Debate over Willy Street Co-op driveway continues

If you have been by the Williamson-Jenifer street neighborhood in recent months, you might have noticed the yellow signs that litter the yards along the residential side of Jenifer Street. The signs, which read "We STILL say NO to a Co-op driveway," refer to the continuing controversy over the Willy Street Co-op’s driveway, which links its parking lot to Jenifer Street.

Before the Willy Street Co-op owned the lot at 1221 Williamson St., the space had driveways linking the property to both Williamson and Jenifer Streets. However, when the Willy Street Co-op opened its doors in October of 1999, there was only one driveway connecting the lot to Williamson Street. According to a resident of the community who, like many others quoted in this article requested not to be named, the decision to close the driveway onto Jenifer was an attempt to be a good neighbor.

But, as time passed, the owners of the Willy Street Co-op pressed for an additional entrance to provide more access to the Co-op, and reduce congestion on Williamson Street. The cement driveway was added in March this year.

Two factors played into the decision to install the Jenifer Street driveway: the construction on Williamson Street between April and October, and a traffic study commissioned by the Co-op.

The construction project affected businesses all along Williamson Street. When asked if the construction impacted his sales, a Willy Street business owner said that his business had lost “thousands of dollars” as a result of the construction, and he would have loved the access a back driveway would have provided his store.

“I am sure the Co-op was thankful as a business that they had their Jenifer Street driveway. That’s why they went forward with it,” he added.

The study, which was published in March of 2009, indicated that “a combination of heavy traffic volumes and vehicle queuing due to the traffic signal combine to create relatively few opportunities for co-op customers to enter and exit the parking lot.”

But, as a result of the driveway’s installation, Jenifer Street receives more traffic. A resident living near the driveway said she was frustrated with the increased traffic on the residential street.

Some residents have also questioned the legality of the driveway.

According to documents provided by the City of Madison’s Plan Commission, however, the driveway is, in fact, legal. Brad Murphy, of the City of Madison’s Plan Commission, confirmed that the traffic engineer division approved the driveway on September 14, 2010.

While the driveway is clearly legal, many of Jenifer Street residents assumed it was a temporary solution to the construction on Williamson Street.

A woman whose home lies near the driveway said, “my understanding was that it was going to be a temporary thing.” But while pointing out her window at the driveway still in use, she added, “it’s not so much temporary.”

When asked about why many residents thought the driveway would be temporary, Brendon Smith, Director of Communications at the Willy St. Co-op said he was not sure what or who gave that impression. He also mentioned that the concern was not brought up at the most recent meeting concerning the driveway.

The mixed reactions to the driveway have also cultivated a broader discussion of the Co-op as a whole. Ken Opin and his wife have been members of the Co-op for over 30 years. Opin sees the driveway as part of an evolving community.

“When I moved to the neighborhood 30 years ago, Williamson Street was considered one of the most dangerous streets in Madison. That is far from reality now,” Opin said. “Part of the new Willy Street is the success of the Co-op. The driveway is part of the city changing and thriving. I don’t think anyone would trade the inconvenience for the condition of Willy Street 30 years ago,” he added.

Yet, some are asking if residents should have to make that sacrifice. Sara Brooks, a Co-op customer believes that the driveway was necessary during construction, but does not think it needs to continue.

“If you have a neighborhood that is really opposed… democracy says that majority rules, but not always. If you have a contingency that is unhappy, you should reach out and try to make them happy. We are all one group,” Brooks said.

But some, like Tom Christensen, a Jenifer Street resident and outspoken opponent of the driveway, have given up hope of a mutually-agreeable resolution.

“I concluded that there is no interest from the Co-op’s side of resolving this matter, other than keeping the driveway in place. From my point of view they have traded integrity for business growth,” Christensen said in an email.

In response, Smith said, “Yes, the resolution is taking a while. That is because we want to take all perspectives into account before making our decision. We appreciate the feedback that we've gotten so far and welcome more.”

While the neighborhood and Co-op continue to discuss the legality and ethical implications of the driveway, many people find the driveway helpful and a needed safety measure in the increasingly popular neighborhood.

The Willy Street Co-op plans to make a final decision on the permanence of the driveway by the spring of 2012.

“We hope to have a long-term plan for the driveway by this spring,” Smith said in an email. “The term "permanent," though, has been used to mean different things in the past - both the use of the driveway and the physicality of the driveway. The driveway as a structure will likely remain there; the use has not been decided yet. That is, the driveway could remain there but be gated (not usable).”

The following timeline charts the development of the Willy Street Co-op driveway from 2009 through the present. Click on any of the dates below to find out more.