For years, Port Wentworth residents have complained about issues concerning quality of life — lack of recreational issues, no places to gather, no means of transportation, nowhere to shop, nowhere to just go out with family.
While a few of these issues have been addressed, the city is taking more steps to fill these needs for its residents. Port Wentworth City Manager Steve Davis, and Economic Development Director James Touchton, think that residents will be pleased with what’s soon to come.
“There are several things in the works that residents have been clamoring for that I think they’ll be very happy with when we announce,” Touchton said in a recent interview.
The 16-mile Anchor Trail Conceptual Plan, which was presented at a recent city council meeting, represents an effort to consolidate transportation and path networks with a vision for a green corridor that would extend throughout the city and connect communities.
“What we’re presenting is quite ambitious, but it’s also very practical,” said Laura Ballock a representative with Kimley-Horne, the firm responsible for bringing the Beltline to Atlanta. “…The current transportation networking that we are using is largely dominated by vehicles right now, but there’s also pathways and sidewalks that the city has already had in development, and we’re linking up with those and working through the neighborhoods to make connections.”
Ballock also said that they were informed by the trail, multi-use planning and corridor planning that has been used by the City of Savannah as well as Chatham County, the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization as well as other nonprofits.
The presentation went through a conceptual trail system, goals, strategies for effective implementation, and a selection framework for what could be focused on first, whether it be building a new path, maintenance or expanding an existing path.
Some of the goals for the development would be to use the existing street network and sidewalk improvements to establish a core route, prioritize safety and equity, connect to regional trail systems, plan for proper maintenance, and prioritize grade separated facilities throughout.
“We are not talking about bike lanes within the vehicular right of way, nor are we talking about encouraging biking within the street,” Ballocksaid. “So these are separated from the roadway, and there would be actual off road sections, where you would be able to get away from the road itself, which creates a really nice added feature.”
The minimum standard would be 10 ft wide, allowing for movement both ways for pedestrians or bicyclists. The presentation also included proposed routes for several areas within the city, like downtown Port Wentworth, Meinhard Road, Anchor Park and Lakeside.
The proposed Lakeside trail would cover 3.5 miles, Anchor Park 3.5 miles, Meinhard Road would cover 2.2 miles while the downtown trail would include about 6 miles. Where the routes would start and end can be found on the presentation.
Commercial developments in the works
Alongside the trail plan, a month ago Port Wentworth broke ground on a new, 13,000 sq ft shopping plaza, which will be at the heart of the city’s developing commercial district, which includes the Port Collective.
“I think that everybody’s been so hungry for new developments and restaurants to be coming,” Davis said. “When the Ghost Pirates Training Facility broke ground, we’ve been talking about this wave of commercial developments that it was going to bring, and I think it’s starting now.”
Back in December, the city approved site plans for two new hotels, a 240-unit residential community and a medical facility. On top of that, Touchton said they have more exciting things in the works, things that he said residents have been asking for.
“I think we’re committed to bringing these opportunities, not just saying it, but showing it through our incentives,” Davis said. “We’re showing it through our actions, and I think that the things that are coming will show that those actions have meaning, and it wasn’t just words.”
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for the Savannah Morning News, covering the municipalities, and community and cultural programs. You can reach her at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Port Wentworth looking to address quality of life for residents.
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