A resident of nearby Mount Vista, Craig has watched for years as billboards promising various projects popped up on the vacant lot. He also noticed the property was pinched between Interstate 205 to the west and a gully to the north.
Though Craig, 67, doesn’t pretend to be an engineer, he said he wondered how a development would fit into the bustling area. It is near the convergence of I-205 and I-5, with nearby onramps and offramps to boot.
“It’s congested as it is now,” he said.
When the lofts open in April, the only point of access will be the driveway onto Northeast 23rd Avenue. That street is a two-lane channel running between Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center and The Vancouver Clinic.
A median will also be built to make sure entry and exit into the lofts will only be possible with right turns. Craig said he now expects even more congestion.
Kirkland argued that tenants will appreciate the single driveway. He said the lofts have “a very intimate feel. It has a great feeling of security.”
Likewise, representatives for the Clark County Public Works department, who approved the access, said they did not expect any adverse impacts.
A traffic study submitted before the project’s approval found that the site would generate 697 trips per weekday, including 53 during the morning rush hour and 62 trips during the peak evening rush.
The study, conducted by Charbonneau Engineering, found that nearby intersections would have “acceptable levels” of traffic and that no improvements were necessary. The study was conducted in April 2012.