JAMESTOWN -- Plugging the gaps in sidewalks is one step the town is taking to become more pedestrian-friendly and reduce dependence on the automobile.
The town received $24,000 in state funds this fall to help pay for the creation of a pedestrian master plan. The plan would identify where the town needs sidewalks and crosswalks.
The planning department plans to hold community meetings in April and July and submit a final plan to the council for approval in late summer, said planning Director Matthew Johnson. Places that need better sidewalk and crosswalk connectivity include East Fork Road where it crosses the High Point city lake, and near the Jamestown Park & Golf Course, the Piedmont Environmental Center and the Bicentennial Greenway, he said.
Over the long term, the town hopes to work with the state transportation officials to landscape and narrow Main Street in order to promote walking in the downtown area.
"We're stuck in the middle of Greensboro and High Point and they have so many initiatives as it pertains to pedestrians," Johnson said. "We want to make sure we connect into what they're planning."
Town leaders also are working on revising the development ordinance to encourage sidewalks, bicycle lanes, green building and mixed-use development. The town has contracted with GreenPlan consultants out of Asheville to update the codes.
Under consideration is an incentive structure that would encourage builders to follow energy efficiency standards in return for higher density or a fast-track approval process, Johnson said. Key will be designing neighborhoods such that residents and workers use less gasoline and exercise more through walking and cycling, said Mike Figura, a planner with GreenPlan.
That draft plan should be ready by March, with public hearings to follow in May, Figura said.
Johnson said he expects green building and other practices to get cheaper over time, but builders still perceive them as unnecessary extra costs.
"In the end if it's still much cheaper to do things the old way, people are still going to lean on that because they can make more money," he said. "I can't blame them."
Cookprint: A term used by food writer Kate Heyhoe to describe the entire chain of resources used to prepare meals, along with its resulting waste.
Seeks to transform greater Greensboro area into into a more bicycle-friendly community.
Bicycle recycling project that promotes bicycling as a means of alternative transportation, a healthy lifestyle choice and a way to build community.
This network of locally owned and independent businesses in the North Carolina Triad formed in the summer of 2009 and aims to share ideas and network to promote locally owned brick and mortar retail businesses, to educate the consumers on the importance of shopping locally, and to encourage investment in our community be keeping our dollars at home.
"How you define an eco-friendly frame product, depending on your perspective, comes in a hundred shades of gray." - Robyn Feinsod, manager of marketing and merchandising for Graphik Dimensions Ltd in High Point.
