The Jefferson City Council may not be moving forward with plans to vacate Chestnut Street, instead hoping to address some issues neighborhood residents have brought up in the process.
The council had put a bill to vacate Chestnut Street - from Dunklin Street to Atchison Street to allow Lincoln University to create a pedestrian plaza - on the informal calendar at the Oct. 19 meeting, after 54 people spoke on the issue. Of those who spoke, 36 were in favor of vacating the street and 18 were against. Of the 36 in support, a majority were either students or employees of Lincoln University, while a majority of those opposed were residents of the neighborhood.
Third Ward Councilman Bob Scrivner, who sponsored the bill, said Friday that the bill is likely to remain, and die, on the informal calendar. Instead, he said, a resolution would be introduced tonight to help address some of the other issues residents voiced during the public hearing last month.
"There's probably not going to be any effort to go through with a permanent closure at this point," Scrivner said. "We're trying to listen to what the neighborhood has told us are problems."
Scrivner said the resolution likely will seek to enforce the parking regulations on Chestnut Street by encouraging cooperation between the university and the Jefferson City Police Department, with the university taking the lead. Though there is no parking allowed on parts of Chestnut Street near the Scruggs University Center, cars are often parked there. The city has difficulty enforcing parking regulations along the street with the largely student population.
"We've identified that as being a problem we can do something about immediately," Scrivner said. "We want to move forward on that right away."
Scrivner said the resolution also allows Lincoln University to close the street "from time to time under their discretion," using only a temporary barrier.
"I think that's the direction it's headed," Scrivner said. "Everybody's trying to do the right thing."
Scrivner emphasized that the council has not had any debate on the resolution yet and it would only pass if a majority of council members are supportive of it.