The city of Urbana approved a waiver at its Dec. 14 meeting that will exempt Oakbrook Circle from building a sidewalk to connect the Vine Street cul-de-sac to Meadowbrook Park.
City code requires sidewalks to be built on both sides of a street, but the section of the Birchcrest Third Subdivision at Oakbrook Circle is missing some sections of sidewalk that would make the sidewalk contiguous.
The Urban Plan Commission had recommended approving the waiver at its Dec 10 meeting on the grounds that it wouldn't significantly improve access to install the new sidewalk, nor would waiving the sidewalk requirement hinder access in that area. The Council also noted that the proposed sidewalks would not connect to Meadowbrook Parks' trail network, making them even more superfluous.
Two of the three neighboring property owners also previously testified that they would prefer the new sidewalk segments not be built.
The new ordinance will affect properties at 406, 407, 408 and 409 Oakbrook Circle.