The project will “address the concerns in the current code…and create a master plan for Beach Road that will allow for many transportation options beyond just the car,” explained Commonwealth Zoning Board Administrator Victor Barrett.
Barrett presented the plan toward a “car-free” and “safe, fun and healthy island life” during the Rotary Club’s meeting at the Hyatt Regency yesterday.
Barrett was accompanied by consultant Jay Solly who is preparing the grant proposal for the Zoning Board.
The board is applying for an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.
Barrett underscored the need for Saipan to have its comprehensive land use plan.
He said the Office of the Governor and concerned citizens are supporting the proposal.
Funding will come from the Division of Energy of the Department of Public Works, which is tasked to manage $30 million of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Barrett said the Beach Road Corridor Improvement Plan will address “practical, reductions in fossil emissions, lower energy use, and energy efficiency in the building sector, transportation sector and other appropriate sectors.”
A complete overview of previous workshops and public discourse on recent plans for the revitalization of Beach Road, and more public outreach will be essential for the project, Barrett said.
Saipan, through the Beach Road plan, will have “walk-able” distances to promote public health.
“Numerous studies on the application of `Smart Zoning Codes’ and the promotion of compact, walk-able urban planning…show that the resulting decrease in fossil fuel use and carbon emissions is dramatic — on the order of 40 percent or more — and sustainable,” Barrett explained.
The plan is also geared toward achieving a Comprehensive Land Use Plan for the island, Barrett said.
“Land use plans must be sustainable,” he added.
These, he said, must include energy conservation.
He said the gasoline costs on the island of Saipan are “consistently 30 percent or more higher than mainland U.S. prices.”
The Beach Road plan targets the stretch of 6.5 miles from American Memorial Park to the Pacific Islands Club.
“Beach Road serves as the primary thoroughfare on Saipan for residents and tourists,” Barrett said.
He said the plan is a coordinated project that “would seek to commence the design, planning and implementation tools to transform the existing 6.5 miles of 100-foot wide right-of-way into a multi-modal transportation corridor.”
“This [plan] will be a world-class, best practices design that accommodates cars, bikes, pedestrians, neighborhood electric vehicles and shuttle buses, all the while defining the road edges with organized parking, sidewalks and efficient landscaping” Barrett said.
The island’s signature flame trees will line the entire route, providing building façade and sidewalk shading from the tropical sun, he said.
