Springfield Chamber Comments on Main Street Safety Project

April 19, 2022

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Dear Mayor VanGordon and City Councilors:

Investing in road infrastructure, commuter and public safety, and quality of place enhancements has its merits, but should not come at the expense of small and medium-sized enterprises, the foundation of our economic strength, resilience, and opportunity. As presented, the Main Street Facility Plan (the Plan) draft falls short in offering assurances aligned with the stated purpose that “selected safety improvements will provide for the movement of goods and people and support the economic viability of the corridor.”A proposal of this scale and scope, one that will shape our future and determine the economic viability of a critical commercial corridor, requires thorough consideration of the benefits weighed carefully against the consequences.

Vital information and recent public testimony from the business community deserves your full attention. Community stakeholders came forward with substantive questions, expressing serious concerns based on their business knowledge and expertise; ultimately the Planning Commission supported the proposal on a slim margin vote of 4 to 3.

In light of this, City Council should delay a decision on adoption in order to fully study the Plan documents and testimony as received, work with and engage in healthy dialogue with businesses, and demonstrate your commitment to transparency and accountability to all stakeholders.The Chamber of Commerce supports a process whereby the city will

understand the complex conditions of post-pandemic business recovery and economic viability and consider these alongside newly imposed conditions on existing businesses and other commercial development in play or in planning.
reassert and strengthen the original intention of the MSSP Governance Team to seek balanced engineering solutions that will retain or improve upon the economic viability of the corridor.
commit to investigate all minimal impact solutions and economic cost and risk mitigation.
allow for community-minded business members to actively engage, inform deliberations, and contribute to a decision-making framework.
make available current and relevant traffic and engineering solution safety data that is used to inform conceptual plans or engineering designs, including that which compares most recent new improvements such as lighting, pedestrian crossings, lowered speed limit, and traffic enforcement as well as that of roundabouts and raised medians on high volume commercial corridors of comparative measure.

A post pandemic economic recovery will not come easy. Our local small businesses have weathered severe economic and costly regulations for two years. Inflationary pressures, workforce shortages, and supply chain disruptions continue to linger adding uncertainty to already complex economic conditions. We should seek first to fully comprehend and avoid, where we can, policies that impose irreversible damage on existing and future economic opportunity.

OR126/Main Street from 20^th Street to 62^nd is a corridor primarily zoned for commercial activity. It is anchored by some seven hundred businesses, locally owned, small and medium-sized businesses who provide over 6300 jobs, contribute to our local tax base and our schools, and support local causes to the tune of millions of dollars a year. We are a community that values small business and the community benefits and economic opportunities they bring. I urge you to carefully consider their concerns and the impact on our community before moving forward on Plan adoption.

Respectfully,