Ever since it was developed six years ago, the private 13-lot Stanford Oaks subdivision has provided convenient pedestrian and bike access from Cloverdale Avenue in Southdowns to the LSU Lakes.
But as Business Report Editor Stephanie Riegel notes in her latest column, a recent vote by the Stanford Oaks Property Owners Association board of directors to close the public sidewalk through their private subdivision has led some Southdowns residents to voice their displeasure online.
“If you don’t live in the Southdowns area, the Stanford Oaks sidewalk debate may seem like just another parochial neighborhood dispute,” Riegel writes. “But neighborhood spats often speak volumes about the larger tensions and dynamics in a community, and this one touches on a central theme often discussed in Baton Rouge but never resolved, namely: What kind of community do we want to be?”
In surveys and public forums Baton Rougeans routinely say they want connectivity, sidewalks, bike paths, wider and better roads, and an end to traffic and gridlock.
“But we don’t want to pay higher taxes to fund new infrastructure projects,” Riegel says. “We’re not willing to give up frontage on our property to allow for construction of a sidewalk, bike lane or wider street. And we definitely don’t want random strangers strolling, cycling or driving through our quiet little neighborhood, potentially threatening the value of our homes and diminishing our sense of security. Can we realistically expect to be a progressive community with such a provincial mindset?”
Read the full column. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
