Township Council Meeting — Packet

WHEREAS, Complete and Green Streets implementation enhances access to local businesses, encourages reinvestment, increases property values and employment, and stimulates private investment, especially in retail districts, downtowns, and tourist areas; and WHEREAS, Complete and Green Streets encourage an active lifestyle through increased physical activity, social connectivity, and sense of community belonging, thereby lowering risk of obesity, reducing chronic disease, improving mental health, and promoting wellness; and WHEREAS, Complete and Green Streets implementation provides the opportunity to enhance the historic character of our communities and our understanding of our shared history in a way that promotes the economic and social vitality of our communities and should be considered in the design of infrastructure improvements; and WHEREAS, procedures should be implemented that ensure fair treatment, equitable funding and resource distribution, and meaningful involvement of all communities in all phases from selection, planning, and design to construction and long-term maintenance; and WHEREAS, a balanced and flexible transportation system where all people can easily and safely walk and bicycle to everyday destinations — such as schools, shops, restaurants, businesses, parks, transit, and jobs — enhances neighborhood economic vitality and livability; and WHEREAS, low- and moderate-income areas, whether in rural, urban, or suburban communities, are typically the least safe for pedestrians and bicyclists, especially for children walking and biking to school, due to long-standing infrastructure disparities and higher concentration of streets with fastermoving and higher-volume traffic; and WHEREAS, implementation of the Complete and Green Streets policy should not negatively impact the affordability of the neighborhood for current residents; and WHEREAS, the Complete and Green Streets policy applies to new, reconstruction, retrofit, and resurfacing projects, including design, planning, construction, maintenance and operations, for the entire right-of-way; and