Pedestrians gain from West Franklin face-lift

Chapel Hill residents are already well acquainted with the sounds of construction in downtown areas — and it is not over yet.

Since 1994, the town of Chapel Hill has been ceaselessly renovating its sidewalks and surrounding public spaces around Franklin Street and Rosemary Street through a construction project called Streetscape.

The Chapel Hill Town Council adopted the Streetscape Master Plan in 1993 and updated it in 2009 — and since then, the town has invested millions of dollars to make the sidewalks more attractive.

“The general idea was to not relate our downtown to a historic period, but to make it sort of timeless,” said Emily Cameron, landscape architect for Chapel Hill’s Public Works Department.

According to the Streetscape Master Plan, the goal of the sidewalk construction is to create a downtown that is consistent and accessible to pedestrians.

“The point is to unify the downtown and not have every block look different,” Cameron said. “We might have to customize the width and size of things but basically the appearance is the same and maybe the dimensions just have to be adjusted.”

To date, 1.4 miles of sidewalk in the downtown area have been renovated through Streetscape, with more construction to come.

“The kinds of improvements we are making involve more attractive seating, bike racks, better lighting and more space that provides people the opportunity to enjoy their streets,” said Meg McGurk, executive director of Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.

The most recent project involves renovating the 400 block of West Franklin Street, near Kipos Greek Taverna and Carolina Brewery. This project is expected to be completed by mid-August.

“We typically have made improvements that connect or continue from adjacent completed sections,” Cameron said.

“Other projects currently scheduled include street and pedestrian lighting on West Rosemary Street and on the north side of the 500 block of West Franklin.”

The renovations currently happening on West Franklin Street are universal to all Streetscape projects.

“Downtown projects take everything on the sidewalk into scope, regardless of where it happens,” McGurk said.

“The projects take all of the elements of attractive seating, better lighting, better bike racks and visual appeal into account.”

For Chapel Hill residents like Tanner King, the Streetscape renovations have been well received. King was working at Tru Deli and Wine Bar in front of Streetscape construction on Henderson Street in May 2013.

“To have the sidewalk infrastructure that we do is fantastic,” King said.

“The whole project took two to three weeks and they were very accommodating in terms of our restaurant’s needs.”

Chapel Hill residents like Vinny Marrone, who works at Italian Pizzeria III, and Addie Johnson, who writes novels for young adults, share the sentiment.

Marrone was working with Italian Pizzeria III when Streetscape construction was occurring outside the restaurant on Franklin Street in 2012.

“I’m glad that they did that,” Marrone said. “It looks nice and new and much better. Before it was all grass but now we can put a table outside and it’s better for business.”

Johnson said she enjoyed the space the sidewalks offer.

“I walk my dog a lot and it’s nice to not have to dip in and out of the streets all the time,” Johnson said.

Still, King said he believes Streetscape construction does not solve some of the more functional problems of Chapel Hill’s infrastructure.

“I’d still like to see an increase in parking,” King said.

“It all looks nice when the construction is completed, and it might increase the functionality of the sidewalks slightly, but I don’t think it compares to things like fixing potholes.”

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