The Ames City Council approved design plans for Welch Avenue eliminates parking on the 100 block and instead has wider sidewalks and bike lanes on each side.

This design affects the hilled block of Welch Avenue between Chamberlain Avenue and Lincoln Way. While the changes offer friendlier options to pedestrians and cyclists, the plan encountered opposition from business owners who rely on the quick, in-and-out traffic of their customers.

Of the six options available, council members debated between approving Option Four, which features two bike paths and no street parking, with Option Six, a design which had a strip of parking spaces on the east side and one bike lane on the west side.

“I’d like to see the parking restored on both sides,” said Mark Schroeder, owner of University Barbers for the last 52 years. “I see this [Option Four] as a good compromise for that, but I would like to see more parking for the in-and-out type businesses.”

Designs with more parking and a higher pedestrian emphasis than Option Four were also considered. However, the level and variety of traffic on Welch Avenue complicated that process.

“We have buses going every 10 minutes and emergency vehicles using that road,” said Tracy Warner, a municipal engineer on the project. “Conversations between the Fire Department and CyRide eliminated a lot of options.”

The Council approved Option Four in a 5-1 vote. Councilman Chris Nelson offered the only dissenting vote.

“If we go with Option Six, we can change it to Option Four if we decide that’s necessary,” Nelson said. “If we go with Option Four, we can’t change it to Option Six.”

The Public Works Department worked with Iowa State Community and Regional Planning Group (CRP), an undergraduate student group, on street design and public outreach. Together they surveyed more than 1,000 people, and determined Option Four to be the most popular design.

“When I think of this area, I immediately think of it as a pedestrian and bike-friendly area,” said Alexandria Hoskins, ex-officio council member and sophomore in political science. “From my understanding this is the direction Iowa State wants to go.”

Council members went back and forth, weighting the importance of parking versus safety for the large population of cyclists on Welch Avenue.

“I love the idea of no parking,” Mayor John Halia said. “But how do we accommodate the quick in-and-out businesses on the street without parking?”

Bridget Williams, senior in community and regional planning and president of CRP, discussed with the council the popularity of Option Four. She said the surveys conducted found that some people are willing to park three to five blocks away from their destination.

“A majority of dot surveys revealed people preferred two bike lines and no parking,” Williams said.

Councilwoman Gloria Betcher felt split on the issue, but sided with Option Four for safety reasons.

“I’m sympathetic to the business owners,” Betcher said. “But we won’t find a design that’s going to make everybody happy, and we should prioritize safety.”

Council members also discussed public interest in the long-term goal of turning the block into a plaza.

“There is enormous interest in a pedestrian mall here,” Councilman David Martin said. “It seems to me that Option 4, not having parking on the street, is a better step in that direction.”

Plans for the new design will be implemented in the summer of 2019.

“We’re looking at an extremely fast design,” Warner said. “We would want to start as soon as April or May.”

Correction: The original version of this article attributed a direct quote to Bridget Williams, president of CRP, that has since been changed to a paraphrase because it was not her exact wording.

Correction: On Oct 10 at 1:05 a.m. a change was made to accurately report the vote of the Council concerning Option Four. The council voted 5-1 to approve Option 4, but the original text reported the vote 7-1. The reporter counted the non-voting Council members by mistake.