Why is a 200-yard stretch of road in Vineyard causing such a ruckus?

VINEYARD — What many residents assumed would be a simple road improvement project turned into an almost six-month-long battle in Vineyard over just 200 yards of road stretching in front of a councilman's home.

"This road should've been done. It's not because one City Council member is throwing a hissy fit," resident David Pearce said.

He and several other residents voiced their frustration to the City Council on Aug. 18 over an unfinished stretch of road — which borders Councilman Jacob Holdaway's and his father's properties — that is causing safety issues for children walking to school.

Although Holdaway recused himself from voting in his capacity as a councilman on the topic, he and his father continually refused to agree to any city- or developer-proposed plan for the road, instead promoting their own plan that residents viewed as less safe.

But on Tuesday, Holdaway announced he and his father agreed to a compromise plan — one that differs slightly from the original city-approved plan — after months of discussion.

What led to this?

In 2022, Cadence Homes entered into a development agreement with the city to construct approximately 300 homes on a 100-acre plot and upgrade roads, among other things. While most upgrades have been completed, a 200-yard segment from the roundabout at Lakeview Drive to Holdaway Road on 400 South that touches the Holdaway properties became a stumbling block.

In March, the City Council gave staff the go ahead for construction on the remaining segment. Despite that, construction ceased on the road, leaving the unfinished segment that still lies there today causing a recent uproar by parents.

Kim Smith, the PTA president at Vineyard Elementary, explained two bus routes were canceled because of new district standards and the new walking path is situated along 400 South. "While adults continue to disagree about property and road design, the people dealing with the consequences right now are our kids," she said.

East of Holdaway Road is a two-lane road with bike lanes on both sides stretching to Vineyard Elementary. West of the unfinished segment is a roundabout that becomes a wider road that will have one lane in each direction, a middle utility lane and bike lanes on either side.

All along the south side of 400 South is a planter strip and sidewalk. The north side of the road, going both east and west from the segment, either has a sidewalk or a paved trail path for pedestrians.

But the segment in the middle, along the Holdaways' properties, has no sidewalk or gutter on the north side.

The plan the council approved in March would widen the road slightly, leaning into the approximately 65-foot right-of-way the city owns, to create two 12-foot lanes, 6-foot bikes lanes on either side and add 2 feet of gutter and a 10-foot-wide paved pathway on the north side.

Despite it being in the city's right-of-way, Jacob Holdaway landscaped his property all the way to the edge of the road, including a tractor set up on a hill on the corner where a curb ramp would need to be installed for the sidewalk and intersection.

The proposed plan would take back a majority of the right-of-way on the councilman's property and cross into a triangle portion of Keith Holdaway's property. If he did not want to sell the triangle, the plan could be adjusted to pinch the trail shorter as it skirts around Keith's property, city planner Cache Hancey explained.

Alternative proposals were rehashed in half a dozen work sessions until the compromise came about this week.

Why a wider road?

The wider road plan stems from collector road standards the city adopted in December. The changes were likely implemented due to resident complaints about narrow roads and lack of parking as the city has experienced explosive growth.

Holdaway, who is a staunch critic of the previous council, claims those standards were implemented to punish him for speaking up about alleged corruption in the past.

"Knowing from the previous administration that this is the last segment to stick it to me, it really bothers me. ... Every single collector road is built in this city. ... So the only segment ... would apply to me and only me and only my family," Holdaway said in heated meeting on July 7.

Public works director Naseem Ghandour later said in that same meeting that 400 South is not the final collector road the city will need to build.

A city staff report from July claimed the cheapest route would be the already-approved city plan and Holdaway's plan, which puts both bike lanes on the north side and has bollards to separate it from traffic, was estimated to cost significantly more.

Holdaway aggressively defended his plan, saying after talking to several contractors, his plan would actually be "extreme cost savings." He repeatedly scolded staff during the meeting for the estimates, saying they were blown out of proportion and needed to be reevaluated "to clear my name."

"I believe I'm here because my last name is Holdaway and I have to defend my name because there's no one in this city that has this standard," he said.

Ghandour explained how the staff estimated the costs, saying reinstallation of about 100 feet of sewer line and manholes would be necessary in Holdaway's plan.

Holdaway, however, responded that wouldn't be an additional cost.

Arguments over safety

Councilman Ezra Nair discussed the importance of having curb and traffic alignment on roads, but Holdaway claimed there are dozens of places in the city with unaligned curb.

"I don't think it's a good idea to say just because things were wrong in the past, we should just continue that," Nair responded.

On Aug. 18, the City Council had two plans left: one utilizing the double cycle track and a proposal from Cadence Homes that was very similar to the city-approved plan.

Holdaway claimed the cycle track on the north side is safer and prevents cars from parking on the bike lanes.

But Ryan Beebe, general manager for Cadence Homes, said bike lines on both sides of the road are actually safer, providing an additional buffer between vehicles and pedestrians.

The finalized plan presented in Tuesday's meeting is largely the same as the original, except the 10-foot paved path will be shortened to 6 feet, and the bike lanes are shrunk to only 5-feet wide.

Holdaway said he agrees to this plan because it's fair to all and makes the whole road consistent in width.

"My father will be donating the famous triangle, and I will be donating the corner," he said. "I will no longer own 4.5 feet of Holdaway Road, so we will turn that back over to the city."

An official vote was not taken, as the adjusted road plans will be added to the Cadence Homes development agreement which is under negotiation for requested adjustments in construction phasing.

"I appreciate all the parties coming together and talking and negotiating ... and we can stop talking about this road and move on to anything else," Councilman Jacob Wood said.

Related topics