A neighborhood group that fought commercial development a decade ago near the Bremen Highway and U.S. 20 bypass, across from the Meijer store, now say their fears have proven true. They’re asking the county for help.
When the Mishawaka Common Council approved plans for the commercial development across from Meijer in 2006, many homeowners on nearby Elmwood Avenue spoke out in opposition. They feared their street would eventually see lots of cut-through traffic, making it unsafe for the 22 children who live on the street.
There’s no sidewalk, and they say they see large trucks with trailers on their 19-foot-wide street, which is more narrow than the standard 24-foot-width for a street carrying through-traffic.
In recent years, they say the addition of a Wendy’s and a Taco Bell have made traffic on their street worse, and the Midwest Shooting Center firing range under construction will generate some 250 new vehicle trips a day on weekends.
On Monday the St. Joseph County Council will hear first reading of the neighbors’ request to vacate a five-foot section of the street and erect a permanent barrier. That would make Elmwood a dead-end street that’s about a half-mile long, more than twice as long as the 1,000 feet limit for dead-end streets in the county ordinance.
