At an Oct. 1 Traffic Board meeting, abutters along Lindsey Street told board members that a state-driven redesign — which includes converting one block of Lindsey to one-way and narrowing sidewalks — could compound long-standing delivery and parking problems and occasionally block emergency access.

The concerns came from Bruce Hake, who identified himself as the owner of the three-story brown building between Duval and Lindsey, and from Jennifer Souza, who spoke for the restaurant Mesa 21. Stephanie MacArthur, director of traffic and parking, explained the design changes and answered questions from board members and business representatives.

Hake said deliveries and tractor-trailers double-parking have been a recurring problem at his building and that the planned narrowing could make it difficult for delivery trucks to reach business drives and could even obstruct emergency vehicles. "Put a loading zone in front of Mesa so they can... stay as long as they want, load, unload," he told the board as a suggested remedy.

Mesa 21 representative Jennifer Souza said the restaurant relies on frequent deliveries and worried a dedicated daytime loading zone would simply invite more police and tow calls. "Parking is an issue. A loading zone would just give another reason for, to be calling, the police and tow trucks and things like that," she said.

MacArthur told attendees the one-way conversion has already been approved and that the state revised the curb-to-curb width: "the existing street is 33 feet curb to curb, and this current design is 31 feet curb to curb," she said, adding that the plan reduced an earlier three-foot narrowing to two feet after feedback. The board also noted that because the project is a state reconstruction it must meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards for sidewalk width.

Board member Natalie Mello told the group staff would look into practical options raised at the meeting, including the possibility of a time-limited loading zone and relocating a handicap space into the private lot to keep the street clear during deliveries. "We can surely explore that," she said.

No formal change to the approved state design was made at the meeting. The board took the concerns under advisement and asked abutters to continue discussions with staff and each other; MacArthur and Mello said they would report back with options for loading-zone placement, handicap parking location and any feasible adjustments that do not conflict with the state's approved plan.

Background and details discussed at the meeting included a review of how the street has been used for years, report of one instance in which an ambulance could not pass because of parked vehicles, and a reminder that state reconstruction projects must meet ADA standards. MacArthur said parking will remain allowed on both sides of the block despite the one-way conversion.

The Traffic Board adjourned after the discussion; no vote on a local ordinance or permit was taken. The board invited the abutters to continue coordinating with staff and with each other while the state project proceeds.