Preserve Henry Street's Historic Bluestone Infrastructure

Unfortunately this plan makes no mention of the historic bluestone sidewalks that line much of Henry from Clinton to Fair, a small portion of which is in the adjoining Fair Street Historic District and hence must be protected. Indeed, the text above refers to the "retaining walls, stairs, porches, stoops, and buildings on the street" "as additional constraints" with no mention of the fact that they are of bluestone and therefore historic, including a limestone hitching post and carriage steps, likely at least 140 years old. Furthermore, as a neighbor living a half block from Henry, the characterization of the street as a truck route that is unsafe is misguided--indeed, there's more traffic on Franklin St. and Greenkill gets most of the trucks. The four- to five-foot width of the sidewalk is sufficient for the amount of pedestrian food traffic. Furthermore, having cyclists share the proposed six-foot-wide sidewalk with pedestrians is a bad idea, for bicyclists of any speed; some cities prohibit any sharing of the sidewalk with cyclists. If you want to truly improve Henry Street, then restore the areas with bluestone, preserve the five existing mature trees and plant more, get rid of the unsightly asphalt on the sidewalks and repair non-bluestone areas of the street with stamped cement, and slow down the traffic. And how about holding a public hearing to get feedback from those most affected by this plan, the residents on the street and in the neighborhood? Only one public hearing has been held and since then the plan has changed dramatically.