Patricia Avenue Talks Postponed

City staff asked for more time to research options for Patricia Avenue. As a result, officials are postponing the next installment of the controversial Patricia Avenue talks.

The issue, which has divided neighbors, was discussed at length at , and staff was to report back on Nov. 17 with more solutions.

Rob DiSpirito, city manager, asked officials for more time last week.

"To include all input received to date from the impacted neighborhoods, and for staff to comprehensively evaluate and prepare all reasonable options for Commission consideration, it is requested that this agenda item be postponed to the Commission meeting of December 1, 2011," he wrote in a Nov. 9 memo to officials.

City traffic engineers recommended reopening Patricia Avenue based on an impact study conducted during the road's 6-month closure. The study revealed an influx of traffic on nearby roads — more than what they were designed to handle. Joan Rice, traffic engineer, suggested using speed humps on Patricia Avenue instead of the blockade.

The issue .

"This is like the Middle East peace talks," Commissioner Julie Scales said at the Oct. 20 meeting. "Will there ever be a solution? It's neighbor vs. neighbor; street vs. street; neighborhood vs. neighborhood."

Officials were just as divided as neighbors on the issue, and voted not to reopen Patricia Avenue on Oct. 20, rather, asked city staff to search for options to mitigate side street traffic.

"Don't worry about the money," Commissioner Julie Ward Bujalski told the city traffic engineer. "If we can find an overall solution to this, we can find the money."

The date for the rescheduled Patricia Avenue meeting will be confirmed at the Nov. 17 commission meeting.