The first step in the do-over of Langley’s proposed Cascade Avenue bluff project will occur some time in March.
Langley’s mayor and planning director confirmed they are working on a charrette, a public input workshop to figure out which course the city should take to ease pedestrian movement between the marina and business district.
Previous projects such as the funicular and bridge and elevator stalled after public outcry grew and questions were raised about their necessity and cost of maintenance. Since then, other ideas including a tram along the bluff, a wheeled trolley and increasing the Langley Main Street Association’s electric golf cart operations have been floated.
“What we’d like to do is look at every option presented or proposed by the public,” Director of Community Planning Michael Davolio said.
“Put everything out there and let the public have a look at everything,” he added.
Mayor Fred McCarthy announced earlier this year he would abandon the pursuit for a funicular in response to criticism for redirecting the project from the much maligned bridge-and-elevator concept. Having inherited the idea for the project from a previous mayor — it’s also been in the city’s comprehensive plan for a decade — McCarthy said with a new planning director and obvious public interest it was best to go back to the drawing board.
“This is better in the context of community planning rather than the mayor promoting his pet project,” McCarthy said.
That starts with gathering “stakeholder” and public input. Questions about how each option would work, its construction cost and long-term operation estimates may be answered during the March meeting.
“There’s an element of public input in this,” McCarthy said.
At this point, estimates of construction and operations costs were not known by the city. But Langley has $500,000 in county grant funding secured for a marina-to-town connection.
Sharon Emerson, a Langley resident and critic of the previous projects and the city’s approach, wrote in an email to the mayor and planning director that other, more pressing questions should be addressed first. She said the city should first figure out what problem it is trying to solve with the project, citing increased marina use and projected increased spending in Langley, an attraction to draw visitors, use for moving supplies and people to their boats, emergency access to the marina, and easier mobility-impaired access to the waterfront.
“I don’t see the point in doing the charrette unless they have some really solid information,” Emerson said.
“Without more information, I don’t think any of us want to decide what’s best,” she added.
The city is looking into at least seven options and as many as 12, from the funicular to a trolley. Davolio envisioned having image depictions, plus a list of pros and cons for each at the meeting tentatively scheduled for late March.
“This is a time when we need either bulletin boards and kiosks with pictures and pluses and minuses of what each are,” McCarthy said.
