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Neighborhood report

Virginia Park: Median project becomes reality

After two years of lobbying by the neighborhood association leadership, Bay to Bay gets landscaped medians.

By ANNE ARSENAULT
Published June 3, 2005

Two years ago, John Weiss decided he should do something to improve Bay to Bay Boulevard between Lois and Manhattan avenues.

So as president of the Virginia Park Neighborhood Association, he embarked on a campaign to beautify the four-lane stretch of Bay to Bay with a landscaped median.

He came up with a conceptual plan, took it to city officials, spoke with residents and business owners and campaigned for its approval. He encountered some opposition from business owners but found that residents strongly favored it.

When the city's transportation department sent out ballots to area property owners, 67 percent of the 88 percent who responded approved of the project, Weiss said.

The owners of Bay to Bay Hardware opposed the plan, saying medians would create problems for delivery trucks using the center lane to unload shipments. To accommodate the business, the city adjusted the plans so that no island would go in front of the store.

Two weeks ago, the city began constructing four center islands. Weiss said he expected the landscaping, complete with palm trees, to be finished this week. The project, estimated at more than $100,000, is similar to one recently completed on nearby Church Avenue to slow down traffic and beautify the neighborhood.

Weiss hopes the Bay to Bay improvements will enhance the business district and make the area safer for pedestrians. Friendship Playground, a popular destination for families, is on the southeast corner of Bay to Bay and Lois.

"It took a couple of years but, to me, that's not too bad for government," Weiss said.

- Anne Arsenault can be reached at 226-3434 or at aarsenault@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 2, 2005, 08:00:13]