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Providence backs two options to connect Gateway Drive and Providence Lane By
Heidi Thueson PROVIDENCE -- The City Council met Tuesday to choose a route to connect Gateway Drive with Providence Lane. The discussion was held at the request of Logan officials, who are hoping eventually to connect 100 East with Gateway Drive and use it as an alternate north-south road to reduce congestion on Logan's Main Street. The Providence Planning and Zoning Commission laid four alternatives in front of the council. Three of the routes would connect Gateway Drive to Spring Creek Parkway, which already feeds into Providence Lane. The three routes differ in the amount of wetland affected, the span of the bridge that would have to be built over Spring Creek, and the cost. The fourth option would take Gateway Drive west of Global Mart to connect with Providence Lane directly. Ron Christiansen of the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended this option because it affected less wetland. The council discussed protecting three of the four corridors from development for now, until it can make a more informed decision. Road construction cannot begin until an exhaustive environmental impact study is performed, which could take around two years. Steve Roberts, a developer for Creekside Townhomes, urged the council to make a decision quickly. Delays would tie his hands, he said, as well as cause problems for Global Mart, which is still under construction. Russel Goodwin from North Logan spoke up against delays as well. "It really looks like developers are driving your city street layout," he said. "I'm amazed you haven't been able to define a corridor yet. I'd encourage the city to identify the corridors now and protect them." Mayor Alma Leonhardt vehemently contradicted Goodwin's comments. "We're affecting a lot of people, and it takes time to do that," Leonhardt said. "We want to see what's best for the city, not for developers." Councilwoman Wendy Simmons moved to tentatively approve two of the options that would connect Gateway Drive to Spring Creek Parkway. The motion was approved 3-2, with Vic Saunders and Joe Campbell voting against it. Next on the agenda was a public hearing to discuss the ongoing boundary discrepancies on the property of Providence resident Roy Croshaw. Due to badly placed monuments -- round metal markers placed in city streets -- one surveyor placed a property line more than eight feet away from where Croshaw has always believed it to be. "The whole entire block is completely out of whack," Saunders said. The council unanimously approved a resolution allowing Croshaw and his neighbor to agree on keeping the old property line, rather than attempt to re-survey the whole block. "Overall, we think this is the smoothest way to take care of it," Leonhardt said. At the request of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the council unanimously passed a resolution to create two alternate commissioners who could vote in planning and zoning meetings in the place of absent commissioners. Christiansen said another benefit of the decision is "if someone resigns, someone experienced can step in." Saunders then told the council about an open meeting that will be held at 7 p.m. May 30. City employees and citizens will be chosen at random to attend the meeting and anonymously submit their opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of Providence City. "It will expose us to the attitudes of the employees and citizens," Saunders said. "If we invite them properly, it's easy to do and it's fun. Everything's totally anonymous."
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