After having deferred the decision by one meeting, on Oct. 5 City Council voted to grant the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA) an easement to relocate a sewer pipe to make room for the construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway (MCP).
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The easement will allow RWSA to relocate and upgrade a sewer pipeline that runs through McIntire Park. Because RWSA will also replace and upgrade the Meadow Creek Interceptor, the agency will replace and upgrade 640 linear feet for the Schenk’s Branch line. The additional 1,075 linear feet of the line will be relocated by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to make way for the McIntire Road Extended part of the MCP. |
The 3-2 vote, with Mayor Dave Norris and Councilor Holly Edwards dissenting, came after Edwards inquired about possible alternatives to the relocation of the pipeline in McIntire Park. Edwards also voiced concerns that a design for the 250 Interchange hasn’t been chosen yet. According to city staff, the replacement of the Schenk’s Branch line is listed as the second priority in RWSA’s 5-year capital plan.
RWSA’s Schenk’s Branch sewer line is currently a 21" terracotta pipe, considered “undersized” for current use.
According to staff reports, the line will need to be increased to 30" and sunk deeper in the ground, about 15′.
Because RWSA will also replace and upgrade the Meadow Creek Interceptor, with flows from the city to the county, the agency will replace and upgrade 640 linear feet for the Schenk’s Branch line. The additional 1,075 linear feet of the line will be relocated by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to make way for the McIntire Road Extended part of the MCP.
According to city reports, the pipeline is in need of upgrade because of potential health hazards, namely, sewer overflows during rain. The concern is that raw sewage may get into the waterways.
“I am not underestimating the importance of the city residents who will benefit from this, but I don’t feel that I can move forward in good faith without the final design of the Interchange,” said Edwards.
The design and location of the Interchange may “quite possibly” have an impact on the sewer line, said Director of Neighborhood Development Services Jim Tolbert.
Norris, who opposes the MCP, said that while he understands the need to replace the overused pipeline because of its potential health impacts, “when it comes down to it, for me at least, there is still the basic acknowledgement that this project is being designed to accommodate an infrastructure project, a new road and an interchange that I cannot support, and so I will not be voting in favor of this easement,” he said.
Norris and the other councilors, however, unanimously approved amendments to the language of the ordinance regarding surrounding flora following the relocation and upgrade of the line. The amended version cites shrubbery and small trees at the edges of the easements.
250 Interchange design
Discussions about the MCP’s impact on McIntire Park aren’t new. Yet, the Thomas Jefferson branch of Preservation Virginia has listed McIntire Park as one of the most endangered landscapes in the state, mostly because of the future McIntire Road Extended and the Interchange.
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires taking into account the effect any project will have on buildings and sites that are included in the National Register. The design of the Route 250 Bypass Interchange at McIntire Road is being done to minimize the impact on all historic properties around McIntire Park, said Angela Tucker at the Oct. 5 City Council meeting. In fact, some aspects of the design have been changed to meet this goal. The bridge’s height and width have been reduced, the bike and pedestrian trails have been moved to the west side of McIntire Road, and the ramps have been set closer to the 250 Bypass.
“All of those features make for a smaller footprint, and less impact to the environment,” Tucker told council.
On Oct. 9, at a Section 106 consultation meeting with members of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Federal Highway Administration, City staff and members of the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park, existing mitigations to reduce the impact of construction of the Interchange were discussed in an effort to bridge the federal agency and the public’s desires. Yet, the mitigations were deemed “inadequate” and “shallow” by the coalition.
Although coalition members came prepared with suggestions, they argued that it was counterproductive not to include in the general discussion of the Interchange the ill effects and possible alternatives for the McIntire Road Extended.
Some of the suggestions included restoring the Rock Hill Garden to its original splendor; a complete overhaul of the design of the Interchange; the addition of bike paths crossing the McIntire Road Extended as to unite the East and West part of the park; pedestrian overpasses crossing Route 250 and closing the road on weekends to minimize the effects of traffic.
At times heated, the meeting marked the disconnect between federal agencies and members of the coalition. Mary Ann Naber of the FHWA reminded those present that not “everyone will be happy” with the mitigations that will ultimately be included in the final agreement. The projects, she said, will inevitably impact a “treasured landscape.”
A public hearing on the design of the 250 Interchange is scheduled for October 29 at 5pm in the City Space and is open to the public.
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