council unanimously approved funding for the initial survey and preliminary design work of the Pleasant Street corridor project, in addition to the creation of a Planning and Economic Development component.
As the survey and preliminary design near completion, a public meeting is planned for early 2018 to share findings and recommendations pertaining to private property, environmental features and utilities as well as cultural and historical considerations.
The preliminary recommendations are expected to include proposed cross sections that will illustrate the location and extent of each of the anticipated roadway elements such as travel lanes, tree lawns and sidewalks. We also will share plan-view drawings that illustrate how the Pleasant Street corridor will connect to the future Midland Trace Trail as well as to the Riverwalk, which the City plans to extend further south.
Noblesville will use the preliminary findings and recommendations of the Planning and Economic Development component to ensure that what gets constructed will do much more than simply improve east-west mobility. Once constructed, the Pleasant Street corridor will relieve traffic along the SR 32 corridor, ease the amount of through traffic within our historic downtown square, contribute to greater walkability and strengthen or create pedestrian connections between established neighborhoods – all while honoring the historic character of our community.
How will we do this?
Meetings already have begun with several community roundtable groups comprised of volunteers with a wide-range of perspectives who will ensure the final recommendations are representative of the larger Noblesville community. A steering committee of local thought leaders will guide both the planning process and the creation of the final set of deliverables. Appointments to each roundtable and the project steering committee include property owners and residents along or near the Pleasant Street corridor, as well as business owners, housing and real estate experts, elected and appointed officials and staff.
You may be wondering how you can get involved and stay engaged.
In addition to the public meeting in early 2018 to share findings from our survey and design work, the Planning and Economic Development project team is planning to host a community-wide event in December or January in which to solicit public feedback, which will inform the final design and elements of the Pleasant Street corridor.
By this time next year, the City will have the information it needs to propose a significant update to the PLANoblesville Comprehensive Master Plan and move our community closer to the construction of this transformative project.